[Intro]


[Verse 1]
             
Country music 

              
singers have a

              
lways been a r


eal close fami

ly,
            
But lately som

              
e of my kinfol

              
ks have disown

              
ed a few other

      
s and me.
              
I guess it's b

              
ecause I kind 

  
of changed my 

direction.
            
Lord, I guess 

              
I went and bro

              
ke their famil

     
y tradition.

[Chorus]
              
They get on me

              
 and want to k

             
now Hank why d

              
o you drink? H

      
ank, why do yo

u roll smoke?
            
Why must you l

              
ive out the so

              
ngs that you w

 
rote?
              
Over and over 

       
everybody make

s my predictio

ns.
            
So if I get st

              
oned, I'm just

              
 carrying on a

              
n old family t

  
radition.

[Verse 2]
             
I am very prou

  
d of my daddy'

s name
            
Although his k

              
ind of music a

              
nd mine ain't 

            
exactly the sa

me.
              
Stop and think

              
 it over. Put 

     
yourself in my

 position.
            
If I get stone

              
d and sing all

              
 night long it

              
's a family tr

 
adition.

[Chorus]
              
So don't ask m

             
e, Hank why do

              
 you drink? Ha

    
nk, why do you

 roll smoke?
            
Why must you l

              
ive out the so

              
ngs that you w


rote?
              
If I'm down in

              
 a honky-tonk 

           
some ole slick

's trying to g

ive me frictio

n.
            
I said leave m

              
e alone, I'm s

              
inging all nig

              
ht long, it's 

            
a family tradi

tion.

[Instrumental]
  
   

[Verse 3]
             
Lordy, I have 

              
loved some lad

        
ies and I have

 loved Jim Bea

m
            
And they both 

              
tried to kill 

      
me in 1973.
              
When that doct

              
or asked me, S

    
on how did you

 get in this c

ondition?
            
I said, hey sa

              
wbones, I'm ju

              
st carrying on

              
 an ole family

    
 tradition.

[Chorus]
              
So don't ask m

             
e, Hank why do

              
 you drink? Ha

    
nk, why do you

 roll smoke?
            
Why must you l

              
ive out the so

              
ngs that you w

 
rote?
              
Stop and think

              
 it over, try 

             
and put yourse

lf in my uniqu

e position.
            
If I get stone

              
d and sing all

              
 night long, i

              
t's a family t

  
radition.