I spent ninety percent of my money on wine, women and song and

The words of Ronnie Hawkins, “I spent ninety percent of my money on wine, women and song and just wasted the other ten percent,” ring with the laughter of a man who embraced life without apology. Beneath the jest lies a profound lesson: that the true treasures of existence are not hoarded gold, nor cautious savings, but the fleeting joys that stir the soul. Wine, women, and song are symbols of vitality, love, and art—the passions that make life worth living. To Hawkins, all else was the true waste.

In the ancient spirit, this echoes the wisdom of poets and bards who sang that life is short and the hour of death uncertain, therefore one must drink deeply of joy while the cup is full. The Romans declared, carpe diem—seize the day. The Greeks, in their symposia, raised their cups of wine and sang to the gods, knowing that pleasure and fellowship were themselves divine gifts. Hawkins’ words are but a modern hymn to the same eternal truth: life is best lived when it is savored.

History gives us the tale of Omar Khayyam, the Persian poet who wrote quatrains on the beauty of wine, companionship, and song beneath the stars. Though scholars debated philosophy, he reminded them that joy itself was philosophy in motion. To pour one’s wealth into delight was not folly but wisdom, for what use is money if it buys only fear, toil, and endless striving? Like Hawkins, Khayyam knew that a life without song is the true waste.

Yet, hidden within Hawkins’ humor is also a challenge. Many cling to their money and labor for it endlessly, yet die without ever having lived. By calling his indulgences the worthy ninety percent, he mocks the world’s obsession with saving, status, and possession. The “waste” is not in passion, but in caution taken too far. He reminds us that it is better to be remembered for laughter and love than for a ledger left full but a life left empty.

So let this teaching endure: to live fully is to spend not only one’s money, but one’s heart, on that which brings joy to oneself and others. Wine warms the spirit, women symbolize love and human connection, song awakens the eternal flame of the soul. All else fades into dust. Hawkins’ words, half in jest and half in wisdom, proclaim the ancient truth: that wealth kept is nothing, but wealth poured into life becomes immortality.