I’ve been a moonshiner
For 17 long years
I’ve spent all my money
On whiskey and beer

I go to some hollow
And sit at my still
And if whiskey don’t kill me
Then I don’t know what will

I go to some bar room
And drink with my friends
Where the women can’t follow
And see what I spend

God bless them pretty women
I wish they was mine
Their breath is as sweet as
The dew on the vine

Let me eat when I am hungry
Let me drink when I am dry
A dollar when I am hard up
Religion when I die

The whole world’s a bottle
And life’s but a dram
When the bottle gets empty
It sure ain’t worth a damn