I Threw Away The Rose Lyrics - Merle Haggard

Once I lived a 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 me turn 

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 

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 

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