Jennings then worked as a DJ in Coolidge, Arizona, and Phoenix. He formed a rockabilly club band, The Waylors. He recorded for independent label Trend Records and A&M Records before succeeding with RCA Victor after achieving creative control.
During the 1970s, Jennings was instrumental in the inception of Outlaw country movement. He released critically acclaimed albums Lonesome, On'ry and Mean and Honky Tonk Heroes followed by hit albums Dreaming My Dreams as well as Are You Ready for the Country. In 1976, he released the album Wanted! The Outlaws with Willie Nelson, Tompall Glaser, and Jessi Colter, the first platinum country music album. That success was followed by Ol' Waylon and the hit song "Luckenbach, Texas". Jennings was featured in the 1978 album White Mansions performed by various artists documenting the lives of people in the Confederacy during the Civil War. The songs on the album were written by Paul Kennerley. By the early 1980s, Jennings was struggling with a cocaine addiction, which he quit in 1984. Later, he joined the country supergroup The Highwaymen with Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, and Johnny Cash, which released three albums between 1985 and 1995. During that period, Jennings released the successful album Will the Wolf Survive. He toured less after 1997 to spend more time with his family. Between 1999 and 2001, his appearances were limited by health problems. On February 13, 2002, Jennings died from complications of diabetes.
Jennings also appeared in films and television series. He was the balladeer for The Dukes of Hazzard, composing and singing the show's theme song and providing narration for the show. In 2001, he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, which he chose not to attend. In 2007, he was posthumously awarded the Cliffie Stone Pioneer Award by the Academy of Country Music.
Jennings's music was characterized by his "powerful" singing voice, noted by his "rough-edged quality", as well as his phrasing and texture. He was also recognized for his "spanky-twang" guitar style. To create his sound, he used a pronounced 'phaser' effect' plus a mixture of thumb and fingers during the rhythmic parts, while using picks for the lead runs. He combined hammer-on and pull-off riffs, with eventual upper-fret double stops and modulation effects. Jennings played a 1953 Fender Telecaster, a used guitar that was a gift from The Waylors. Jennings's bandmates adorned his guitar with a distinctive leather cover that featured a black background with a white floral work. Jennings further customized it by filing down the frets to lower the strings on the neck to obtain the slapping sound. Among his other guitars, Jennings used a 1950 Fender Broadcaster from the mid-1970s, until he gave it to guitarist Reggie Young in 1993. The leather covers of his guitars were carved by leather artist Terry Lankford.
His signature image was characterized by his long hair and beard, as well as his black hat and the black leather vest he wore during his appearances.
Jennings's music had a major influence on several neotraditionalist and alternative country artists, including Hank Williams Jr., The Marshall Tucker Band,[124] Travis Tritt, Steve Earle, Jamey Johnson, John Anderson, his son, Shooter Jennings, Sturgill Simpson, and Hank Williams III.
In 2008, his first posthumous album, Waylon Forever, was released. The album consisted of songs recorded with his son Shooter when he was 16. In 2012, Waylon: The Music Inside a three-volume project, consisting of covers of Jennings's songs by different artists, was released. The same year, it was announced for September the release of Goin' Down Rockin': The Last Recordings, a set of 12 songs recorded by Jennings and bassist Robby Turner before his death in 2002. Jennings's family was reluctant to release any new material because they did not feel comfortable at the time. The songs only featured Jennings and Turner on the bass, while further accompaniment would be added later. Ten years after, Turner completed the recordings with the help of former Waylors. The Jennings family approved the release despite the launch of a new business focused on his estate. Shooter Jennings arranged deals for a clothing line, while also launching a renewed website, and started talks with different producers about the making of a biographical film.
Don't Think Twice It's All Right
Waylon Jennings Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It don't matter, anyhow
An' it ain't no use to sit and wonder why, babe
If you don't know by now
When your rooster crows at the break of dawn
Look out your window and I'll be gone
You're the reason I'm trav'lin' on
Don't think twice, it's all right
It ain't no use in turnin' on your light, babe
That light I never knowed
An' it ain't no use in turnin' on your light, babe
I'm on the dark side of the road
Still I wish there was somethin' you would do or say
To try and make me change my mind and stay
We never did too much talkin' anyway
So don't think twice, it's all right
It ain't no use in callin' out my name, gal
Like you never did before
It ain't no use in callin' out my name, gal
I can't hear you any more
I'm a-thinkin' and a-wond'rin' all the way down the road
I once loved a woman, a child I'm told
I give her my heart but she wanted my soul
But don't think twice, it's all right
I'm walkin' down that long, lonesome road, babe
Where I'm bound, I can't tell
But goodbye's too good a word, gal
So I'll just say fare thee well
I ain't sayin' you treated me unkind
You could have done better but I don't mind
You just kinda wasted my precious time
But don't think twice, it's all right
In "Don't Think Twice It's All Right," Waylon Jennings sings about a broken romance and the inevitability of moving on. The song's first verse reinforces the idea that there's no use in trying to figure out why a relationship ended; it's pointless to ponder. The second verse has an even more pessimistic tone, suggesting the relationship was too dark to work out. The third and fourth verses put the final nail in the coffin, with the singer acknowledging that he can't hear the girl's voice anymore, and that it's time for him to move on down the road.
The song's melody is gentle and soothing, and Jennings' vocal delivery is calm and measured. These musical elements draw out the sense of resignation and acceptance found in the lyrics. The song has a graceful simplicity that belies its emotional complexity. The lyrics work on both a literal and metaphorical level. The specific details of the relationship and break-up are left vague, making it easy for the listener to imagine their own past heartbreaks and regrets.
Line by Line Meaning
It ain't no use to sit and wonder why, babe
There's no point in you trying to figure out why I'm leaving, darling.
It don't matter, anyhow
It doesn't make a difference anymore.
An' it ain't no use to sit and wonder why, babe
And I'm telling you again, it's no use trying to understand why I'm leaving.
If you don't know by now
If you haven't figured it out yet.
When your rooster crows at the break of dawn
When the sun rises and the morning comes.
Look out your window and I'll be gone
I won't be there anymore when you look for me.
You're the reason I'm trav'lin' on
I'm leaving because of you.
Don't think twice, it's all right
Don't worry, everything will be okay.
It ain't no use in turnin' on your light, babe
There's no point in you turning your light on for me, darling.
That light I never knowed
I never knew that light or the warmth it provided.
Still I wish there was somethin' you would do or say
Although there's nothing really that can be done or said at this point, I still wish there was.
To try and make me change my mind and stay
To see if there's something you can say or do to convince me to stay.
We never did too much talkin' anyway
We never really had good communication in the first place.
It ain't no use in callin' out my name, gal
There's no point in you calling out my name again, my dear.
Like you never did before
Just like you always have not been calling out my name.
I can't hear you any more
I can't hear you anymore, even if you do call.
I'm a-thinkin' and a-wond'rin' all the way down the road
I'm thinking and wondering as I walk down the road all alone.
I once loved a woman, a child I'm told
There was a time when I loved a woman deeply, although she was naive.
I give her my heart but she wanted my soul
I gave her everything I had, but she always wanted more.
But don't think twice, it's all right
But it's okay, don't worry.
I'm walkin' down that long, lonesome road, babe
I'm walking down a long and lonely road, my love.
Where I'm bound, I can't tell
I don't really know where I'm headed.
But goodbye's too good a word, gal
But saying goodbye is too kind, my dear.
So I'll just say fare thee well
So I'll leave you with a simple 'farewell' instead.
I ain't sayin' you treated me unkind
I'm not accusing you of being cruel to me.
You could have done better but I don't mind
You may have been able to do better, but it's okay.
You just kinda wasted my precious time
You simply wasted my time that I consider to be valuable.
But don't think twice, it's all right
But it's alright, everything will be okay.
Contributed by Brody C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@ronaldmullins8445
This song fits my life perfectly. Thank you Waylon. You’ll never duplicated 💔
@nancyprohira2571
Waylon's voice puts his own spin on this classic.
@Blizzard757575
I gave her my heart but she wanted my soul. Never get tired of these gut wrenching lyrics.
@leprechaun189
yeah love it too!
@4InHer99
This song is perfect in every single way
@barrymotiva3387
What made Waylon's voice so great? It was great. How would someone more musically inclined than I describe what made his voice great?
@Whitetail1982
Waylons voice was calming and smooth, yet masculine. He kept you wanting more song once it ended. Hard to really define what made it other than, it's Waylons voice! 😎
@nathanbaughn109
Best version of a great song.
@grantg60
I've known the song for years but not heard this excellent version before. Elvis's version was also pretty amazing
@halepp2860
I also like social distortions version