"I'm takin' little white pills and my eyes are open wide", from the classic C&W song "Six Days On The Road, written by Earl Green and Carl Montgomery. First made famous by Dave Dudley, covered by just about everyone, including Merle Haggard, The Flying Burrito Brothers (Gram Parsons, Chris Hillman, Chris Ethridge, Sneaky Pete), Steve Earle, hundreds of others.
I myself have performed the song in honkytonks from Northern and Southern California to Springfield Missouri (home to the great roots bands The Skeletons and The Morells, both including the great Telecaster player D. Clinton Thompson and his partner-in-crime Lou Whitney, a solid bass player and producer. Fans of theirs include not just myself and my musician pals, but also Dave Edmunds, Nick Lowe, and Elvis Costello). The song is a certified classic, audience members regularly requesting it. If you're going to play honkytonks, you had BETTER know it!
Those little white pills are the cross-tops referred to above. Also known as bennies, short for benzedrine. Popular not only with long-distance truck drivers, but also bands on the road. The bands that travel the white version of the black "chitlin' circuit"; one night stands in bars, roadhouses, dancehalls, granges, etc., miles apart, scattered from sea to shining sea. Play the gig, pack up the gear (unless its a 2-nighter), go back to the motel for beers (Evan Johns drank Budweiser in the can, at room temperature. Oy!) and whiskey (and weed for those so inclined). Sometimes just the band, sometimes with a few females from that night's audience. You wanna get to know the country? Travel it in a band. ;-)
Up in the morning and back on the road, washing down the bennies with a fresh beer or Bloody Mary. It was on that circuit and in these venues that The Hawks (later known as The Band) worked for years, in the process becoming the best ensemble Rock 'n' Roll band in the world. Dylan could have hired anyone, he chose them. Best band he ever had.
