Waylon Jennings “Luckenbach Texas” Song Facts, Musicians & Lyrics

“Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love)” is one of Waylon Jennings’ most famous and beloved songs. Ironically, he recorded it decades before he ever even set foot in the town…

The song was written by Bobby Emmons and Chips Moman. Chips was Waylon’s producer at the time, and basically goaded Waylon into recording it by saying he already promised the song to someone else.

“I knew it was a hit song, even though I didn’t like it, and still don’t.”

– Waylon Jennings in his autobiography, Waylon

They’d written the song to capitalize on the explosive Outlaw Country movement at the time, which is why the writers name-dropped outlaw country legends Waylon, Willie Nelson, Hank Williams, Mickey Newbury, and Jerry Jeff Walker.

Waylon recorded the song in January 1977 at the American Sound Studio. He sang lead vocals and guitar, and Willie Nelson was on guest vocals.

Funny enough, Willie wasn’t scheduled to be there, he’d just dropped by unannounced.

The song was quickly a massive hit, taking #1 on the Billboard Hot Country chart, where it stayed for six weeks. It also peaked at #25 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Despite being a massive hit for him, Waylon actually kind of hated the song. He once told his drummer Ritchie Albright, “Just remind me when I’m picking singles from now on that I got to sing that motherf**ker every night.” Moman had been concerned Waylon would hate name-dropping himself, and it turned out he was exactly right.

“Luckenbach, Texas” has been successfully covered several times, including with The Highwaymen, which is cheating a bit, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Kenny Chesney, and Kid Rock. The song also put the sleepy roadside town of Luckenbach on the map as a worldwide destination for country music fans.

Twenty years after the song was a hit, Waylon Jennings finally set foot in Luckenbach, Texas on July 4th, 1997, to perform at one of Willie Nelson’s picnics.

Below are the words to the song!

The only two things in life that make it worth livin’
Is guitars that tune good and firm feelin’ women
I don’t need my name in the marquee lights
I got my song and I got you with me tonight
Maybe it’s time we got back to the basics of love

Let’s go to Luckenbach, Texas
With Waylon and Willie and the boys
This successful life we’re livin’
Got us feuding like the Hatfields and McCoys
Between Hank Williams’ pain songs and
Newbury’s train songs and “Blue Eyes Cryin’ in the Rain”
Out in Luckenbach, Texas, ain’t nobody feelin’ no pain

So baby, let’s sell your diamond ring
Buy some boots and faded jeans and go away
This coat and tie is choking me
In your high society, you cry all day
We’ve been so busy keepin’ up with the Jones
Four car garage and we’re still building on
Maybe it’s time we got back to the basics of love

Let’s go to Luckenbach, Texas
With Waylon and Willie and the boys
This successful life we’re livin’ got us feudin’
Like the Hatfield and McCoys
Between Hank Williams’ pain songs and
Newbury’s train songs and “Blue Eyes Cryin’ in the Rain”
Out in Luckenbach, Texas, ain’t nobody feelin’ no pain

Let’s go to Luckenbach, Texas
Willie and Waylon and the boys
This successful life we’re livin’s got us feudin’
Like the Hatfield and McCoys
Between Hank Williams’ pain songs
And Jerry Jeff’s train songs and “Blue Eyes Cryin’ in the Rain”
Out in Luckenbach, Texas, there ain’t nobody feelin’ no pain

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