Jack o' diamonds, Jack o' diamonds and I know you of old You've robbed my poor pockets of silver and gold It's a whiskey, you villain, you've been my downfall You've kicked me, you've cuffed me but I love you for all
It's a whiskey, rye whiskey, rye whiskey I cry If I don't get rye whiskey, well, I think I will die
I'll eat when I'm hungry, I'll drink when I'm dry If the hard times don't kill me, I'll lay down and die I'll tune up my fiddle and I'll rosin my bow I'll make myself welcome, wherever I go
Rye whiskey, rye whiskey, rye whiskey I cry If a tree don't fall on me, I'll live till I die
Beefsteak when I'm hungry red liquor when I'm dry Greenbacks when I'm hard up and religion when I die They say I drink whiskey, my money's my own All them that don't like me, can leave me alone
Rye whiskey, rye whiskey, rye whiskey I cry If a tree don't fall on me, I'll live till I die
Sometimes I drink whiskey, sometimes I drink rum Sometimes I drink brandy, at other times none But if I get boozey, my whiskey's my own And them that don't like me, can leave me alone
Rye whiskey, rye whiskey, rye whiskey I cry If a tree don't fall on me, I'll live till I die
If the ocean was whiskey and I was a duck I'd dive to the bottom to get one sweet suck But the ocean ain't whiskey and I ain't a duck So we'll round up the cattle and then we'll get drunk
Rye whiskey, rye whiskey, rye whiskey I cry If the whiskey don't kill me, I'll live till I die
My foot's in my stirrup, my bridle's in my hand I'm leaving sweet Lillie, the fairest in the land Her parents don't like me, they say I'm too poor They say I'm unworthy to enter her door
It's a whiskey, rye whiskey, rye whiskey I cry If I don't get rye whiskey, well, I think I will die
Sweet milk when I'm hungry, rye whiskey when I'm dry If a tree don't fall on me, I'll live till I die I'll buy my own whiskey, I'll make my own stew If I get drunk, madam, it's nothing to you
Rye whiskey, rye whiskey, rye whiskey I cry If a tree don't fall on me, I'll live till I die
I'll drink my own whiskey, I'll drink my own wine Some ten thousand bottles I've killed in my time I've no wife to quarrel, no babies to bawl The best way of living is no wife at all
Rye whiskey, rye whiskey, rye whiskey I cry If a tree don't fall on me, I'll live till I die
Way up on Clinch Mountain I wander alone I'm as drunk as the devil, oh, let me alone You may boast of your knowledge an' brag of your sense 'Twill all be forgotten a hundred years hence
Rye whiskey, rye whiskey, you're no friend to me You killed my poor daddy, goddamn you, try me.