Conversation
Waylon Jennings & Hank Williams Jr Lyrics
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Tell me how your mama loved that man
Well, just break out a bottle, hoss
I'll tell you bout the driftin' cowboy band
We won't talk about the habits
Just the music and the man, that's all
Did your daddy really write all them songs, did he
That don't deserve no answer, hoss
Let's light up and just move along
Do you think he wrote 'em about your mama
Or about the man who done her wrong, you know that
Yeah, back then they called him crazy
Nowadays they call him a saint
Now the ones that called him crazy
Are still ridin' on his name
Well, if he was here right now, Bocephus
Would he think that we were right, do you think he might
Don't you know he would Watasha
Be right here by our side
If we left for a show in Provo
He'd be the first one on the bus and ready to ride
Wherever he is I hope he's happy
You know I hope he's doin' well, yes I do
He is 'cause he's got one arm around my mama now
And he sure did love Miss Audrey and raisin' hell
I won't ask you no more questions
To the stories only Hank could tell
Back then they called him crazy
Nowadays they call him a saint
Most folks don't know that they fired him from the Opry
And that caused his greatest pain
I loved to tell you about lovesick
How Miss Audrey loved that man
You know I've always loved to listen
To the stories about that driftin' cowboy band and the man
You know when we get right down to it
Still the most wanted outlaw in the land, yeah, woh
The lyrics to Waylon Jennings's song, The Conversation, are a conversation between two friends, Hank and Waylon, reminiscing about Hank's famous dad, the country music legend, Hank Williams. The conversation revolves around the story of Hank Williams' life, his music, and the people who influenced him. The song's verses are a mixture of questions and memories. Hank reveals that his mother loved his dad very much, and Waylon tells him that he was crazy back then, but now they call him a saint. The conversation shifts to Hank questioning if his dad wrote all the songs himself, which Waylon believes is irrelevant. The topic quickly changes, and Hank ponders whether his dad wrote the songs about his mother or the man who cheated on her. Waylon suggests that they don't go down that road and instead focus on the music and the man who created it.
Waylon tells Hank that if his dad was here right now, they'd be right by their side, and they'd have a great time. He talks about the people who loved Hank Williams and wished they could spend just five minutes with him. Waylon also brings up a painful memory - that Hank Williams was fired from the Opry, which caused him great pain. The chorus talks about the fact that Hank Williams was once seen as crazy but is now revered as a saint, and when it comes down to it, he's still the most wanted outlaw in the land.
The song's message is that music is all about the love people have for the man who creates it, and they should look past his faults and see his contributions to the genre. It also shows the affection that two friends have for each other and their shared love for music that their fathers created. It is a poignant, reflective song that pays tribute to the legend of country music, Hank Williams.
Line by Line Meaning
Hank, let's talk about your daddy
Let's discuss your father, Hank
Tell me how your mama loved that man
Explain how your mother loved your father
Well, just break out a bottle, hoss
Let's have a drink while we talk
I'll tell you bout the driftin' cowboy band
I'll tell you the story of the wandering cowboy band
We won't talk about the habits
We won't discuss any bad habits he might have had
Just the music and the man, that's all
Let's focus on his music and character
Now Hank, you just got to tell me
Hank, you have to tell me
Did your daddy really write all them songs, did he
Did your father really write all those songs?
That don't deserve no answer, hoss
I'm not going to answer that, buddy
Let's light up and just move along
Let's smoke and change the subject
Do you think he wrote 'em about your mama
Do you think he wrote those songs about your mother?
Or about the man who done her wrong, you know that
Or maybe about the man who hurt her, you know
Yeah, back then they called him crazy
They used to call him crazy in the past
Nowadays they call him a saint
Nowadays he's seen as a great person
Now the ones that called him crazy
The people who used to call him crazy
Are still ridin' on his name
Are still using his name to their advantage
Well, if he was here right now, Bocephus
If he was here with us now, Bocephus
Would he think that we were right, do you think he might
Would he agree with us, do you think?
Don't you know he would Watasha
Of course he would, Watasha
Be right here by our side
He would be standing with us
If we left for a show in Provo
If we went to perform in Provo
He'd be the first one on the bus and ready to ride
He would be the first one on the bus, ready to go
Wherever he is I hope he's happy
I hope he's happy, wherever he is
You know I hope he's doin' well, yes I do
I really hope he's doing well
He is 'cause he's got one arm around my mama now
He's happy because he's with my mother now
And he sure did love Miss Audrey and raisin' hell
He loved Miss Audrey and causing chaos
I won't ask you no more questions
I won't ask you any more questions
To the stories only Hank could tell
Only Hank could tell those stories
Most folks don't know that they fired him from the Opry
Few people know that he was fired from the Opry
And that caused his greatest pain
That was his biggest heartbreak
I loved to tell you about lovesick
I loved talking to you about Lovesick
How Miss Audrey loved that man
About how much Miss Audrey loved him
You know I've always loved to listen
I've always enjoyed listening
To the stories about that driftin' cowboy band and the man
To stories about the drifting cowboy band and the man
You know when we get right down to it
When it comes down to it
Still the most wanted outlaw in the land, yeah, woh
He's still the most wanted outlaw in the country
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JOHN WILLIAMS, JOHN T. WILLIAMS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
James reid
Idc care how many times I’ve heard it I always get chills when I hear Waylon say “Hank lets talk about your daddy”
Steven Andrew Callicott Jr.
I feel you same here Salute To Real Country.
Jo Ann Hawkins
And the look on Waylon's face waiting for the response
Andrew sutherland
My daddy is still with me every time I light up an move along
Bobby Ricigliano
These two men forgot more about being cool than most performers could ever hope to know. Legends.
Charlie Lohr
Better believe that
J D
Come on now, you can't forget Johnny.
Bobby Ricigliano
@J D Of course not. But Johnny was not affiliated with this particular performance.
Joe Giardina
Just, outstanding 👏👏👏👏🥇🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
brandenc246
This song is so great. I love hank Sr, Jr and Waylon. Gotta come back and listen every so often. Classic song.