1947 Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette) | Tex Williams & His Western Caravan

Now I'm a fellow with a heart of gold
With the ways of a gentleman I've been told
The kind of a fellow that wouldn't even harm a flea.
But if me and a certain character met
(The guy that invented the cigarette)
I'd murder that son of a gun in the first degree.
Now it ain't cause I don't smoke myself
I don't reckon they hinder your health
I've smoked 'em all my life and I ain't dead yet.
But nicotine slaves are all the same
At a pettin’ party or a poker game:
Everything's gotta stop while they have that cigarette.
[Chorus:]
Smoke smoke smoke that cigarette
Puff puff puff
And if you smoke yourself to death:
Tell St Peter at the Golden Gate
That you hates to make him wait
But you just gotta have another cigarette.
[trumpet]
Now in a game of chance the other night
Ol' Dame Fortune was doin' me right.
The kings and the queens they just kept on comin' round.
Then I got a full and I bet it high
But my bluff didn't work on a certain guy.
He just kept on a-raisin' and layin' the money down.
Now he'd raise me and I'd raise him
I sweated blood, gotta sink or swim.
He finally called and then didn't raise the bet.
I said "aces full, pal, how ‘bout you?"
And he said "well, I'll tell you in just a minute or two
But right now I just gotta have a cigarette."
[Chorus]
[fiddles]
The other night I had a date with
The cutest little girl in the forty-eight states
A highbred uptown fancy little dame.
Now she said she loved me and it seemed to me
That things were just about like they oughta be
So hand in hand we stroll down Lover's Lane.
She was oh so far from a chunk of ice
And our smoochin' party was a goin' real nice
So help me Hannah I think I'd have been there yet.
But I give her a kiss and a little squeeze
And she said "well, Tex, excuse me please,
But I just gotta have another cigarette."
[chorus]
* * *
“Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette)” was written by Merle Travis and Tex Williams for Williams’ and his talking blues style of singing. It was recorded in Hollywood March 27, 1947 and was #1 for 16 weeks on the Hot Country chart.
Tex Williams - vocals
Johnny Weis - electric lead guitar
Eugene "Smokey" Rogers - acoustic rhythm guitar, harmony vocal
Earl "Joaquin" Murphey - steel guitar
Manny Klein - trumpet
Paul "Spike" Featherstone - harp
Andrew "Cactus" Soldi, Harry Sims, Rex Call - fiddles
Ossie Godson - piano
Deuce Spriggens- bass fiddle, harmony vocal
Milton "Muddy" Berry - drums
Larry "Pedro" DePaul - accordion
(Wikipedia)