About The Song
In April 1957 Patsy Cline traveled to New York City to record at the Decca Records Studio, a departure from her usual Nashville sessions. On April 25 she cut “Three Cigarettes in an Ashtray,” a heartbreak song written by Eddie Miller and W.S. Stevenson. Decca released the single on August 12, 1957, with “A Stranger in My Arms” on the B-side. The two-minute-and-twelve-second track came during a transitional period in her career, shortly after the success of her breakthrough hit “Walkin’ After Midnight” and before her move into the more polished productions of Owen Bradley.
The song had been written with Patsy in mind under her 4 Star Records contract. W.S. Stevenson was a pseudonym used by Bill McCall, head of 4 Star, who often took co-writing credit on material assigned to his artists. The lyrics tell a simple yet devastating story of infidelity discovered through small, everyday details: three cigarettes left in an ashtray, one for the singer, one for her man, and one for the other woman who has taken him away. It is a classic country cheating song delivered with quiet devastation rather than anger.
Cline sang the number with the same powerful, emotionally direct voice that had already begun to define her. Backed by the Anita Kerr Singers and a restrained arrangement, she brought a sense of lived-in hurt to the material. Her phrasing emphasized the resignation in the lyrics, turning what could have been a straightforward narrative into something more personal and affecting. Even at this early stage, her ability to make a song feel deeply felt was unmistakable.
Unlike “Walkin’ After Midnight,” “Three Cigarettes in an Ashtray” did not become a major chart hit. It received positive reviews from critics who noted Cline’s strong vocal performance, but it failed to match the commercial success of her previous single. The record still helped keep her name in front of country audiences and demonstrated her growing comfort with emotionally complex material during a time when her career was still finding its footing.
The track stands as a fine example of Patsy Cline’s early Decca work. Recorded before Bradley’s signature lush countrypolitan sound fully took hold, it retains a slightly rawer edge while still showcasing her interpretive skill. The song’s theme of quiet betrayal through everyday objects would echo in later country music, but few artists have delivered it with the same blend of strength and vulnerability that Cline brought to the recording.
Over the years “Three Cigarettes in an Ashtray” has remained a beloved deep cut in Patsy Cline’s catalog. It frequently appears on compilations of her early recordings and continues to be appreciated by fans who value the more straightforward country sound of her pre-“Crazy” period. The track captures a moment when she was still establishing herself as a major artist while already displaying the vocal maturity that would make her legendary.
More than sixty-five years after its release, “Three Cigarettes in an Ashtray” endures as a poignant reminder of Patsy Cline’s early promise. What began as a solid follow-up single became a lasting example of her gift for turning simple, honest stories of heartbreak into something timeless and deeply moving through the sheer force of her voice and emotional honesty.
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Lyric
Two cigarettes in an ashtray
My love and I in a small cafe
Then a stranger came along
And everything went wrong
Now there’s three cigarettes in the ashtray
I watched her take him from me
And his love is no longer my own
Now they are gone and I sit alone
And watch one cigarette burn away
I watched her take him from me
And his love is no longer my own
Now they are gone and I sit alone
And watch one cigarette burn away