Celebrate the Heart of Country, Americana, and Roots Music!

Drop Us A Line, Y'all

Y'all interested in advertising, partnering up, contributing stories, joining our team, or just got a question? Well, don't be shy, drop us a line!

Follow Us

Waylon Jennings Reflects on life with “Old Five and Dimers Like Me”

by
  • Arden is a Senior Country Music Journalist for Country Thang Daily, specializing in classic hits and contemporary chart-toppers.
  • Prior to joining Country Thang Daily, Arden wrote for Billboard and People magazine, covering country music legends and emerging artists.
  • Arden holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from the University of Tennessee, with a minor in Music Studies.

Waylon Jennings is one of country music’s treasures because of his countless hits. He also made sure to make a statement with the songs that he releases and thus, he became a country outlaw just like Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Tanya Tucker, and Merle Haggard.

waylon jennings, old fiver and dimers
via Screengrab from YouTube

Waylon Jennings’ Honky Tonk Heroes Album

This track from Waylon was part of his beautiful Honky Tonk Heroes album. The singer was still lacking one track to include on his album, so he enlisted the help of songwriter,  Billy Joe Shaver. Shaver was the one who penned this track.  It was inspired by reflecting on the things happening in his life, which is filled with excess and turmoil. The way that Waylon performed it showed a lot of angst and the tone of the performance seemed sad.

In an interview, Billy Joe Shaver said this about the song:

“I’ve always been real blunt. Most people from Texas are that way. And it seems like all the great writers, they’re not afraid to say anything. I’ve always been pretty blunt, and sometimes it seems, brutally honest, but it’s real close to the bone.”

The song does not sugar coat the hardships that we might face sooner in our life and this was a great choice of song for Waylon Jennings.

waylon jennings, old five and dimers
via Screengrab from YouTube

Lyrics Breakdown

It’s taking me so long and now that I know I believe
All that I do or say is all I ever will be

This Waylon Jennings track is deeper than you think. It reflects on the life decisions we make every day and the consequences of it. We choose to be who we are because there is power in the words we say. When you think you can do it, then the universe will conspire and help you do it.

The song reminds us that we are the only ones that can give fruition to the things that we promise to accomplish. Words are powerful and it can be more meaningful when we actually do something about it. When we promise to ourselves, “Someday, I’m gonna be rich” then we must also work hard and work smart. Acknowledging it through words is the first step but if we stop there, we can never really finish our journey.

Listen to the song here:

Latest Stories

The late Dolly Parton on stage in sequins and blonde hair, singing into a microphone. CMA will honor her with a live special on October 21.

The CMA Will Honor Dolly Parton With a Two-Hour Live Special on October 21

Dolly Parton wrote the most famous goodbye song in American music. Now, country music is using it to say goodbye to her. The Country Music Association announced it will honor ...

Reba McEntire appears at the Emmys in Dolly Parton’s butterfly ring and rhinestone earrings as her gown matches Dolly’s first look.

Reba Wore Dolly Parton’s Rhinestone Earrings and Butterfly Ring During Her Emmys Tribute

The first time Reba McEntire ever saw Dolly Parton in person, Dolly was covered in rhinestone butterflies. McEntire has told the story more than once. She was backing up against ...

Sally Field appears emotional during her Emmys tribute speech calling Dolly Parton an angel on earth.

Sally Field Called Dolly Parton an Angel on Earth in Her Emmys Tribute Speech

Sally Field worked with Dolly Parton on one movie in 1989. She spent the next thirty-seven years loving her anyway. Field introduced the Dolly Parton tribute at the 78th Primetime ...

Reba McEntire looks emotional as she sings Appalachian Memories for Dolly Parton at the Emmys.

Reba McEntire Sang “Appalachian Memories” for Dolly at the Emmys and Got Emotional at the End

Forty-three years ago, Dolly Parton stood on the Emmy stage and sang a song she wrote about her daddy and the mountains that raised her. On Monday night, her friend ...

A massive Dolly Parton mural covers a honky-tonk wall in Fort Worth after an artist painted her because his daughter was hurting.

A Massive Dolly Parton Mural Went Up on a Fort Worth Honky-Tonk and People Keep Pulling Over

His daughter took the news hard, so he went and found a wall. Juan Velazquez saw how Dolly Parton’s death hit his daughter and decided he wanted to honor her. ...

Jennifer Nettles sings emotionally as she honors the 9/11 victims with Vince Gill’s Go Rest High on That Mountain.

Jennifer Nettles Honored the 9/11 Victims With Vince Gill’s Go Rest High on That Mountain

Vince Gill wrote that song for his own dead. On Friday, Jennifer Nettles sang it for nearly three thousand of them. Nettles performed “Go Rest High on That Mountain” at ...

Garth Brooks is shown with a circular photo of Dolly Parton after declaring September 25 Dolly Day and giving bar sales to the Imagination Library.

Garth Brooks Declared September 25 ‘Dolly Day’ and Is Giving the Full Day’s Bar Sales to the Imagination Library

Two days after Dolly Parton died, Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood picked a date and made a promise. On Thursday, August 27, the couple announced that their Nashville bar, Friends ...

Lainey Wilson stands in a black suit with a choir behind her as she honors the 9/11 victims with Amazing Grace at the 25th anniversary.

Lainey Wilson Honored the 9/11 Victims With “Amazing Grace” in a Black Suit and a Choir Behind Her

She left the bell-bottoms and the cowboy hat at home and walked out in a black suit with a choir behind her, singing a hymn that has carried this country ...

Budweiser Clydesdales bow toward the New York skyline in the 9/11 tribute ad that aired once during the 2002 Super Bowl.

Budweiser’s 9/11 Tribute Aired Once During the 2002 Super Bowl and People Still Remember It

Sixty seconds, no words, and a horse named Ringo doing the only thing the country needed to see. On Sunday, February 3, 2002, during Super Bowl XXXVI, Anheuser-Busch ran a ...

Dolly Parton appears with American Airlines Flight 925 after her passing, as the airline honors the country legend with the 9 to 5 number.

American Airlines Is Renumbering a Nashville Flight to 925 in Honor of Dolly Parton

You could fly it a hundred times and never notice. That is probably the point. Starting March 28, 2027, one of American Airlines’ daily flights from Dallas-Fort Worth to Nashville ...

Leave a Comment

For security, use of Google's reCAPTCHA service is required which is subject to the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.