About The Song
“Shotgun Willie” is a song written and performed by Willie Nelson, released in 1973 as the title track and opening song on his album Shotgun Willie on Atlantic Records. The song was not released as a single but set the tone for the album, which marked Nelson’s shift to the outlaw country movement. The 2:32 track narrates a tale of family loyalty and defiance, with lyrics like: “Shotgun Willie sits around in his underwear / Biting on a bullet and pulling out all of his hair.”
The song was recorded in 1972 at Atlantic Studios in New York City, produced by Arif Mardin. The session featured The Family band, with Bee Spears on bass, Paul English on drums, and Bobbie Nelson on piano, alongside session musicians including Jimmy Day on steel guitar. The arrangement includes a lively rhythm, steel guitar, and Nelson’s acoustic guitar, reflecting a raw, storytelling style. The album Shotgun Willie reached No. 41 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and sold over 500,000 copies by 1975, earning gold certification from the RIAA.
Nelson wrote the song as a humorous yet defiant response to his departure from RCA Records and legal troubles involving his family, inspired by a nickname tied to his drummer Paul English. It introduced the album’s outlaw theme, recorded during a period of creative freedom with Atlantic. In a 1973 interview with Country Music magazine, Nelson said: “It’s about standing up, even when things get messy.” The track gained exposure through its inclusion in the 1973 television special Willie Nelson Live, aired on PBS.
Covers include a 1976 version by Waylon Jennings on Are You Ready for the Country, 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, performed by Nelson in a concert scene. Nelson recorded a duet version with Merle Haggard in 1983 for Pancho & Lefty.
Nelson included “Shotgun Willie” in live sets, notably at the 1973 Fourth of July Picnic in Dripping Springs, Texas. It was featured at Farm Aid 1985 and included in the 2017 documentary Willie Nelson: Outlaw Beginnings, aired on PBS.
Video
Lyric
Shotgun Willie sits around in his underwear
Biting on a bullet and pulling out all of his hair
Shotgun Willie’s got all of his family thereWell, you can’t make a record if you ain’t got nothing to say
You can’t make a record if you ain’t got nothing to say
You can’t play music if you don’t know nothing to playNow, Willie’s got a family to feed
And if you don’t think Willie’s bad, just watch him bleed
And you can’t make a record if you ain’t got nothing to sayShotgun Willie sits around in his underwear
Biting on a bullet and pulling out all of his hair
Shotgun Willie’s got all of his family there