Hank

From the cotton fields of Alabam,
To the lights of Ryman Hall,
Came along a Drifting Cowboy,
He’s the greatest of them all.

Strumming on an old guitar,
He somehow learned to use,
He mixed the styles of honky tonk,
Pure country and the blues.

He climbed up all the country charts,
And soon was first in rank,
His given name was Hiram but,
The folks just called him Hank.

His songs reflected country life,
And all its aches and pains,
Of cheatin’ hearts and cold cold hearts,
Of lonesomeness and trains.

Of crazy hearts and hearts with chains,
And teardrops on the rose,
Of jambalaya and crawfish pie,
And all those highs and lows.

But then one day while riding in,
A brand new Cadillac,
He was young but his heart was old,
And he never made it back.

He left behind a heritage,
To keep them on the track,
For Waylon, Willie and the boys,
And of course the Man in Black.

For all the ones who sing along,
The Grand Ole Opry way,
Though he’s been gone for many years,
He still is felt today.

For showing them the way it’s done,
They have one man to thank,
His given name was Hiram but,
The folks just called him Hank.


A few years ago a guy asked me to write a poem about Hank Williams. I thought it was an interesting comcept but put it on the back burner. I then started researching him and found him to be an iconic character. This is the result.