Hank Williams, he came up from Montgomery
With a heart full of hurtin' country songs
But Nashville, Tennessee, didn't really understand him
Cause he did things differently than the way that they were done
But when he finally made it to the Grand Old 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
And a brand new way of dancing
And even from the waist up, 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've 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've 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
But 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've 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 pill
With a heart full of hurtin' country songs
But Nashville, Tennessee, didn't really understand him
Cause he did things differently than the way that they were done
But when he finally made it to the Grand Old 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
And a brand new way of dancing
And even from the waist up, 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've 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've 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
But 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've 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 pill