By late 1951, it looks as if Hank and Audrey’s second divorce is going to stick. They have run the gamut of fights and separations, fame, wealth and the birth of a son, alcoholism and infidelity. Hank can’t live with her, but he knows he can’t live long without her.

Lyrics

The first bell of midnight finds me on a long, dark road
Can’t quit the travelling, ‘cause there ain’t nowhere to go
Feel the rhythm of the white lines as they dive beneath the hood
Knowing as I drive away that this time it’s for good
There’s a long night ahead, long night ahead

Her Ma and Pa, they raised her up on grits and misery
To satisfy her hunger, she just had to fight with me
She threw me out this morning, now I’ve nothing left to lose
Gonna fill this lonesome hole with whisky and the Blues
There’s a long night ahead, long night ahead
There’s a long night ahead

Heaven’s roads, paved with gold, are only one-way streets
There’s a white light in the distance, and it’s calling out to me
The cornfields roll beside me and then slowly fade to black
Once I cross the Rubicon, I’m never looking back
There’s a long night ahead, long night ahead
There’s a long night ahead, long night ahead
There’s a long night ahead