He played guitar in a honky-tonk band
He drank Jack Daniels, black label brand
He was the life of the party till they closed down the bar
In the eyes of a young boy, he was a star

He'd say, 'Son, don't you run down the roads that I've run
And don't go and sing all the songs that I've sung
'Cause this kind of livin' takes its toll on a man
And through the smoke and the neon I saw it first hand
I got the lowdown on the high-life but still here I am'

The blues and the bottle held him under their spell
Took him to heaven and put us through hell
Well, sometimes I feel him up on this stage
His restless spirit still runs through my veins

He'd say, 'Son, don't you run down the roads that I've run
And don't go and sing all the songs that I've sung
'Cause this kind of livin' takes its toll on a man
And through the smoke and the neon I saw it first hand
I got the lowdown on the high-life but still here I am
I got the lowdown on the high-life but still here I am'