If you’ve ever spent a Tuesday night in a dive bar where the floor is sticky and the neon signs hum just a little too loud, you’ve probably heard Gary Stewart. Maybe you didn't know it was him. But you felt it. That wild, shaking vibrato—a voice that sounds like it’s teetering on the edge of a breakdown—is unmistakable. While most folks point to "She's Actin' Single (I'm Drinkin' Doubles)" as his masterpiece, there’s a specific kind of magic in the way he handled Gary Stewart I See the Want to in Your Eyes.
It’s a song about the quiet, dangerous electricity between two people who know they shouldn’t, but probably will. It’s honky-tonk noir.
The Story Behind the Song
Gary Stewart didn't actually write this one. That credit goes to Wayne Carson, the same guy who penned "Always on My Mind" and "The Letter." But Stewart owned it first. He recorded it for RCA in 1973, tucked away on his debut album Out of Hand. Honestly, the history of this track is a bit of a "what if" story. Stewart’s version was released as a B-side to "Drinkin' Thing," and it started getting some airplay. People were noticing.
One of those people was Conway Twitty.
Twitty, a man who knew a hit when he heard one, caught Gary’s version on the radio. He didn't just like it; he hijacked it. Conway rushed into the studio, polished it up with that smooth, Nashville-approved production, and took it straight to Number One in 1974. It’s one of those weird industry quirks—Gary Stewart laid the tracks, but Conway Twitty drove the train to the bank.
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Why Gary’s Version Hits Different
There’s a rawness in Stewart’s delivery that Conway couldn’t touch. Conway was "The High Priest of Country Music," all velvet and charm. Gary? Gary was the guy who stayed until closing time and then some. When he sings about seeing the "want-to" in someone's eyes, it feels less like a seduction and more like a shared confession.
The Jordanaires—Elvis’s old backing group—actually sang behind him on the recording. You’ve got this legendary, polished vocal group providing a bed of harmony, and then Gary’s voice comes slicing through like a jagged piece of glass. It’s a beautiful contrast. He plays the piano on it too, and his style was heavily influenced by Jerry Lee Lewis, though Stewart was always a bit more "out there."
A Career Built on the Edge
Gary Stewart was often described as "too country for rock and too rock for country." He was an outlaw before the "Outlaw Country" movement really had a marketing department. He lived the songs. He was born in a Kentucky coal mining town and eventually moved to Florida, where he spent his nights playing "skull orchards"—those rough-and-tumble joints where you played behind chicken wire if you were lucky.
Out of Hand, the 1975 album that features Gary Stewart I See the Want to in Your Eyes, is widely considered one of the greatest honky-tonk records ever made. It’s tight. It’s depressing. It’s perfect.
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The Composition of a Heartbreak
The lyrics are simple, which is why they work. You’ve got the "sparkling little diamond" on her hand, a symbol of a commitment that's clearly fraying at the edges. Stewart’s voice shakes when he hits the line about the "embers of a once raging fire." It’s basically the sonic version of a mid-life crisis.
Most country songs of that era were either very moralistic or very campy. Stewart’s stuff was neither. It was psychological. He understood that the "want-to" isn't always about love; sometimes it's just about not wanting to be alone with yourself for another hour.
Why We Are Still Talking About Him in 2026
It’s easy for artists like Gary Stewart to get lost in the shuffle of history. He didn't have the crossover pop success of a Kenny Rogers or the long-running TV presence of a Hee Haw regular. He was a musician’s musician. Bob Dylan was a huge fan. Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell played on his records.
The tragedy of his life—his battle with substances, the loss of his son, and eventually his own suicide after his wife Mary Lou passed away in 2003—tends to overshadow the music. But when you put on Gary Stewart I See the Want to in Your Eyes, the tragedy takes a backseat to the talent. You hear a man who could command a room with nothing but a piano and a trembling tenor.
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How to Truly Appreciate Gary Stewart
If you're just getting into his catalog, don't stop at the hits. Sure, "She's Actin' Single" is a 10/10, but the deep cuts are where the real grit is.
- Listen to the Out of Hand album in its entirety. It's the blueprint for everything he did.
- Compare the versions. Listen to Conway Twitty’s version of "I See the Want to in Your Eyes" and then flip back to Gary’s. Note the tempo. Note the desperation.
- Check out the live recordings. There’s a 2003 release, Live at Billy Bob's Texas, recorded shortly before he died. He’s older, his voice is weathered, but the fire is still there.
Basically, Gary Stewart was a reminder that country music is supposed to hurt a little bit. It's not all trucks and tailgates; sometimes it's just two people in a dark room wondering how they got there.
To really understand the legacy of this track, start by adding the remastered version of the Out of Hand album to your library. Pay close attention to the transition between the honky-tonk piano riffs and his vocal peaks—it’s a masterclass in emotional phrasing that most modern singers can’t replicate. From there, seek out the 1970s live footage on archival sites to see the "Honky Tonk Liberation Army" (his road band) in their prime.