SMOKE! SMOKE! SMOKE! THAT CIGARETTE
Recorded by Tex Williams
Words and music by Merle Travis and Tex Williams
Now [A] I'm a fellar with a heart of gold
With the [D7] ways of a gentleman, I've been told
The [A] kind of a fellar that [E7] wouldn't even harm a [A] flea [E7]
But if [A] me and a certain character met
That [D7] guy that invented the cigarette
I'd [A] murder that son-of-a-[E7] gun in the first de-[A] gree.
Now, it ain't 'cause I don't smoke myself
An' I [D7] don't reckon that they hinder your health
I've [A] smoked 'em all my [E7] life and I ain't dead [A] yet! [E]
But [A] nicotine slaves are all the same
At a [D7] pettin' party or a poker game
Ev'ry-[A] thing's gotta stop while they [E7] smoke the ciga-[A] rette.
CHORUS
[D7] Smoke!, Smoke!, Smoke! that ciga-[A] rette
[D7] Puff!, Puff!, Puff! it if you [B7] smoke yourself to [E7] death
Tell Saint [A] Peter at the Golden Gate
That you [D7] hates to make him [A] wait
You've just gotta have an-[E7] other ciga-[A] rette.
In a game of chance the other night
Old Dame Fortune was a-doin' me right
Man, the kings and queens just kept on comin' around
Then I got a full and I bet it high
But my bluff didn't work on a certain guy
He just keep on raisin' and layin' the money down.
Now, he'd raise me - I'd raise him
I sweated blood - you gotta sink or swim
He finally called - didn't raise the bet
I said, "Aces full, Pal, how 'bout you?"
He said, "Well, I'll tell you in just a minute or two
But right now, I just gotta have myself a cigarette."
CHORUS
Now, the other night I had me a date
With the cutest little gal in the forty-eight states
A highbred, uptown, fancy little dame
She said she loved me and it seemed to me
That ev'rything was 'bout like it oughta be
So hand in hand, we strolled down lover's lane.
She was, oh, so far from a chunk of ice
And our smoochin' party was goin' real nice
So help me, Hanna, I think I'd-a been there yet
Well, I give her a kiss - a little squeeze
She said, "Tex, excuse me - please, but
I just gotta have another cigarette."
CHORUS
SOURCE: 100 ALL TIME COUNTRY HALL OF FAME HITS; MCA/TVP-1017-KO
