No Matter How Many Times We Hear These 3 Outlaw Country Deep Cuts from the 1970s, They Don’t Get Old

Outlaw country formed organically in the 1970s. A loose group of incredibly talented and artistically driven singers, songwriters, and musicians began taking creative control of their work and making the music they wanted to hear. The result was a rock-infused form of honky tonk with lyrics about life, love, loss, and everything in between. By the time the first wave of the movement had settled, we were left with a wealth of songs that would take years to dig through.

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Some of those songs became outlaw country classics. Willie Nelson’s “Red Headed Stranger” or his multiple collaborations with Waylon Jennings. Then, there was the music Jennings was making, including the classic “Don’t You Think This Outlaw Bit’s Done Got Out of Hand” and “Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way.” Other artists, like Jerry Jeff Walker, Billy Joe Shaver, Bobby Bare, and Steve Earle, were also hard at work crafting unforgettable songs.

Unfortunately, some truly great tunes fell through the cracks and rarely appear on playlists or lists of the “Greatest Outlaw Country Songs.” However, these deep cuts and more are out there waiting for anyone lucky enough to press play on an album and let it go. Here are a few that never get old, no matter how many times they get played.

“Ain’t No God in Mexico” by Billy Joe Shaver

Billy Joe Shaver is kind of like the human equivalent of an outlaw country deep cut. Many casual fans of the subgenre overlook him for the likes of Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, or Kris Kristofferson. However, he was instrumental in pushing Jennings into his outlaw era. He penned or co-penned most of Jennings’ 1973 album Honky Tonk Heroes, which is widely regarded as the first outlaw record.

“Ain’t No God in Mexico” appears on that album. But, with all respect to ol’ Waylon, Shaver’s version might be a bit better. There’s something about his time-worn voice and deep Texas accent that makes this song about getting busted south of the border and doing time in a Mexican jail a little more believable.

“Pot Can’t Call the Kettle Black” by Jerry Jeff Walker

Jerry Jeff Walker recorded some great outlaw country tunes. “Up Against the Wall, Redneck Mother” and “Pissin’ in the Wind” are stone-cold classics. His live album, Viva Terlingua, is among the greatest LPs to come out of the early 1970s.

Two years after that landmark album hit shelves, he released Ridin’ High, which featured “Pot Can’t Call the Kettle Black.” It’s not just another song about living a rambling lifestyle. It’s also a song about ignoring the judgment of others.

Cause the pot can’t call the kettle black / Cause the trains all runnin on the same old track / Can’t feel nothing but your life flying by / You got trouble on your hands, trouble on your mind.

“You Ask Me To” by Waylon Jennings

Country music is full of great love songs, and outlaw country is no different in that regard. Among the hard-living honky tonk toe-tappers on Waylon Jennings’ Honky Tonk Heroes is this absolutely beautiful love song that he co-wrote with Billy Joe Shaver.

The lines that elevate this above most other love songs come in the second verse: I’d turn and walk away from you / Just because you asked me to. The lyric is simple, but it is an incredibly strong statement of devotion. He’s basically saying that he would do the most painful thing possible if it would make her happy, and that, folks, is the kind of love we should all strive for.

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