The Story Behind How George Jones Parodied His Days of Driving Lawnmowers to the Liquor Stores in This 1996 Song

By the late 1960s, George Jones‘ then-wife, Shirley Ann Corley, would hide all the keys to their cars before leaving the house to prevent him from driving to nearby Beaumont, Texas, to purchase alcohol. Jones still found a way to procure alcohol one day when he used the lawnmower on his property to get to the nearest liquor store. Jones also drove a lawnmower to pick up alcohol while married to Tammy Wynette.

The country legend’s lawnmower alcohol runs became a thing of legend and was later memorialized in several songs, including Hank Williams Jr.‘s 1984 hit “All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight,” from his 1984 album Major Moves. Jones’s lawnmower drives also inspired Vince Gill‘s 1992 No. 1 “One More Last Chance,” co-written with Gary Nicholson. The song appeared on Gill’s fifth album, I Still Believe in You, and topped the U.S. and Canadian country charts.

In 2011, the music video for John Rich’s “Country Done Come to Town” features party guests arriving by car, wagon, and one final cameo by Jones driving a red lawnmower.

Jones even parodied himself and his former lawnmower drives to the liquor store, with “Honky Tonk Song,” released on his 1996 album I Lived to Tell It All, a companion to his autobiography of the same name.

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“Honky Tonk Song”

Written by Frank J. Myers and Billy Yates, in the song, Jones is still faced with missing keys when he wants to meet up with friends and drink at the honky tonk.

I saw those blue lights flashin’
Over my left shoulder
He walked right up and said
“Get off that riding mower”
I said sir, “Let me explain
Before you put me in the tank”
She took my keys away
And now she won’t drive me to drink

I need a honky tonk song a cold cold beer
A hardwood floor a smoky atmosphere
A pocket full of change to last me all night long
I gotta hear old Hank a moanin’ a honky tonk song

He didn’t show me much compassion
When I tried to walk that line
As he put those handcuffs on me
I said, “give me one more try.”
He never even cracked a smile
When he threw me in the car
So I said, “Sir, if you don’t mind,
Oh, would you drop me off in a bar”

I need a honky tonk song a cold cold beer
A hardwood floor a smoky atmosphere
A pocket full of change to last me all night long
I gotta hear old Hank a moanin’ a honky tonk song

In the music video for “Honky Tonk Song,” directed by Marc Ball, Jones is seen driving a John Deere lawnmower before getting pulled over by the police. Jones performed the song during an appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman in 1996 to promote his I Lived to Tell It All album.

Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images