Family Tradition

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Country music singers have 

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always been a real close family

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But lately some of my kinfolk have 

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disowned a few others and me

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I guess it's because I went 

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and changed my position

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Lord, I guess I went 

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and broke their fam'ly tradition

C H O R U S

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They wanna know: "Hank..

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Why do you drink?  Why do you roll smoke?

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Why must you live out the songs that you wrote?

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Stop and think it over - 

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try to put yourself in this position

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When I get stoned,I'm just carryin'on 

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an old fam'ly tradition.

Verse 2
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Now I am very proud of my daddy's name

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Although his kind of music 

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and mine ain't exactly the same

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Stop and think it over - 

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try to put yourself in my position

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When I get stoned and sing all night long 

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it's just a fam'ly tradition

CHORUS 2
(Don't ask me: "Hank...")
Why do you drink?  Why do you roll smoke?
Why must you live out them songs that you wrote?
If I'm down in a honky tonk, and some ole slick's 
tryin' to gimme some friction
I says "Leave me alone, I'm stayin' all night long
'cause it's a family
tradition"

verse 3
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Lordy, I have loved some ladies, 

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and I still love Jim Beam

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They both tried to kill me 

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in nineteen seventy-three

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When that doctor asks me 

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"Son, how'dja get in this condition?"

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I says "Hey Sawbones, I'm just a-carryin' on 

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the old fam'ly tradition."

CHORUS 3

(So don't ask me: "Hank...")
Why do you drink? Why do you roll smoke?
Why must you live out them songs that you wrote?
Stop and think it over -
try to put yourself in my unique position
When I get stoned and sing all night long,
it's just a family tradition.

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