---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: 2 p.m. beer nothing matters but flopping…"
description: "\"2 p.m. beer nothing matters but flopping on a mattress with cheap dreams and a beer as the leaves die and the horses die and the landladies stare in th..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1af/charles-bukowski-73_beer_2-p-m-beer-nothing-matters-but-flopping_3067818.jpg"
---

#  2 p.m. beer nothing matters but flopping on a mattress…

![“2 p.m. beer nothing matters but flopping on a mattress with cheap dreams and a beer as the leaves die and the horses die and the landladies stare in the halls; brisk the music of pulled shades, a last man's cave in an eternity of swarm and explosion; nothing but the dripping sink, the empty…” quote by Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1af/charles-bukowski-73_beer_2-p-m-beer-nothing-matters-but-flopping_3067818.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1af/charles-bukowski-73_beer_2-p-m-beer-nothing-matters-but-flopping_3067818.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1af/charles-bukowski-73_beer_2-p-m-beer-nothing-matters-but-flopping_3067818.jpg)

> “2 p.m. beer nothing matters but flopping on a mattress with cheap dreams and a beer as the leaves die and the horses die and the landladies stare in the halls; brisk the music of pulled shades, a last man's cave in an eternity of swarm and explosion; nothing but the dripping sink, the empty bottle, euphoria, youth fenced in, stabbed and shaven, taught words propped up to die.”

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

In moments of aimlessness, simple pleasures and fleeting euphoria mask deeper emptiness.

**In simple terms:** Drinking and dreaming hide deeper voids.

Key Takeaway

Seek meaning beyond temporary escapes.

Themes

existential nihilism escape

Mood

melancholic raw

Type

poetic confessional

When to use this quote

- late night drinking
- personal reflection
- youthful rebellion
- loneliness

Key Concepts

temporary pleasure emptiness

Questions to Reflect On

- What do you turn to when life feels empty?
- Can fleeting joys become lasting fulfillment?

A Different Perspective

Escapism can deepen isolation rather than heal.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Beer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beer/) [Beer Leaves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beer-leaves-5175357/) [Bottles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bottles/) [Caves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/caves/) [Cheap Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cheap-dreams-5175358/) [Die Horses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/die-horses-5175356/) [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Dreams Beer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams-beer-5175355/) [Dripping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dripping/) [Empty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empty/) [Empty bottles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empty-bottles/) [Eternity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eternity/) [Euphoria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/euphoria/) [Explosions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/explosions/) [Flopping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flopping/) [Halls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/halls/) [Horse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horse/) [Lasts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lasts/) [Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter/) [Mattresses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mattresses/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Nothing matters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nothing-matters/) [Shade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shade/) [Staring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/staring/) [Taught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taught/) [Youth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/youth/)

## Related quotes

> [In the battlefield men grapple each other and die; The horses of the vanquished utter lamentable cries to heaven, While ravens and kites peck…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-bai/in-the-battlefield-men-grapple-each-other-and-die-the-horses-of-the/)

[Li Bai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-bai/)

> [The morality code that remains after the religion that produced it is rejected is like the perfume that lingers in an empty bottle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigrid-undset/the-morality-code-that-remains-after-the-religion-that-produced-it-is/)

[Sigrid Undset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigrid-undset/)

> [We must view young people not as empty bottles to be filled, but as candles to be lit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-h-shaffer/we-must-view-young-people-not-as-empty-bottles-to-be-filled-but-as/)

[Robert H. Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-h-shaffer/)

> [He was sound asleep, his long legs stretched out in front of him, the blessed fire blazing, an empty bottle of wine by his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-stuart/he-was-sound-asleep-his-long-legs-stretched-out-in-front-of-him-the/)

[Anne Stuart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-stuart/)

> [I looked into that empty bottle and I saw myself,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-metalious/i-looked-into-that-empty-bottle-and-i-saw-myself/)

[Grace Metalious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-metalious/)

> [Yes, there was something special about me, and I knew what it was. I was the kind of girl they found dead in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-monroe/yes-there-was-something-special-about-me-and-i-knew-what-it-was-i-was/)

[Marilyn Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-monroe/)

> [I don't like self-righteous people," I say. "What's to like?" says Haymitch, who begins sucking the dregs out of the empty bottles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/i-don-t-like-self-righteous-people-i-say-what-s-to-like-says-haymitch-2/)

[Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/)

> [Traveling, I am finding, teaches you a lot of things about yourself. For instance, I never thought myself to be the kind of person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/traveling-i-am-finding-teaches-you-a-lot-of-things-about-yourself-for/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [I love my family. I came home the other days. My brother's passed-out on the couch, holding an empty bottle of sleeping pills. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emo-philips/i-love-my-family-i-came-home-the-other-days-my-brother-s-passed-out/)

[Emo Philips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emo-philips/)

> [The poet who writes "free" verse is like Robinson Crusoe on his desert island: he must do all his cooking, laundry and darning for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden/the-poet-who-writes-free-verse-is-like-robinson-crusoe-on-his-desert/)

[W. H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden/)

> [My dad has a weird hobby; he collects empty bottles... which sounds so much better than "alcoholic."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-francis/my-dad-has-a-weird-hobby-he-collects-empty-bottles-which-sounds-so/)

[Stewart Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-francis/)

> [Gansey appeared beside Blue in the doorway. He shook his empty bottle at her. "Fair trade," he told her in a way that indicated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/gansey-appeared-beside-blue-in-the-doorway-he-shook-his-empty-bottle/)

[Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/)

> [My daddy left home when I was three and he didn't leave much to Ma and me, just this old guitar and an empty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-cash/my-daddy-left-home-when-i-was-three-and-he-didn-t-leave-much-to-ma/)

[Johnny Cash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-cash/)

> [Bad people drink bad beer. You almost never see an empty bottle of Rochefort tossed onto the side of the road.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-cook/bad-people-drink-bad-beer-you-almost-never-see-an-empty-bottle-of/)

[Dave Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-cook/)

> [Passion is something you really don't miss, after it has cooled. It is like looking at an empty bottle on the side of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-bragg/passion-is-something-you-really-don-t-miss-after-it-has-cooled-it-is/)

[Rick Bragg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-bragg/)

## More by Charles Bukowski

> [“sometimes when everything seems at its worst when all conspires and gnaws and the hours, days, weeks years seem wasted – stretched there upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/sometimes-when-everything-seems-at-its-worst-when-all-conspires-and/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [well, death says, as he walks by, I'm going to get you anyhow no matter what you've been: writer, cab-driver, pimp, butcher, sky-diver, I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/well-death-says-as-he-walks-by-i-m-going-to-get-you-anyhow-no-matter/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [“There is only one place to write and that is alone at a typewriter. A writer who has to go into the streets is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/there-is-only-one-place-to-write-and-that-is-alone-at-a-typewriter-a/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [Even the stove and the refrigerator looked human, I mean good human - they seemed to have arms and voices and they said, hang…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/even-the-stove-and-the-refrigerator-looked-human-i-mean-good-human/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [“nerves twitching in the sheets -- to face the sunlight again, that's clearly trouble. I like the city better when the neon lights are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/nerves-twitching-in-the-sheets-to-face-the-sunlight-again-that-s/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [“Their Love Is Average, Seeks Average But There Is Genius In Their Hatred”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/their-love-is-average-seeks-average-but-there-is-genius-in-their/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [“I climbed the stairway (there was no elevator) and put the key in. The door swung open. Somebody had changed all the furniture around,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/i-climbed-the-stairway-there-was-no-elevator-and-put-the-key-in-the/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [“Strangers when you meet, strangers when you part -a gymnasium of bodies namelessly masturbating each other. People with no morals often considered themselves more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/strangers-when-you-meet-strangers-when-you-part-a-gymnasium-of-bodies/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [I like to change liquor stores frequently because the clerks got to know your habits if you went in night and day and bought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/i-like-to-change-liquor-stores-frequently-because-the-clerks-got-to/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [“I was like a turd that drew flies instead of like a flower that butterflies and bees desired. I wanted to live alone,I felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/i-was-like-a-turd-that-drew-flies-instead-of-like-a-flower-that/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [It's 4:30 in the morning, it's always 4:30 in the morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/it-s-4-30-in-the-morning-it-s-always-4-30-in-the-morning/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [I had no feeling for the things so many others needed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/i-had-no-feeling-for-the-things-so-many-others-needed/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [“I am sick with caring.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/i-am-sick-with-caring/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [I went home each night dizzy and sick. He was murdering me with the sound of his voice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/i-went-home-each-night-dizzy-and-sick-he-was-murdering-me-with-the/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [“the nights you fight best are when all the weapons are pointed at you, when all the voices hurl their insults while the dream…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/the-nights-you-fight-best-are-when-all-the-weapons-are-pointed-at-you/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

[Explore all 1,492 Charles Bukowski quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

## More Beer quotes

> [On Sundays, that's my pig out day and I do the pizza and the beer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-silvstedt/on-sundays-that-s-my-pig-out-day-and-i-do-the-pizza-and-the-beer/)

[Victoria Silvstedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-silvstedt/)

> [“Nevertheless, four years later, at the end of August 2004, a Zogby poll discovered the critical fact that 57 percent of the undecided voters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-p-pierce/nevertheless-four-years-later-at-the-end-of-august-2004-a-zogby-poll/)

[Charles P. Pierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-p-pierce/)

> [You're getting into some kind of shape, cop." Aw, come on, now." Butch grinned. "Don't let that shower we took go to your head."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward/you-re-getting-into-some-kind-of-shape-cop-aw-come-on-now-butch/)

[J.R. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/)

> [When I get a chance to play golf or go on a boat with good people, take the boat out and put some lobsters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-mac/when-i-get-a-chance-to-play-golf-or-go-on-a-boat-with-good-people/)

[Bernie Mac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-mac/)

> [I'm Catholic and I can't commit suicide, but I plan to drink myself to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/i-m-catholic-and-i-can-t-commit-suicide-but-i-plan-to-drink-myself-to/)

[Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

> [I never was a crazy liquor drinker, and I don't like beer that much - though I keep the brews at home because my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-brown/i-never-was-a-crazy-liquor-drinker-and-i-don-t-like-beer-that-much/)

[Danny Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-brown/)

> [I'm 12 years sober, so I don't have beer! When I used to drink I really liked Bass Ale!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-davis/i-m-12-years-sober-so-i-don-t-have-beer-when-i-used-to-drink-i-really/)

[Kristin Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-davis/)

> [I can get along great with the Hispanics. In fact, I sure would like to meet them, even the politicians, maybe in the back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-arpaio/i-can-get-along-great-with-the-hispanics-in-fact-i-sure-would-like-to/)

[Joe Arpaio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-arpaio/)

> [I was never able to have three of four beers. One's too many, and ten just ain't enough. Basically it's the way I've been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-daly/i-was-never-able-to-have-three-of-four-beers-one-s-too-many-and-ten/)

[John Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-daly/)

> [This ball was so crowded that it took me - a trained professional journalist with vast experience in this area - forty five minutes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/this-ball-was-so-crowded-that-it-took-me-a-trained-professional/)

[Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/)

> [There's nothing better than having a bottle of beer in your hand in the waves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-grohl/there-s-nothing-better-than-having-a-bottle-of-beer-in-your-hand-in/)

[Dave Grohl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-grohl/)

> [Good films are not made by accident, nor is good photography. You can have good things happen, on occasion, by accident that can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-willis/good-films-are-not-made-by-accident-nor-is-good-photography-you-can/)

[Gordon Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-willis/)

> [Everybody thinks I drink beer but I actually like cider!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prince-william/everybody-thinks-i-drink-beer-but-i-actually-like-cider/)

[Prince William](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prince-william/)

> [Design is all about relationships. Unfortunately, many designers don’t fully appreciate this. Some of the best design work I’ve ever done was drinking coffee…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-burka/design-is-all-about-relationships-unfortunately-many-designers-don-t/)

[Daniel Burka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-burka/)

> [“I drink beer not to get drunk or because i have stress, i drink beer just because i want to share good ideas with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ntambara-sylvestre-owen-berbason/i-drink-beer-not-to-get-drunk-or-because-i-have-stress-i-drink-beer/)

[Ntambara Sylvestre Owen Berbason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ntambara-sylvestre-owen-berbason/)

[Browse all 1,632 Beer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beer/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "2 p.m. beer nothing matters but flopping on a mattress with cheap dreams and a beer as the leaves die and the horses die and the landladies stare in the halls; brisk the music of pulled shades, a last man's cave in an eternity of swarm and explosion; nothing but the dripping sink, the empty bottle, euphoria, youth fenced in, stabbed and shaven, taught words propped up to die.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Charles Bukowski"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/2-p-m-beer-nothing-matters-but-flopping-on-a-mattress-with-cheap/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Beer"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/2-p-m-beer-nothing-matters-but-flopping-on-a-mattress-with-cheap/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1af/charles-bukowski-73_beer_2-p-m-beer-nothing-matters-but-flopping_3067818.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1af/charles-bukowski-73_beer_2-p-m-beer-nothing-matters-but-flopping_3067818.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1af/charles-bukowski-73_beer_2-p-m-beer-nothing-matters-but-flopping_3067818.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“2 p.m. beer nothing matters but flopping on a mattress with cheap dreams and a beer as the leaves die and…” — Charles Bukowski",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Charles Bukowski",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "2 p.m. beer nothing matters but...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/2-p-m-beer-nothing-matters-but-flopping-on-a-mattress-with-cheap/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/2-p-m-beer-nothing-matters-but-flopping-on-a-mattress-with-cheap/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
