Lyrics 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 me 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 threw away the rose

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

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 threw away the rose