He packed his bags at midnight, same way he always did

Left his key on the counter, and a note she never read

The engine of that Chevy was the only goodbye sound

Whiskey on his breath again, as he was leaving town

There was whiskey in his goodbye

Courage in a bottle runnin' dry

He never could face the morning light

Or the tears in her eyes

So he'd pour one more and slip away

Like shadows in the night

There was always whiskey in his goodbye

Seven towns in three years, never could settle down

Runnin' from his demons, from bar to bar to bar

She tried to be his anchor, but he was drifting sand

With Jack Daniel's in his system and the wheel beneath his hands

There was whiskey in his goodbye

Courage in a bottle runnin' dry

He never could face the morning light

Or the tears in her eyes

So he'd pour one more and slip away

Like shadows in the night

There was always whiskey in his goodbye

He calls her when he's lonely, voice crackin' on the line

Says he's gonna change this time, but she's heard it all before

'Cause promises don't mean much when they're drowned in Tennessee

Now there's a letter from his mama, says he's finally found peace

In a cemetery outside Nashville, where the wildflowers grow deep

She wonders if he found it, what he was lookin' for

Or if he's still runnin' somewhere on that distant shore

There was whiskey in his goodbye

Courage in a bottle runnin' dry

He never could face the morning light

Or the tears in her eyes

Now she pours one out beside his stone

Under Tennessee sky

There was always whiskey in his goodbye

Always whiskey in his final goodbye