It’s nine o’clock on a birthday night, And the stories are flowin’ again, There’s a big orange glow in the corner, Yeah, that’s Duff holdin’ court with his friends. He says, “Boys let me tell you a story, ’Bout the line and the roar and the stand,” When Eddie George came thunderin’ forward, And got stopped by the strength of one man. Sing us a song, you’re the Volunteer man, Sing us a song tonight, ’Cause we all know your legend runs deep and wide, And you gave us one hell of a life. Now Bill was the pride of Tennessee, With shoulder pads fit for a king, He stared down the best in the nation, Never gave up a single damn thing. He walked off the field like a warrior, With the crowd still callin’ his name, And somewhere a runner named Eddie George Still remembers the Duff Hall of Fame. Sing us a song, you’re the Volunteer man, Sing us a song tonight, ’Cause the goal line still stands where you drew your line, And you held it with all of your might. Well he traded the pads for the spotlight, Traveled far, fought the best in the land, On the Human Weapon he showed the world What it means when a fighter will stand. He wrestled in rings under bright lights, He fought on the screen and the stage, From B-movie brawls to the roar of the crowds, He kept turnin’ life’s wildest page. Sing us a song, you’re the Human Weapon man, Sing us a song tonight, ’Cause you lived ten dreams most men never dare, And you lived every one in the fight. Now the greatest role never had cameras, Never paid you a Hollywood fee, It was bein’ a husband and father, And the friend that you’ve always been to me. Yeah the strength wasn’t just in your shoulders, It was heart, it was soul, it was truth, And all of us here raise a glass tonight, To Bill Duff—the legend, the proof. Sing us a song, you’re the Volunteer man, Sing us a song tonight, ’Cause your story’s the kind they’ll tell for years, And damn, what a beautiful life.
