Well, I've been a moonshiner
For seventeen long years
And 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

So I go to some bar
And drink with my friends
Where the women can't follow
And see what I spend
God bless them pretty women
I wish they were mine
Their breath is as sweet
The dew on the vine

So let me eat when I am hungry
Let me drink when I am dry
A dollar when I am hard up
And religion when I die
This whole world is a bottle
And life's but a dram
When the bottle gets empty
It sure ain't worth a damn

Well, I've been a moonshiner
For seventeen long years
And 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, know what will