Merle Haggard — I Threw Away the Rose

[Verse] Once I lived the 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 the turn [Chorus] 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 [Verse 2] 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 [Chorus] And 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 'Cause I kept the wine and threw away the rose