About the song
Few artists in American music have worn their rebellion as comfortably—and as credibly—as **Willie Nelson**. By the time he released **”Write Your Own Songs”** in **1982**, Nelson was already a towering figure in the country music world, having long since transcended genre boundaries and carved out his own path as an outlaw, a storyteller, and a critic of the music industry itself. This track, tucked into his collaborative album *WWII* with fellow outlaw Waylon Jennings, stands as one of the most biting and pointed songs in Nelson’s discography.
On the surface, **”Write Your Own Songs”** may sound like just another honky-tonk tune, but beneath the twang lies a sharp critique of the music business machinery. Nelson turns his pen against the record executives, producers, and label heads who, in his eyes, try to commodify art and dictate creative direction without having walked the road of a working musician. “You don’t know what it means to sing the blues,” he sings with understated fury, delivering the line with the kind of lived-in authority that only comes from decades on the road and in the studio.
The timing of this track in **1982** is no coincidence. Country music was undergoing a commercial transformation in the early ’80s, as the genre’s rougher edges were being sanded down in favor of a more polished, radio-friendly sound. Nelson—already a legend by that point—used **”Write Your Own Songs”** as both a protest and a warning. It’s a reminder that authentic music doesn’t come from marketing meetings or trend analysis; it comes from pain, joy, loss, and the lived human experience.
What makes the song so effective is that Nelson doesn’t shout or rant. He doesn’t need to. His voice, calm and measured, carries the weight of his convictions. There’s a certain casual defiance in his tone, the sense that he knows exactly who he is—and he doesn’t need anyone’s approval. **Willie Nelson** was never one to chase radio trends, and in **”Write Your Own Songs”**, he calls out those who would try to bend artists to their will. The title itself is both an invitation and a rebuke: if you think you know so much, go ahead—**write your own songs**.
In a way, the song is not just about music. It’s about integrity. It’s about the courage to speak out, even when doing so might ruffle feathers. For listeners who have followed Nelson’s journey, **”Write Your Own Songs”** is more than a track—it’s a mission statement, a declaration of independence from one of America’s most enduring musical voices.
Video
Lyrics
You call us heathens with zero respect for the law
We are only songwriters just writing our songs and that’s all
We write what we live and we live what we write is that wrong
If you think it is Mr. Music Executive
Why don’t you write your own songs
And don’t listen to mine, they might run you crazy
They might make you dwell on your feelings a moment too long
We’re making you rich and you’re already lazy
So just lay on your ass and get richer or write your own songs
Mr. Purified Country don’t you know what the whole things about
Is your head up your ass so far that you can’t pull it out
The world’s getting smaller and everyone in it belongs
And if you can’t see that Mr. Purified Country
Why don’t you just write your own songs
And don’t listen to mine, they might run you crazy
They might make you dwell on your feelings a moment too long
We’re making you rich and you’re already lazy
So just lay on your ass and get richer or write your own songs
So just lay on your ass and get richer or write your own songs
