Hank Williams Jr. Blasts Fox News in New Song

UPDATE: Are you ready for some ... more Hank Williams Jr.?

Fresh off parting ways with ESPN, the country music singer has penned a new song taking aim at both the sports network and the Fox News show on which he made his controversial comments that landed him in hot water.

The Associated Press got a look at the lyrics of the new song, "I'll Keep My ...," which is expected to go on sale on iTunes later Monday or Tuesday.

Somewhat surprisingly, Williams doesn't reserve his harsh words only for ESPN, which yanked his "Are you ready for some football?" theme song from its Monday Night Football telecast after the singer invoked the name of Adolf Hitler while talking about President Obama.

The AP:

In the song Williams, son of country music icon Hank Williams, says "Fox & Friends" hosts twisted his words: "So Fox `n Friends wanna put me down/Ask for my opinion/Twist it all around." He finishes the verse: "Well two can play that gotcha game you'll see."

Williams, who has begun selling "Hank Jr. For President" t-shirts on his website, has a number of upcoming media appearances planned, including one on The View on Tuesday, so the new song is likely to get a fair amount of air time this week.

(You can watch the original Fox & Friends interview in a video in the original post below.)

UPDATE Thursday, Oct. 6: ESPN announced Thursday that it was parting ways with Hank Williams Jr., the country music singer famous for asking NFL fans: "Are you ready for some football?"

Williams, for his part, said he was the one who decided to leave.

"After reading hundreds of e-mails, I have made MY decision," he wrote in a statement on his website. "By pulling my opening Oct 3rd, You (ESPN) stepped on the Toes of The First Amendment Freedom of Speech, so therefore Me, My Song, and All My Rowdy Friends are OUT OF HERE. It's been a great run."

The move comes several days after Williams got himself in hot water with the network for controversial comments that he made on Fox News, in which he invoked the name of Adolf Hitler while talking about President Obama and this summer's so-called golf summit with House Speaker John Boehner.

Those comments got Williams yanked from this week's telecast of Monday Night Football and left many wondering whether the temporary move would become permanent.

"We have decided to part ways with Hank Williams, Jr. We appreciate his contributions over the past years," the network said in a short statement. "The success of Monday Night Football has always been about the games and that will continue."

UPDATE Tuesday, Oct. 4: A day after being yanked from the opening of Monday Night Football by ESPN, Hank Williams Jr. said that his controversial comments about President Obama and the so-called golf summit that got him in hot water were "dumb" and a result of his passion about politics and sports.

Here's the country singer's full statement that was posted to his official website on Tuesday under the heading of "Thanks to My Supporters: (capitalization and spelling his):

"I have always been very passionate about Politics and Sports and this time it got the Best or Worst of me. The thought of the Leaders of both Parties Jukin and High Fiven on a Golf course, while so many Families are Struggling to get by simply made me Boil over and make a Dumb statement and I am very Sorry if it Offended anyone. I would like to Thank all my supporters. This was Not written by some Publicist.” 

A statement posted to Williams's website on Monday (which did not share his rather unique capitalization nor include the not-written-by-some-publicist disclaimer) read, in part: "My analogy was extreme – but it was to make a point. I was simply trying to explain how stupid it seemed to me - how ludicrous that pairing was."

It continued: "Every time the media brings up the tea party it’s painted as racist and extremists – but there’s never a backlash – no outrage to those comparisons…  Working class people are hurting – and it doesn’t seem like anybody cares. When both sides are high-fiving it on the ninth hole when everybody else is without a job – it makes a whole lot of us angry.  Something has to change. The policies have to change.”

USA Today, meanwhile, notes that ESPN has so far stayed quiet about whether its decision to cut Williams's song from the weekly telecast was a one-time thing or a permanent move.

POST Monday, Oct. 3: ESPN has dropped Hank Williams Jr. from its upcoming Monday Nigh Football telecast after the country music star compared President Obama to Adolf Hitler during an appearance on Fox News.

Here’s ESPN’s statement (via USA Today): "While Hank Williams Jr. is not an ESPN employee, we recognize he is closely linked to our company through the opening to Monday Night Football. We are extremely disappointed with his comments, and as a result have decided to pull the open from tonight's telecast."

During an appearance on Fox News’ Fox & Friends earlier Monday, Williams said this summer’s so-called golf summit between Obama and House Speaker John Boehner was "one of the biggest political mistakes ever." He then added: "It would be like Hitler playing golf with (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu."

Later in the interview, one of the Fox & Friends hosts pointed out that Williams appeared to be invoking the name of "one of the most hated people in all of the world" in reference to the president, to which the singer responded: "That is true, but I'm telling you like it is."

During another exchange during the segment, Williams said that Obama and Vice President Joe Biden are "the enemy."

Williams, who typically sings "Are You Ready for Some Football?" during the lead-in to ESPN's NFL football telecast, has previously suggested he is interested in running for U.S. Senate in Tennessee as a Republican.

Check out Williams on Fox News below: