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[Gene GeRue <genegerue AT ruralize.com>]

> It was also quite well known and agreed that tobacco was
> addictive as is reflected in the lyrics to Tex Williams song in 1947:

I heard this song many times on Wisconsin radio and had remembered it as 
being sung by Phil Harris. His gravelly singing voice convinced many that 
he was a heavy smoker. I did a quick search to check my memory and found this:

1947: 'SMOKE! SMOKE! SMOKE! (THAT CIGARETTE)'

 Written by Merle Travis for Tex Williams; the release not only saved Tex 
Williams' waning career, but also became Capitol Records' first 
million-seller. Travis later released his own version. These two are the 
most commonly heard versions, although Phil Harris also had a hit with the 
song.
From the New York Times, Oct. 13, 1985
:
Country-western songwriter and entertainer Sollie "Tex" Williams, a heavy 
smoker best known for his tune, "Smoke, Smoke, Smoke That Cigarette," died 
after a year-long battle with cancer, his daughter said. . . . her father, 
who was diagnosed a year ago as having cancer, smoked two packs of 
cigarettes a day, dropping to about a pack a day before he died. "He tried 
to quit, but he couldn't," she said.
Smoke! Smoke! Smoke!(That Cigarette)
Now I'm a fellow with a heart of gold
And the ways of a gentleman I've been told
Kind-of-a-guy that wouldn't even harm a flea
But if me and a certain character met
The guy that invented that cigarette
I'd murder that son-of-a gun in the first degree
It ain't cuz I don't smoke 'em myself
and i don't reckon that it'll hinder your health
I smoked 'em all my life and I ain't dead yet
But nicotine slaves are all the same
at a pettin' party or a poker game
Everything gotta stop while they have a cigarette
CHORUS
Smoke, smoke, smoke that cigarette
Puff, puff, puff until you smoke yourself to death.
Tell St. Peter at the Golden Gate
That you hate to make him wait,
But you just gotta have another cigarette.