About The Song
“Whiskey River” is a song performed by Willie Nelson, released in 1973 as the opening track on his album Shotgun Willie on Atlantic Records. Written by Johnny Bush and Paul Stroud in 1969, the song was first recorded by Bush, reaching No. 18 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in 1972. Nelson’s version, an energetic honky-tonk anthem, became a live staple but was not released as a single from the album. The 4:05 track serves as a lament about drowning sorrows in whiskey, with lyrics like: “Whiskey river, take my mind / Don’t let her memory torture me.”
Nelson recorded the song in 1972 at Atlantic Studios in New York City, produced by Arif Mardin. The session featured The Family band, with Mickey Raphael on harmonica, Bee Spears on bass, and Paul English on drums, alongside session musicians including Jimmy Day on steel guitar. The arrangement features a driving rhythm, Raphael’s harmonica, and a raw guitar line, capturing the song’s barroom spirit. Shotgun Willie, Nelson’s first album with Atlantic after leaving RCA, reached No. 41 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and sold over 500,000 copies by 1975, earning gold certification from the RIAA. The album marked his shift to the outlaw country movement.
The song’s inclusion came as Nelson sought to redefine his sound, choosing “Whiskey River” to open Shotgun Willie as a statement of his Texas roots and barroom authenticity. Nelson had performed it live since the late 1960s, often extending it into a jam with his band. In a 1973 interview with Country Music magazine, Nelson said: “It’s a song that fits the road life—whiskey and all.” The track gained prominence through its use in Nelson’s 1973 performance at the Dripping Springs Reunion, released on the 2002 album Willie Nelson Live at the Dripping Springs Reunion.
Covers of the song include Bush’s 1972 original and a 1976 version by Jerry Lee Lewis on Country Class, per SecondHandSongs. A live performance from a 1974 Austin City Limits episode was released on the 2006 album Live at Austin City Limits. The song appeared in the 1980 film Honeysuckle Rose, where Nelson performed it on-screen, and in a 2019 episode of Yellowstone, featured in a bar scene. Nelson recorded a duet version with Merle Haggard in 1983 for the album Pancho & Lefty, released that year.
Nelson included “Whiskey River” in his live sets, notably opening the 1976 Fourth of July Picnic in Gonzales, Texas, with an extended version. A 1998 recording with Asleep at the Wheel was released on the album Willie Nelson Sings the Songs of Hank Williams in 2001. The song was performed at Farm Aid 1985, Nelson’s benefit concert for farmers, and featured in a 2017 documentary, Willie Nelson: Outlaw Country, aired on PBS, exploring his early career. The track remains a signature opener for Nelson’s concerts, often leading into other classics.
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Lyric
Whiskey river, take my mind
Don’t let her memory torture me
Whiskey river, don’t run dry
You’re all I’ve got, take care of meWhiskey river, take my mind
Don’t let her memory torture me
Whiskey river, don’t run dry
You’re all I’ve got, take care of meI’m drowning in a whiskey river
Bathing my memory in the tides of her
I feel no pain as I drown her name
In the hot flashes of the fire of my flameWhiskey river, take my mind
Don’t let her memory torture me
Whiskey river, don’t run dry
You’re all I’ve got, take care of meI’m drowning in a whiskey river
Bathing my memory in the tides of her
I feel no pain as I drown her name
In the hot flashes of the fire of my flameWhiskey river, take my mind
Don’t let her memory torture me
Whiskey river, don’t run dry
You’re all I’ve got, take care of me