Hank Williams, he came up from Montgomery
With a heart full of broken country songs
And Nashville Tennessee didn't really understand him
'Cause he did things differently than the way that they were done
When he finally made it to the Grand Ol' 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 singin' Lord, and a brand new way of dancin'
And even from the waist up Lord, he gave the world a thrill
He ended up on alcohol and pills

Alcohol and pills, its a cryin' shame
You think they might have 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 Graham Parsons, Lord, and then there was Jimmy Hendrix
The story just goes on and on and I guess it always will
They ended up on alcohol and pills

Alcohol and pills, its a cryin' shame
You think they might have 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 DeVille
He ended up on alcohol and pills

Alcohol and pills, its a cryin' shame
You think they might have 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
And you wind up on alcohol and pills