Waylon Jennings was mad. Not "I’m going to throw a guitar" mad, but more of a "I’m going to write a song to take you down a peg" kind of simmer. It was 1974, and the outlaw country scene in Austin was exploding. Willie Nelson was the undisputed face of it. He was the "King of Austin," or at least that’s what the press and the crowds at the Armadillo World Headquarters were saying. Waylon, sitting on a plane between Dallas and Austin, grabbed a pen and decided to write a letter to his best friend.
That letter became the lyrics Bob Wills Is Still the King.
Honestly, if you listen to the live recording from the Texas Opry House, you can hear the crowd losing their minds every time Waylon mentions a Texas landmark. But the song wasn't just a tribute to the "King of Western Swing." It was a pointed, hilarious, and deeply soulful reminder from Waylon to Willie: Don't get too big for your britches, hoss. ## Why the Lyrics Bob Wills Is Still the King Mattered in 1974
At the time, Nashville was the "Home of Country Music," but the Red River was a hard border. Once you crossed south into Texas, the rules changed. The Grand Ole Opry didn't mean a lick compared to the ghost of Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys. Waylon’s lyrics basically told the Nashville establishment to keep their rhinestone suits.
But the real target was closer to home.
Waylon and Willie shared a manager back then, and Waylon was getting tired of hearing about how Austin belonged to Willie. In his 2015 memoir, It’s a Long Story, Willie remembers Waylon playing the song for the first time with a "devilish look in his eye." He was looking for a fight. He wanted Willie to be offended.
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Instead, Willie told him the song was "right on the money."
Breaking Down the Verse That Burned
The most famous part of the song hits in the final verse. You’ve probably hummed it a thousand times:
"It's the home of Willie Nelson, the home of Western swing. He'll be the first to tell you, Bob Wills is still the king."
That’s a tactical strike. Waylon was publicly acknowledging Willie’s fame while simultaneously subordinating him to a guy who had been the "King" since the 1930s. It’s the ultimate "I love you, but sit down" move. Later on, Waylon would even change the line during live shows to "Willie what’s-his-name" just to keep the needle moving.
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The Irony of Waylon’s Tribute
Here’s the kicker: Waylon Jennings wasn't even a big Bob Wills fan.
In his later years, Waylon admitted in his autobiography that he wrote the song because he knew how much Willie idolized Wills. Waylon himself grew up in the honky-tonks, but his style was more rockabilly and blues than the big-band jazz-country fusion that Wills pioneered.
Bob Wills was a disruptor. He brought drums and horns into country music when the Opry banned them. Waylon was a disruptor, too, fighting for creative control in Nashville. So while the song started as a petty jab at Willie Nelson, it evolved into a manifesto for the Outlaw movement. It was about respecting the roots while breaking the rules.
The Live Magic in Austin
The version most people know is the live recording from September 1974. It’s raw. You can hear the "soul" Waylon talks about in the lyrics. He famously quoted the Sir Douglas Quintet in the bridge: "You just can't live in Texas if you ain't got a whole lot of soul." The atmosphere in the Texas Opry House that night was legendary. Willie Nelson described the crowd as being packed so tight "even the fire marshal couldn't get out." When Waylon sang about the "Red River, hoss," he wasn't just singing lyrics; he was asserting Texas independence.
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What Most People Get Wrong About the Song
A lot of folks think this is a pure Western swing song. It isn't. Not even close.
- The Sound: It’s a standard 4/4 country shuffle. There are no twin fiddles or jazz-style horn arrangements.
- The Message: It’s often mistaken for a pro-Nashville song because it mentions the Opry. In reality, it’s a dismissal of Nashville’s authority over Texas music.
- The Intent: It wasn't written to honor a dead legend as much as it was written to keep a living one (Willie) humble.
Actionable Insights for the Modern Listener
If you want to truly appreciate the lyrics Bob Wills Is Still the King, you need to go beyond the surface.
- Listen to the Studio Version: Most people only know the live one. The studio version (found on the Mackintosh & T.J. soundtrack) has a different energy and includes a "Faded Love" fiddle outro that actually pays musical homage to Wills.
- Compare to "San Antonio Rose": To understand why Waylon mentions "tipping your hat to the ladies," listen to the Bob Wills original. It’s the "Rose of San Antone" reference that bridges the gap between the 1940s and the 1970s.
- Watch the 1974 Austin Footage: If you can find the grainy clips of Waylon from that era, look at his face. He’s "ornery and mean," as photographer Scott Newton once described him. That grit is what makes the lyrics land.
The song remains the unofficial anthem of Texas. It’s a reminder that no matter who is topping the charts in Austin or Nashville, the foundation was built on the dance floors of those old honky-tonks. Waylon might have been mad when he wrote it, but he ended up creating a piece of history that defined an entire era of American music.
To get the full experience, pull up the 1974 live recording on a good pair of speakers, skip the remastered versions, and listen for the moment Waylon mentions the Red River. You'll hear the exact moment a crowd realizes they're part of something that isn't just a song—it's an identity.
Next Steps:
Go listen to "San Antonio Rose" by Bob Wills and then immediately play Waylon’s live version of "Bob Wills Is Still the King." You’ll hear the "soul" Waylon was talking about—and you’ll finally understand why Willie Nelson refused to get mad about a song that was meant to insult him.