Hank Williams Jr. — Ballad of Hank Williams

[Intro] Don tell us how it really was when you was workin' with daddy [Verse 1: Don Helms] Well, in 1950 I took a little nip Along with Mr. Williams on the way to Mississipp' We was stacked eight deep in a Packard limousine And we met this promoter in the town of New Orleans [Verse 2: Hank Williams Jr., Don Helms] Well, the man told daddy that he had what it took And he liked the way he sang and he liked the way he shook He said, pretty soon he'd make us all rich And we started believin' that fat sum bitch [Verse 3: Hank Williams Jr., Don Helms] Now daddy told the man if you wanna make some dough Take a little money and book me on a show And we played them dates and we filled the places well But, Hank, he'd done blowed the profits all to hell [Chorus: Don Helms, Hank Williams Jr.] 'Cause he'd run through a ten and he'd run through a twenty And he'd run through a hundred just as fast as it could go Like a big dose of sauce to a little bitty feller He'd spend a thousand dollars on a hundred dollar show [Verse 4: Don Helms] Hank looked at me with a funny lookin' grin Said, "I've been to the Opry and I'm goin' back again" We met the owner in a little office there A big fat fella with some artificial hair [Verse 5: Don Helms, Hank Williams Jr.] He told Hank, he wanted half of everything he made Or he'd have to tell Audrey 'bout some women Hank had laid And you told daddy, he'd better get smart Get rid of them fellas and make a new start [Chorus: Don Helms, Hank Williams Jr.] Then he fired my ass and he fired Jerry Rivers And he fired everybody just as hard as he could go He fired old Cedric and he fired Sammy Pruitt And he fired some people that he didn't even know [Verse 6: Hank Williams Jr., Don Helms] Well, every song he made, it went to number one Y'all was workin' like hell and he was havin' fun We was ridin' every day and playin' every night And every twenty minutes some of us had a fight [Verse 7: Hank Williams Jr., Don Helms] Now, daddy he was makin' money hand over fist And y'all was gettin' screwed but you wasn't gettin' kissed Yeah, I told him to pass a little bit around But he said he'd rather send it to his folks in Alabam' [Chorus: Hank Williams Jr., Don Helms] So he fired your ass and he fired Jerry Rivers And he fired everybody just as hard as he could go He fired old Cedric and he fired Sammy Pruitt And he fired some people that he didn't even know [Verse 8: Hank Williams Jr., Don Helms] Now the owner of the Opry, he's a-doin' pretty good He's got a music company that they call Cedarwood And Hank played nothin' but sold out halls And I was pumpin' gas in greasy overalls [Chorus: Don Helms, Hank Williams Jr.] 'Cause he fired my ass and he fired Jerry Rivers And he fired everybody just as hard as he could go He fired old Cedric and he fired Sammy Pruitt And he fired some people that he didn't even know [Chorus: Don Helms, Hank Williams Jr.] Hank run through a fifty and he'd run through a hundred And he'd run through a thousand just as hard as he could go Buyin' Cadillac, coupes, payin' double alimony And he fired some people that he didn't even know [Outro: Hank Williams Jr., Don Helms] Don, you know, you used to work for me one time I sure remember that, but come to think of it you fired my ass back in 1972 Oh, well, it's a family tradition ya know? Yep, yep, yep But I kept Jerry Rivers Right, right