Porter Wagoner Album

The clatter of the garbage cans in the dark and lonely alley
Searching for a bottle with a drop or two of wine
The wino makes his rounds from garbage cans to gutter
Running like a wild man to every bottle that he finds
The wine makes him happy for a little while but this world of fantasy don't last long
Then his frail lonely body seeks refuge but he's lost in a world of his own
What would cause a man to give up everything life has to offer
And end up with no family no home no nothing
Sleeping on the ground in some fifty alley
Holding tight in his hand an empty wine bottle
In his eyes a look of sadness as though he's just seen the gates of hell
Could it be that he's loved and lost or could it be that he was lost and unloved
Whatever it might be it's a pitiful sight to see a man knows only as a wino

A child walked in a candy store in faded overalls
Put a nickel on the counter said I think I'll spend it all
I've carried it three months or more you can tell it by the shine
Now I need a sack of candy like my daddy needs his wine
Daddy and the wine goes back three years out of my age
In the old days we were happy dad worked hours long and late
Then mama disappeared one day and so did daddy's mind
And now it's me and daddy mostly daddy and the wine
( fiddle )
The child picked up the sack and then he wandered on outside
We put a roll of green among the jelly beens inside
The clerk was broke and so was I we gave him our last dime
A stranger stole his mommy now his daddy's on the wine
Daddy and the wine...

This old smoke filled bar is something I'm not used to
But I gave up my home to see you satisfied
And I just called to let you know where I'll be living
It's not much but I feel welcome here inside
And I've got swinging doors a jukebox and a barstool
My new home has a flashing neon sign
Stop by and see me anytime you want to
Cause I'm always here at home till closin' time
( fiddle - el.banjo )
I've got everything I need to drive me crazy
And I've got everything it takes to lose my mind
And in here the atmosphere's just right for heartaches
And thanks to you I'm always here till closin' time
And I've got swinging doors...
Yes I'm always here at home till closin' time

At the bottom of the bottle is where a man can hide
When he must cross a river he knows is too wide
When the bottle is empty even heartaches are gone
Though his eyes can't see no one he don't feel alone
Come go with me to the bottom of the bottle
On our way down we may meet fond memories
I talk better from the bottom of the bottle
Come join the man who she left so helplessly
( steel )
They all tell me that last night my baby came in
And she walked to my table to forgive me again
My eyes caught a memory and my mind tried in vain
I said your face looks familiar but I can't call your name
Come go with me...

In the shadows of the wine I see your face before me all the time
And there you're smiling from this glass of mine in the shadows of the wine
I'd lift the glass and there you're standing the love I won and lost no longer mine
I see the past unfold before me in the shadows of the wine
[ steel ]
Wilder music stronger wine though I'm unhappy dear the wine is kind
I see you dancing in this glass of mine play more music drink more wine
When midnight comes I'll feel no sorrow
And from the glass you'll smile and wave goodbye
But we will meet again tomorrow in the shadows of the wine

Oh she burnt the little roadside tavern down (oh yeah)
The only one for miles and miles around
I saw many hours of pleasure tumble down
When she burnt the little roadside tavern down

It was my home away from home those many nights of gettin' stoned're gone
This is what she had to say man you'd better stay away
Or I'll burn that little tavern down someday
Oh she burnt the little roadside tavern...
[ fiddle - el.banjo ]
It was there I had my freedom all night long
But she'd fuss and say I had done her wrong
She said man you'll never learn just step back and watch it burn
And now that little roadside tavern's gone
So she burnt the little roadside tavern...

Tonight the bottle let me down
I've always had a bottle that I could turn to and lately I've been turning every day
But the wine don't take effect the way it used to
And I'm a hurtin' in an old familiar way
Tonight the bottle let me down and let your mem'ry come around
The one true friend I thought I'd found tonight the bottle let me down
( steel - el.banjo )
Each night I leave the barroom when it's over not feeling any pain at closing time
But tonight your mem'ry found me much too sober
I couldn't drink enough to keep you off my mind
Tonight the bottle...
Tonight the bottle let me down

From a small country town to a big and lonely city
From a sweet country girl to a woman with no pity
Once a man with money now so ragged and funny as he cries
One dime for wine Mister one dime for wine
From a cool shady lane to a hard concrete jungle
From a man once respected to a man so low and humble
Once so full of pride now hangs his head and softly cries
One dime for wine Mister one dime for wine
What makes this man stoop so low and beg for money
Who is the man holding out his hand who could he be
Then I saw my own sad reflection in the water in the gutter off the street
And I realized that lowly man is me
One dime for wine Mister one dime for wine

[No lyrics]

This smoke filled barroom just suits one fine
Just what I need dear to get you off of my mind
I'd be so happy if they'd leave us alone
I'd stop my drinking pack my bags and go home
Turn the jukebox up louder they're playing our song
It's too late now to try to go home
It's been so lonely since you've been gone
Turn the jukebox up louder they're playing our song
( el.banjo )
Set up the bar now the drinks're on me tell all my friends here's to my misery
Turn off the bright lights cause I'll be here till dawn
Turn the jukebox up louder they're playing our song
Turn the jukebox up louder they're playing our song

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 the 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
( steel - el.banjo )
I stood by and watched the bottle take control of me
The turn I made was not the one I'd planned
I watched my social standings slip away from me
While I watched the bottle slowly take command
And now I'm paying for...
Cause I kept the wine and threw away the rose

Bottle bottle why do I love you so much
Gasping for air I come up from your lips amazed at the beauty at my fingertips
Awed by the softness and warmth of your touch
Bottle bottle why do I love you so much
You give me the strenght to go on day by day
You help keep the mem'ries of a lost love away
She left me crippled but I've found my crutch bottle bottle why do I love you so much
Your warmth and your beauty make me thirsty for more
I can't get enough of what you hold in store
Your amber reflection I see in my glass my only regret is that you're empty too fast
Bottle bottle please don't let me down fight off the feeling that's always around
Fill me with contentment and hold to my hand
And bottle bottle I'll be in your command