Ballad of Hank Williams

Don tell us how it really was when you was workin' with daddy

Well in 1950 I took a little nip

Along with Mr. Williams on the way to Mississipp'

We was stacked 8 deep in a Packard limousine

And we met this promoter in the town of New Orleans

Now 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

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

'Cause he'd run through a 10 and he'd run through a 20

And he'd run through a 100 just as fast as it could go

Like a big dose of sauce to a little bitty fella

He'd spend a $1000 dollars on a $100 dollar show

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

And a big fat fella with some artificial hair

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

And 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

Well, every song he made it went to number one

Y'all was workin' like hell and you was havin' fun

We was ridin' every day and playin' every night

And every 20 minutes some of us had a fight

Now, daddy he was makin' money hand over fist

And y'all was getting' screwed but you wasn't getting kissed

Yeah, I told him to pass a little bit around

But he said, he'd rather send it to his folks in Alabam'

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

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 nothing but sold out halls

And I was pumpin' gas in greasy overalls

'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

Hank run through a 50 and he'd run through a 100

And he'd run through a 1000 just as hard as he could go

Buying Cadillac coots paying double alimony

And he fired some people that he didn't even know

Don you know, you know, you used to work for me one time

I sure know that come but come to think of it you fired my ass back in 1972

Oh, well it's a family tradition ya know?

Yap yap yap yap

But I kept Jerry Rivers

Right, right