Lyrics:

On a cold and foggy evening in 1959
Waylon Jennings nearly lost his life
The Big Bopper talked the outlaw into giving up his seat
With Buddy Holly on that midnight flight

Well, the paper said it must have been the snowstorm
Or that the pilot made a grave mistake
Well, the rest all died that night but the lone wolf he survived
And I say hat's off to another hard luck ace

We were on the road with Haggard back in '85
The year they wrote The Amber Waves of Grain
The Okie from Muskogee was speaking for us all
When he wrote that song to bring the farmers aid

But just last month I heard that he got tired
And went away to rest and write some place
Tell Merle we're on his side cause he and Mama Tried
And I say hat's off to another hard luck ace

Some of them are with us and some of them are gone
Some of them are out there somewhere barely hanging on
Each one is a treasure no one can take his place
And I say hat's off to another hard luck ace

I remember meeting Janis in a bar in Santa Cruz
With a dealer she pretended to ignore
She was swiggin' southern comfort and every time her glass ran low
The man behind the bar poured out some more

And I saw the dealer slip her something quickly
Do you 'spose he knew she had no time to waste
And when she stumbled for the door and revved up that old Porsche
Well, I said hat's off to another hard luck ace

They say Hank Jr. fell off of a mountain
Said he'd never walk or sing no more
Well, the devil made the deal but you don't cheat the man of steel
And Hank just had to even up the score

Now some called it a family tradition
Others say that he just fell from grace
Well, you should see Bocephus now Lord he'd do his daddy proud
And I say hat's off to another hard luck ace

Some of them are with us and some of them are gone
Some of them are out there somewhere barely hanging on
Each one is a treasure no one can take his place
And I say hat's off to another hard luck ace

Hat's off to another hard luck ace
Hard luck ace...