The Wild Side Of Life

Lyrics

You wouldn't read my letters if I wrote them

You ask me not to call you on the phone

But there's something I've been waiting for to tell you

So I wrote it in the words of this song

I didn't know God made honky tonk angels

I might have known you'd never make a wife

You gave up the only one that ever loved you

And went on back to the wild side of life

The glamor of the gay nightlife has lured you

To the places where the wine and liquor flow

Where you wait to be somebody else's baby

And forget the truest love you'll ever know

I didn't know God made honky tonk angels

I might have known you'd never make a wife

You gave up the only one that ever loved you

And went on back to the wild side of life, oh yeah

Well the glamor of the gay nightlife has lured you

To the places where the wine and liquor flow

Where you wait to be somebody else's baby

And forget the truest love you'll ever know

I didn't know God made honky tonk angels

I might have known you'd never make a wife

You gave up the only one that ever loved you

And went on back to the wild side of life, oh yeah

I didn't know God made honky tonk angels

I might have known you'd never make a wife

You gave up the only one that ever loved you

And went on back to the wild side of life

Credits

• Written by: Arlie A. Carter and William Warren

Performances

This song is unreleased by Elvis Costello, but it was performed in concert by The Coward Brothers in 1985.

Recordings

• Jimmy Heap & The Melody Ranchers, A-side of single, 1951
• Hank Thompson, A-side of single, 1952
• Burl Ives & Grady Martin, A-side of single, 1952
• The Stanley Brothers, 1961
• Bill Haley & His Comets, on Bill Haley's Jukebox, 1961
• The Wilburn Brothers, on City Limits, 1961
• Mickey Gilley, B-side of "Caught In The Middle," 1962
• Ray Price, on Night Life, 1963
• Tommy Quickly & The Remo Four, A-side of single, 1964
• Jerry Lee Lewis, on Country Songs For City Folks, 1965
• Hank Locklin, on Once Over Lightly, 1965
• Ernest Tubb, on My Pick Of The Hits, 1965
• Charlie Walker, on Close All The Honky Tonks, 1965
• Conway Twitty, on Look Into My Teardrops, 1966
• Charlie Feathers, 1967
• Webb Pierce, on Where's Ya Stay Last Night, 1967
• Freddy Fender, on Before The Next Teardrop Falls, 1974
• Tompall Glaser, on The Great Tompall And His Outlaw Band, 1976
• Status Quo, A-side of single, 1976
• Rod Stewart, on Night On The Town, 1976
• Willie Nelson & Leon Russell, on One For The Road, 1979
• Jeanne Pruett, B-side of "Back To Back" and on Encore, 1979
• Waylon Jennings & Jessi Colter, on Leather And Lace, 1981
• Bonnie Tyler, on Goodbye To The Island, 1981
• Hank Williams, on The Complete Hank Williams, 1998 (recorded 1952)
• Merle Haggard, on Roots Volume 1, 2001

Bootlegs

• This section is incomplete.