Hank Williams, he came up from Montgomery
With his heart full of broken country songs
Nashville, Tennessee, didn't really understand him
'Cause he did things differently
Then the way that they were done
But when he finally made it to the Grand Ole Opry
He made it stand still
He ended up on alcohol and pills
Elvis Presley, he came up from Jackson
With a brand new way of singing, Lord
And a brand new way of dancing
And even from the waist up, Lord
He gave the world a thrill
He ended up on alcohol and pills
Alcohol and pills
It's a crying shame
You'd think they might have been happy with
The glory and the fame
But fame doesn't take away the pain
It just pays the bills
And you wind up on alcohol and pills
Janis Joplin, she was wild and reckless
And then there was Gram Parsons
And then there was Jimi Hendrix
The story just goes on and on
And I guess it always will
They ended up on alcohol and pills
Alcohol and pills
It's a crying shame
You'd think they might have been happy with
The glory and the fame
But fame doesn't take away the pain
It just pays the bills
And you wind up on alcohol and pills
Sometimes somebody
Just doesn't wake up one day
Sometimes it's a heart attack
Sometimes they just don't say
They pulled poor old Hank Williams
Out of a Cadillac Coupe de Ville
He ended up on alcohol and pills
Alcohol and pills
It's a crying shame
You'd think they might have been happy with
The glory and fame
But fame doesn't take away the pain
It just pays the bills
And you wind up on alcohol and pills
And you wind up on alcohol and pills