I Threw Away the Rose

(Merle Haggard)



Once I lived a life of wine and roses

And I drank a lot back then for one concern

Success for me lay just around the corner

I thought my social friends would help me make the turn.



But now I'm paying for the days of wine and roses

A victim of the drunken life I chose

Now all my social friends look down their noses

'Cause I kept the wine and I threw away the rose.



--- Instrumental ---



I stood by and watched the bottle take control of me

The turn I made was not the one I'd planned

And I watched my social standings slip away from me

While I watched the bottle slowly take command.



And now I'm paying for the days of wine and roses

A victim of the drunken life I chose

Now all my social friends look down their noses

'Cause I kept the wine and I threw away the rose.



'Cause I kept the wine and I threw away the rose...