Lyrics I Threw Away the Rose (Re-Recorded) - Merle Haggard

Once I lived a life of wine and roses
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 standing 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