About The Song
“Only Daddy That’ll Walk the Line” is a song performed by Waylon Jennings, released in 1968 as a single on RCA Victor, later included on the 1970 album Waylon. Written by Jimmy Bryant, the song was first recorded by Jennings, becoming one of his early hits. The track peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart on August 24, 1968, and charted for 15 weeks, also reaching No. 67 on the Billboard Hot 100. The 2:20 song features a driving rhythm and assertive lyrics, with lines like: “Everybody knows you’ve been steppin’ on my toes / And I’m gettin’ pretty tired of it, you know.”
Jennings recorded the song in 1968 at RCA Studio B in Nashville, Tennessee, produced by Chet Atkins. The session featured The Waylors, with Ralph Mooney on steel guitar, Jerry Gropp on guitar, and Richie Albright on drums, alongside session musicians. The arrangement includes a prominent steel guitar riff, a steady drumbeat, and Jennings’ gritty vocals, creating a bold, outlaw country sound. The album Waylon reached No. 8 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and sold over 200,000 copies by 1972, per RIAA records, marking Jennings’ rise in the genre.
The song’s selection came during Jennings’ early career, as he sought to assert his musical identity against Nashville’s polished production style. Bryant’s composition, with its assertive tone, aligned with Jennings’ growing outlaw persona, recorded during a period of creative tension with RCA. In a 1968 interview with Country Music magazine, Jennings said: “It’s about standing your ground, and I felt that in every note.” The track gained exposure through its inclusion in the 1968 television special Country Music Caravan, aired on NBC, featuring a live performance.
Covers of the song include a 1968 version by Bobby Bare on Constant Sorrow and a 1975 rendition by The Everly Brothers on Pass the Chicken & Listen, per SecondHandSongs. A live performance from a 1969 Grand Ole Opry appearance was released on the 2008 album Waylon Live: The Lost Nashville Sessions. The song appeared in the 1985 film Sweet Dreams, used in a bar scene, and in a 2017 episode of The Ranch, featured during a rugged character moment. Jennings recorded a duet version with Jessi Colter in 1981 for Leather and Lace.
Jennings included “Only Daddy That’ll Walk the Line” in his live sets, notably at the 1970 Dripping Springs Reunion in Texas, where it opened the show. A 1978 recording with Willie Nelson was released on the album Waylon & Willie. The song was performed at the 1976 Willie Nelson Fourth of July Picnic in Gonzales, Texas, and featured in a 2019 documentary, Waylon Jennings: Outlaw Roots, aired on PBS, exploring his outlaw legacy. The track remains a classic in Jennings’ catalog, often paired with other assertive hits.
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Lyrics
I didn’t say it
Y’all have a good time
Do what you want to
Everybody knows you’ve been steppin’ on my toes
And I’m gettin’ pretty tired of it
Steppin’ out of line
And a-messin’ with my mind
If you had any sense, you’d quit
‘Cause ever since you were a little bitty teeny girl
You said I was the only man in this whole world
Now you better do some thinkin’, then you’ll find
You got the only daddy that’ll walk the line
You keep a-packin’ up my clothes, nearly everybody knows
That you’re still just a-puttin’ me on
But when I start a-walkin’
Gonna hear you start a-squawkin’
And a-beggin’ me to come back home
‘Cause ever since you were a little bitty scrawny girl
You said I was the only man in this whole world
You better do some thinkin’, then you’ll find
You got the only daddy that’ll walk the line
You got the only daddy that’ll walk the line