Alternative Country singers have always been a real close family
But lately some of my kinfolks have disowned a few others and me
I guess it's because I kind of changed my direction
Lord, I guess I went and broke their family tradition

CHORUS:
Why do you drink? Why do you roll smoke?
Why must you live out the songs that you wrote?
Stop and think it over, try to put yourself in this position
When I get stoned I'm just carryin' on an old family tradition

Now I am very proud of my daddy's name
Although his kind of music and mine ain't exactly the same
Stop and think it over, try to put yourself in my position
When I get stoned and sing all night long it's just a family tradition

CHORUS:
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 old slick's tryin' to gimme some friction
I say "Leave me alone, I'm stayin' all night long with these wing-ed lizards"

Let's go Johnny, wing-ed lizards, I see them...
A-ha!

Lordy, I have loved some ladies, and I have loved Jim Beam
But them and a wing-ed lizard tried to kill me in '73
When that doctor asks me "Son, how'd ya get in this condition?"
I says "Hey Sawbones, I'm just a-carryin' on the old family tradition."

CHORUS x2:
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

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