Once, I lived a life of wine and roses   I drank a lot back then for one concern   Success for me lay just around the corner   I thought, my social friend would help me make the turn      But now I'm paying for the days of wine and roses   A victim of the drunken life I chose   Now all my social friends look down their noses   For I kept the wine and threw away the rose      I stood by and watched, the bottle take control of me   The turn I made was not the one I planned   And I watched my social standings slip away from me   As I slowly watched the bottle take command      And now I'm paying for the days of wine and roses   A victim of the drunken life I chose   Now all my social friends look down their noses