About the song
Few voices in country music have carried as much lived-in sorrow, hard-earned wisdom, and unflinching honesty as **George Jones**. By the time he released **“Choices”** in 1999, Jones was already a legend—an artist whose personal struggles were as public as his chart-topping successes. And yet, with this late-career gem, he delivered one of his most emotionally resonant statements. **George Jones – Choices** isn’t just a song; it’s a reckoning—a man in his late sixties looking back at a life filled with triumphs, mistakes, and the inevitable consequences of both.
Written by Billy Yates and Mike Curtis, **“Choices”** found its perfect interpreter in Jones. The lyrics are deceptively simple, but layered with emotional complexity. “I’ve had choices / Since the day that I was born,” the song begins, and from there, it unfolds like a confessional—an admission of personal failings, delivered not with self-pity but with a kind of weathered grace. The poignancy of Jones’s delivery cannot be overstated. His voice, slightly roughened by age and experience, conveys every ounce of regret and hard-earned insight that the words imply.
What gives **George Jones – Choices** such weight is the context in which it was released. By the late ’90s, Jones had already survived decades of alcoholism, turbulent relationships, and even a near-fatal car crash just months before the song came out. In that light, the lyrics feel less like a metaphor and more like a direct acknowledgment of his past: the missed opportunities, the broken promises, the moments when pride and pain overtook reason. And yet, there’s no bitterness—just a deep, quiet accountability.
The song earned Jones a Grammy for Best Male Country Vocal Performance and became emblematic of his legacy. It’s often remembered for the controversy surrounding the Country Music Association’s decision to cut his performance time at the 1999 awards show—a decision that prompted Alan Jackson to famously interrupt his own set in protest. That moment, much like the song itself, spoke to something deeper: a reverence for authenticity in a genre that sometimes forgets its roots.
In the end, **George Jones – Choices** is more than a country ballad. It’s a life summarized in three and a half minutes—unvarnished, heartfelt, and unforgettably human. For listeners who’ve weathered their own storms, the song resonates like a truth they’ve always known but never quite put into words.
Video
Lyrics
I’ve had choices
Since the day that I was born
There were voices
That told me right from wrong
If I had listened
No, I wouldn’t be here today
Living and dying
With the choices I’ve made
I was tempted
By an early age I found
I liked drinkin’
Oh, and I never turned it down
There were loved ones
But I turned them all away
Now I’m living and dying
With the choices I’ve made
Chorus:
I’ve had choices
Since the day that I was born
There were voices
That told me right from wrong
If I had listened
No, I wouldn’t be here today
Living and dying
With the choices I’ve made
— Instrumental —
I guess I’m payin’
For the things that I have done
If I could go back
Oh, Lord knows I’d run
But I’m still losin’
This game of life I play
Living and dying
With the choices I’ve made
Chorus:
I’ve had choices
Since the day that I was born
There were voices
That told me right from wrong
If I had listened
I wouldn’t be here today
Living and dying
With the choices I’ve made
— Instrumental —
Living and dying
With the choices I’ve made…
