The Story Behind the First Song Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings Wrote About Weed, Cocaine, Whiskey, and More of Their Vices

By 1978 Willie Nelson, and Waylon Jennings were country music superstars and certified outlaws. After reaching success on their own, the two teamed up for some collaborative albums including their 1978 debut Waylon & Willie, WWII in 1982, Take it to the Limit from 1983, and more. Throughout their long line of collaborations, the duo shared plenty of duets together, which all started with Waylon & Willie.

Released in 1978, Waylon & Willie went to No. 1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and remained on the charts for 126 weeks, fueled by their No. 1 “Mamma’s Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys.” On the album, the founding fathers of Outlaw also covered Stevie Nicks‘ Fleetwood Mac classic “Gold Dust Woman,” the Kris Kristofferson-penned “The Year 2003 Minus 25” and “Don’t Cuss the Fiddle,” and two songs written by Nelson—”Pick Up the Tempo” and “It’s Not Supposed to Be That Way.”

The album also featured Nelson’s first recorded song about marijuana. In the song, Nelson and Jennings talk about weed and other subjects they know all too well: cocaine, which got Jennings arrested in 1977, whiskey, pills, and more.

[RELATED: 3 Songs Willie Nelson Wrote About Weed]

“I Can Get High Just Thinkin’ About You”

The song chronicles Nelson and Jennings’ varied bouts with drugs and alcohol throughout the years, and where their vices often led—out of love.

Take back the weed, take back the cocaine baby
Take back the pills, take back the whiskey too
I don’t need them now, your love was all I was after
I’ll make it now, I can get off on you

I can get by on little
Or nothing at all, I know
I can get high just thinkin’
About you and so

Well, take back the weed, take back the cocaine baby
Take back the pills, take back the whiskey too
I don’t need them now, your love was all I was after
I’ll make it now, I can get off on you

Who would have thought
This was somethin’ that I’d ever do
I’m working it out
Mellowing out on you

[RELATED: The Rocky Outlaw “Marriage” of Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings]

More Songs About Smokes

Along with his collaborations with Jennings, Nelson told more stories about weed over the next few decades, including “Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die” with Snoop Dogg and Kristofferson and “It’s All Going to Pot” with Merle Haggard from their 2015 album Django & Jimmie.

Photo: Richard E. Aaron/Redferns