About the song
There’s a certain kind of honesty that only a few artists can deliver with conviction, and **Willie Nelson** has built his career on just that. When we hear his voice—gentle, weathered, and unpretentious—it feels less like listening to a performance and more like sitting across from an old friend, sharing truths over coffee. One of the finest examples of this quiet storytelling power is found in **Willie Nelson – Last Thing I Needed First Thing This Morning**, a song that beautifully captures the feeling of being kicked while you’re already down.
Released in 1982 on his critically acclaimed album *Always on My Mind*, this song quickly resonated with listeners who recognized the weary vulnerability in its lyrics. Co-written by Gary P. Nunn and Donna Farar, the song’s narrative is painfully relatable: a man wakes up already in a bad place emotionally, only to find that the woman he loves has packed up and left. The phrase “the last thing I needed first thing this morning” says it all—it’s about timing, heartbreak, and the way life sometimes piles sorrow on top of sorrow.
What makes **Willie Nelson – Last Thing I Needed First Thing This Morning** stand out isn’t just its lyrical weight; it’s the way Nelson delivers it. His phrasing is delicate but full of feeling. He doesn’t overreach—there’s no theatrical grief, just a soft-spoken sadness that feels profoundly human. The understated production, with its gentle guitar strums and subtle piano accents, gives the song room to breathe, allowing the story to take center stage.
For listeners of a certain age—those who’ve lived through loss, who understand that pain isn’t always loud—this song may hit particularly close to home. It reminds us that some of life’s hardest moments aren’t marked by dramatic gestures but by quiet departures and lonely mornings. **Willie Nelson – Last Thing I Needed First Thing This Morning** is a song that doesn’t shout; it sighs. And sometimes, that’s exactly what we need to hear.
Video
Lyrics
The postman delivered
A past due bill notice
The alarm clock rang two hours late
The garbage man left all the trash
On the sidewalk
And the hinges fell off of the gate
And this morning at breakfast
I spilled all the coffee
And I opened the door on my knee
But the last thing I needed
The first thing this morning
Was to have you walk out on me
Last night, you came home late
And I knew you’d been drinking
By that old mellow look on your face
I thought, “It don’t matter
Because it’s the holiday season”
And you fill such a big empty space
But then I laid down beside you
And I wanted your loving
Because your love makes my life complete
But the last thing I needed
The first thing this morning
Was to have you walk out on me
So excuse me for looking
Like my world just ended
And excuse me for looking
Like I just lost my best friend
And excuse me for living
And being forgiving
So just go on if you want to be free
But the last thing I needed
The first thing this morning
Was to have you walk out on me
