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 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 The turn I made was not the one I'd planned And I watched my social standings slip away from me While I watched the bottle slowly take command 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 'Cause I kept the wine and threw away the rose I choose to keep the wine, and keep the rose. Once I lived the life of wine and roses But now I'm paying for the days of wine and roses I stood by and watched the bottle take control of me And now I'm paying for the days of wine and roses