Roll Me Up And Smoke Me When I Die Part 4

I'm on the bus drinking b.u.t.termilk-well, actually, it's an organic, lactose-free kefir that Annie gets for me to drink, because it's healthier. I have plenty of lactose and I don't know if I need what I got, so it's probably good. I've never lacked in lactose as far as I know. Lactose could be one of those things that you don't know you have too much of until you die. It happens I'm sure. Oh well, here goes nothing. It's really good, but I tried to get Steve Gilchrist, another poker buddy, to taste it. He almost threw it up. Apparently he's not a kefir guy.We played poker two days straight after my show at the Backyard, which was great if I do say so myself. It was a sold-out crowd. Jamey Johnson, Paula Nelson, and Amy Nelson played too. Mudslide has been here for a few days helping out. My seventy-ninth birthday is coming up. I hope to get all the kids over for a little party. Annie loves it when all the family is there and she can feed them all, so I'm guessing it will happen.

WHAT DO DO YOU YOU GET GET WHEN WHEN YOU YOU CROSS CROSS A A ROOSTER ROOSTER WITH WITH ANOTHER ANOTHER rooster? A very cross rooster! rooster? A very cross rooster!

Speaking of chickens ... one time I went over to Bee Spears's house after he had just gotten back from the feed store with some corn for the chickens in his backyard. He dropped the corn and it spilled all over the bedroom floor. We decided that the best way to clean it up was to bring the chickens into the bedroom.

We did and they ate all the corn. It was a brilliant idea. Then we noticed that one chicken would take a bite of corn and then raise her right leg. She did it every time. So when Bee's wife came home, she wanted to know what was going on.

Bee told her we had been training chickens. He pointed at the one hen and said, "Watch this." She said, "Okay," so he waited till the one chicken ate a kernel of corn. Then Bee said, "Okay, honey, raise your right leg," and of course the chicken did! We laughed a lot.

I WANT WANT TO TO BRING BRING UP UP MY MY FAVORITE FAVORITE GUITAR GUITAR PLAYER PLAYER AGAIN AGAIN. DJANGO Reinhardt is the best, period. I play "Nuages" and a couple more Django songs every show. I heard one of the Little w.i.l.l.i.e.s-Norah Jones's band-said I played "like Django with one finger." That's about the nicest thing anyone has ever said about my playing, because as we all know Django only had two fingers because of the fire and was still the best guitar player that ever lived. Just to think for a minute that I might be half as good as Django makes my head a little bigger, so thank you. Reinhardt is the best, period. I play "Nuages" and a couple more Django songs every show. I heard one of the Little w.i.l.l.i.e.s-Norah Jones's band-said I played "like Django with one finger." That's about the nicest thing anyone has ever said about my playing, because as we all know Django only had two fingers because of the fire and was still the best guitar player that ever lived. Just to think for a minute that I might be half as good as Django makes my head a little bigger, so thank you.

Django.

Norah is a sweetheart and a great musician; I love singing with her. Her band the Little w.i.l.l.i.e.s is really great. How do you think that makes me feel? I was and always will be floored. Thanks, Norah. I love you.

A GUY GUY WAS WAS IN IN A A COMA COMA FOR FOR YEARS YEARS. HE WOKE WOKE UP UP ONE ONE DAY DAY AND AND smelled his favorite food, chocolate cookies. He crawled out of bed and all the way down the hall to the kitchen. When he got there, sure enough, there they were. He put his hand up to reach one, and his wife slapped him on the hand and said, "No, honey, those are for the funeral!" smelled his favorite food, chocolate cookies. He crawled out of bed and all the way down the hall to the kitchen. When he got there, sure enough, there they were. He put his hand up to reach one, and his wife slapped him on the hand and said, "No, honey, those are for the funeral!"

PERMANENTLY LONELY.

Don't be concerned it's time I learnedThat those who play with fire get burnedBut I'll be all right in a little whileBut you'll be permanently lonelyDon't be too quick to pity meDon't salve my heart with sympathy'Cause I'll be all right in a little whileBut you'll be permanently lonelyThe world looks on with wonder and pity at your kind'Cause it knows that the future is not very pretty for your kindFor your kind will always be running and wonderingWhat's happened to hearts that you've broken and left all aloneBut we'll be all right in a little whileBut you'll be permanently lonelyRunning ... Lonely ...

FREDDY P POWERS WILL WILL BE BE COMING COMING OUT OUT TO TO SEE SEE ME ME TOMORROW TOMORROW. HE has been a little under the weather. He is a good friend and one of the best rhythm players there ever was. He played the Django stuff, and jazz, as good as anybody, and it will be good to see him. He is also a great songwriter. He wrote songs like "A Friend in California" and "I Always Get Lucky with You." He traveled with Merle Haggard's band a lot, and Merle sang many Freddy Powers songs. has been a little under the weather. He is a good friend and one of the best rhythm players there ever was. He played the Django stuff, and jazz, as good as anybody, and it will be good to see him. He is also a great songwriter. He wrote songs like "A Friend in California" and "I Always Get Lucky with You." He traveled with Merle Haggard's band a lot, and Merle sang many Freddy Powers songs.

I can't seeI can't peeI can't chewI can't screwIf the golden years are here at lastThen the golden years can kiss my a.s.s -WORDS OF OF WISDOM WISDOM FROM FROM R RAY P PRICE POODIE USED USED TO TO SAY SAY, "IT'S OKAY OKAY TO TO STEP STEP ON ON YOUR YOUR d.i.c.k d.i.c.k, JUST JUST DON DON'T stand on it," and "A farting horse never tires." stand on it," and "A farting horse never tires."

OKAY, WHERE WHERE WERE WERE WE WE? OH YES YES, HERE HERE WE WE ARE ARE. ALWAYS BE BE WHERE WHERE you are, I say, and it's always now, and that's about it. The full significance of the moment is being realized now, thank you, let's move on. you are, I say, and it's always now, and that's about it. The full significance of the moment is being realized now, thank you, let's move on.

I THINK THINK WE WE ARE ARE GETTING GETTING CLOSER CLOSER TO TO THE THE END END OF OF MAJOR MAJOR WARS WARS BECAUSE BECAUSE they cost too much. I think it will get broken into several small wars all over the world and the reason will be they cost too much. I think it will get broken into several small wars all over the world and the reason will be for survival for survival. Food and water will become hard to get. If they-"they" being anybody-run out of food and water they will come after yours out of desperation. Think about it: if your kids are hungry, thirsty, and sick, you will do anything to save them, anything.

That's when the s.h.i.+t will hit the fan and it will be everybody for themselves, like a dog-eat-dog, only-the-strong-survive scenario. It won't be pretty. We will be our brother's keeper, and we will try to keep some sense of sanity alive and care for whomever. If they need it and we got it, we share as long as it lasts. More will be provided, and we will need to take a lot of lemons and make a s.h.i.+tload of lemonade. More will be provided, and we will eventually work our way back to prosperity. All races and religions will come together, knowing it's the only way to survive. We all eat, sleep, laugh, cry, live, and die the same. We will find that it will be much easier and cheaper to stick together, and it will be G.o.d's way of bringing peace on earth. When they throw a war and no one shows up, it will serve as a new beginning of peace on earth. Amen.

MY SON SON M MICAH HAS HAS BEEN BEEN BUSY BUSY WITH WITH HIS HIS ART ART AND AND MUSIC MUSIC FOR FOR A A while now. He does something called Cymatics, where he makes art with music, water, and vibration, and then he projects it all on a wall or screen. It's way beyond me, but he seems to have a pretty strong following. I like that he is so diverse in his art, and that he and Lukas like all kinds of music. Micah just made a live painting during one of Lukas's performances, which Annie and I bought. It came out beautiful. We have learned now that in order to actually get to keep what he creates, we have to claim it before he paints it, or someone else will outbid us for it! while now. He does something called Cymatics, where he makes art with music, water, and vibration, and then he projects it all on a wall or screen. It's way beyond me, but he seems to have a pretty strong following. I like that he is so diverse in his art, and that he and Lukas like all kinds of music. Micah just made a live painting during one of Lukas's performances, which Annie and I bought. It came out beautiful. We have learned now that in order to actually get to keep what he creates, we have to claim it before he paints it, or someone else will outbid us for it!

I'm learning to play with some of the online media stuff like YouTube so that I can see his work-and the rest of the kids' stuff too.

Lukas is in Canada right now on tour. He is getting to be a chip off the old block, as they say, working even more dates than me every year. He just got back from Haiti, where he had a guitar camp for kids that Sean Penn had set up. Sean's another good guy who puts his money where his mouth is. Anyway, it was a really great experience for him, and he wrote a song about Haiti while he was there, so I guess you'll be hearing that soon, too.

ANNIE NELSON Both of our boys started at the Montessori School of Maui at the age of two. I loved the idea that they would have the opportunity to "learn how to learn" instead of learning the answers to tests. We were lucky that we could afford to give them a good education, because that was something I felt no one could ever take from them. They thrived in the Montessori setting, so I made sure we had a good school in Austin as well, mostly because the Montessori pedagogy was clear that lessons and life could happen anywhere, so travel wasn't a big deal, and travel was our "normal." I have a magnet on my refrigerator that says THE THE ONLY ONLY NORMAL NORMAL PEOPLE PEOPLE ARE ARE THE THE ONES ONES YOU YOU DON DON'T REALLY REALLY KNOW KNOW. When the boys were little, they would hear comments that our life wasn't "normal," and the lesson that there really is no normal was the most important one to teach them.Lukas was five weeks old before anyone outside of our family got a peek at him. It was at the Grammy Awards show, and my husband was receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Recording Academy. I remember pulling up in the bus, and just before we were ready to step out of the bus Mark Rothbaum (Willie's manager) started teasing me by bringing up all the money we were offered, and turned down, for photos of Lukas. We had refused, so when we stepped out, with Lukas in his onesie tuxedo, Willie and me dressed to the nines, and the cameras clicking away, Mark started going on about how I had just blown Lukas's college fund. Mark has to have a good sense of humor to keep up, and he really is one of the funniest. In any case, we walked down the red carpet (yuck!) and got to the end, where Rick Dees was to interview Willie. Rick asked Willie a few questions, which I cannot remember because the red carpet is terrifying to me, but then he put the microphone in Lukas's face and said, "Lukas, what do you think about your daddy getting this award?" And as if on cue, Lukas yawned like he was bored as could be, which cracked everyone up and made the papers. Maybe Lukas just knew what was coming and that his life would be so similar to his father's (ergo the yawn) ... who knows?Then came Micah ... way too quickly! Our boys are exactly sixteen months apart in age, to the day! Lukas was born December 25, and Micah was born April 25, a few days before his father's birthday on the thirtieth. Our boys are each other's yin and yang, and therefore balance each other's personalities well. They grew up like twins and are best friends to this day. Micah too is an amazing musician. He hears music in ways that are just as abstract as the ways he sees life when he paints or draws. I love all kinds of music, and both boys heard every type of music we could find from my collection as well as their father's. Micah can take music and mix it with art, projection, water, and vibration to create even more art. It's amazing if I do say so myself. My father nicknamed Micah "MicahAngelo" because before he could walk, he was scribbling on anything he could find. He is an amazing artist, as witnessed by some of his paintings in this book, and I know I'm his mother, but I'm not the only one who thinks so, so I'm not just "being a mom" when I say it.

You know how your little child will draw pictures and you put them on your fridge? Well, the ones I got from Micah went in my "Mom book." I remember one Christmas when Micah was four years old and gave me a little drawing. It wasn't just a normal drawing; I got a perfect Santa in a sleigh, circling in the sky while presents, in perfect perspective, fell from the bag in the sleigh into the perfectly proportioned chimney of a perfectly proportioned home covered in snow. That's when I started my Mom book.I highly recommend, if you have children, that you start your book as soon as your child is able to create. I have a lifetime of memorable gifts in my Mom book and wouldn't trade it for the world. We didn't spoil the boys with things. They spent their lives outside in nature, surfing, playing soccer, playing baseball, and discovering the world. They were never given cars or any kind of material junk, but they were spoiled with experiences that helped to create the citizens of the world that they are to this day, and their dad and I are very proud of the people they have become. I am proud of everyone in my family, on both my side and Willie's. But I am especially proud of how we have managed to blend three lovely families of amazing people (how could they not be with him as a father, right?), and how loving, kind, and sharing all of our kids are. You probably feel it when you see them all together onstage, but it is with the help of the ones not onstage too, and they all get it. We are all very blessed.For all of their lives our boys were not allowed to buy us gifts. If they wanted to give us something they made it. They took a great deal of joy in creating things, and it was always encouraged. Those are the things that fill my Mom book.Both Lukas and Micah are very gifted with intellect, compa.s.sion, and a sense of art and music ... and I'm sure they get it all from my side ... just kidding ... kind of.

I HEARD HEARD THAT THAT L LUKAS, MICAH, AND AND A AMY ARE ARE ALL ALL GOING GOING TO TO PLAY PLAY some shows together soon. Really love it when my family all makes music together. some shows together soon. Really love it when my family all makes music together.

SISTER B BOBBIE IS IS MY MY ROCK ROCK. SHE HAS HAS BEEN BEEN WITH WITH ME ME SINCE SINCE, WELL WELL, since I first started breathing on this planet. We both learned the language of music from our grandparents, who taught music. Bobbie can read and write music, and can decipher anything I throw at her. I love her att.i.tude about life. She always sees the good in people, and that's what people see back in her. She is the best piano player for me. She rolls with whatever I throw at her, and it doesn't matter where I run off to in music, she is always there when I get back. She is beautiful. No one ever would guess her age; she just looks timeless, which is probably why she has all the boys, young and old, in her pocket whenever she hangs out.

She thinks I hung the moon; did I mention that?

Bobbie is also a great cook, and she loves to do it. She cooks for me all the time on the bus, and whenever I'm in Austin and Annie's not, my sister Bobbie feeds me and I love it. She makes the best biscuits, gravy, and eggs you will ever eat, and it's not just my opinion. Even when Annie is there, Bobbie's is our first choice whenever we can go there for breakfast.

Sister Bobbie with her.

granddaughter, Ellee Fletcher.

Sister Bobbie's son Freddy with.

his daughter, Ellee, and wife, Lisa.

Bobbie has had so much heartache in her life, yet somehow she just lives through it and s.h.i.+nes as if her life has been a breeze. It hasn't, and that is real courage. Maybe it's the music that keeps us sane, because Sister Bobbie loves playing music as much as I do, and that's a lot!

She loves everyone, and she loves all my family (whew!). She is there with me most days and nights while I'm on tour, and I have never gotten tired of that fact. I love her company, and thank G.o.d, because touring is like living on a submarine together.

The best part about Bobbie is that she thinks I'm funny. I could hear her laugh all day long like good music. She is funny too. Just when I think no one gets a joke I've told, guess who laughs first? I couldn't do this without her.

SISTER BOBBIE.

Our lives are all about music and love. Love and music, inseparable; nourishment for our body and our soul. I wake up with a song, and that's what Willie gives me: a life filled with love and music. That is what Willie gives to all those who listen.I love you, my brother.

Your sister, Bobbie.

MY DAUGHTER DAUGHTER A AMY'S BAND BAND F FOLK U UKE IS IS GREAT GREAT, TOO TOO! THE BAND BAND IS IS simply Amy and Cathy Guthrie (Arlo Guthrie's daughter) making beautiful music with great harmonies together. They sing some Depression-era music, but they are mostly known for songs that can't be played on regular radio-they are the best at that. They have great senses of humor, and it shows in their music. simply Amy and Cathy Guthrie (Arlo Guthrie's daughter) making beautiful music with great harmonies together. They sing some Depression-era music, but they are mostly known for songs that can't be played on regular radio-they are the best at that. They have great senses of humor, and it shows in their music.

AMY NELSON.

I have two childhood memories that battle for the place of earliest. One is sucking my fingers and hiding behind a chair. The other is driving. I would sit on Dad's lap and steer the wheel. Together we would laugh as we bounced and wound up and down our driveway in Dripping Springs, Texas.This is a snapshot of my dad. He was willing to put his life into the hands of a child in order to instill a sense of confidence and adventure in her. How cool is that?When I was eight years old, he handed me a stack of mail and asked me to throw away everything that was not important.I asked, "Should I show it to you before I throw it away?"He said, "No, I trust you."I love these memories because they are times in my life where I was treated as a capable, above-average kid, and for the most part, it made me act accordingly. I wonder now what I threw away."Never look directly into the sun," Mom warned me. Later, Dad would teach me to look directly into the sun just a little bit more each day, as is the practice of the sun gazers, who stare at the sun to achieve enlightenment.I love that my dad looks at things in a different way, and I always appreciate the opportunity to do the same.My dad is the hardest-working person I have ever known. Perhaps it's because he was a child laborer. He was staked out in a cotton field when he was a toddler so that his grandparents could work the fields and look after him at the same time. When he was old enough to pick the cotton, that's when he began working. And he didn't stop. Three-quarters of a century later, he is still working, and well into his retirement years."If you don't use it, you will lose it," I've heard him say numerous times. He was given an incredible voice and he uses it to heal the world. He's put in twenty-seven years with Farm Aid being a voice for farmers and nine years with the Animal Welfare Inst.i.tute being a voice for horses. He has adopted seventy horses. He worked with Best Friends Animal Society to strengthen dogfighting laws in Georgia.Aside from that, he has been uniting countless people with his music spanning the better part of the last century. He transcends boundaries, opens hearts, and unites people. He might be Jesus in disguise. Can you tell that I'm proud of him?I wish everyone could be so fortunate as to have a dad like mine. That's part of why I don't mind sharing him with the world. In the spirit of sharing, here is a collective sample of Papa Willie wisdom:Count your blessings. All we have is now, and it's always now. Music is the most powerful healing force, because it is the one thing that can instantaneously travel to your soul. Dynamic tension. Practice it daily. We get out of the world what we project onto the world. When the student is ready, the teacher will appear. Never underestimate your opponent. Spin around fifty times each direction at night before going to sleep to charge your chakras. If you're scared to do something, do it anyway. Do it because you are afraid. If there's anything worth doing, it's worth doing big. Either way, it takes the same amount of energy. If someone rips you off, consider it money well spent for a lesson that you will always remember. Find yourself another sucker. Horses are smarter than people. Don't pay attention to reviews: if you believe the good ones, then you will have to believe the bad ones. Whatever the problem, ask yourself, "Will it matter in a hundred years?" Physician, heal thyself. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Horses are smarter than people. Take my advice and do what you want to do. Don't be an a.s.shole. Don't be an a.s.shole. Don't be an a.s.shole.

MY DAUGHTER DAUGHTER P PAULA IS IS OUT OUT IN IN C COLORADO RIGHT RIGHT NOW NOW TEARING TEARING UP UP the towns with her band. She kicks a.s.s! She is very proud of her little animal family. She has rescued donkeys, goats, dogs, cats, you name it! They are all family, so I have grandkiiids who have bigger beards than I do! the towns with her band. She kicks a.s.s! She is very proud of her little animal family. She has rescued donkeys, goats, dogs, cats, you name it! They are all family, so I have grandkiiids who have bigger beards than I do!

PAULA NELSON.

As long as I can remember remembering, my father has been a calm and gentle hero to me. He'd sing a song called "Yeah Blue" to my sister Amy and me when we were very little. It was a sad song, but to hear him sing the melody was very comforting. He was on the road and we were in school, and it made it hard to spend a whole lot of time together growing up, but he was always only a phone call away. He's a great listener and has always supported his family in every way. He's my father, but he's also my friend.

MY GREATEST GREATEST JOY JOY IS IS SEEING SEEING ALL ALL MY MY KIDS KIDS ONSTAGE ONSTAGE SINGING SINGING TOGETHER TOGETHER. It's really hard to beat that DNA harmony sound. I'm really happy when they are all out singing individually, but knocked out when they are standing at the microphone right next to me, singing their hearts out together.

Amy, Paula, Mickey Raphael, and me.

LANA NELSON.

The things I do or have done are not the things I am. What I am is a daughter so proud of her father most days I can't discuss him without crying. He has always been there for me, never making me feel stupid for asking anything. I hope to somehow give back to him a tiny portion of what he has so freely given to each of us. It has been a lifelong goal to work with my dad in any capacity he may ever need, and I will be there until the end.

PAULA NELSON.

I don't know any other family like our family. There are so many of us from different marriages, but yet we're all friends and very close. I believe it's because of him we are this way. He's a great and very wise teacher. I love him with all my heart and I am proud to be his daughter. He's my hero. He's my Papa Bear.

SUSIE NELSON.

The eighties were traumatic for me, because my father was moving too fast. Today I'm okay with it. Faith requires me to hold a picture in my mind of what I wish to see happening. I know that my father represents that big picture. The art of the Holy Spirit, healing in song and guitar music, is obvious. His guitar instrumental "Matador" settles my spirit, and this daughter doesn't worry about her father out there anymore. Thank you, Dad, for your guitar, your music, and your songs.

LUKAS NELSON.

I admire him, so I never want to disappoint him. Even in his absences throughout the years, the morals and values he has instilled in me just by my observing him have been firmly established. When he does give advice, I am always listening with alert ears, because he has had many years to spend with a peaceful mind, and therefore has gained immeasurable wisdom.I feel blessed to have been born at this more mature point in his life as well. He seems to have a wise river to float down at his age, and it seems to be speaking to him and he seems to be listening. I can't know, obviously, everything that goes on in his head ... but everything that comes out of it is rooted in love and experience. I will always strive to be the best man I know, and I am lucky because I have spent my whole life with him so far.

MICAH NELSON.

My father and my mother both have always encouraged my brother and me to be our own people and stand on our own ideas as artists, but most of all, to be compa.s.sionate human beings with integrity and respect for others.My father's sense of humor, his compa.s.sion, his love of family, his creativity-these are some of the most valuable things I inherited from him, and I am incredibly grateful to know him and be a part of his world. My ole man is by far my ultimate hero. I love you, Pap!

RAELYN NELSON.

People always ask me what it's like to have P-dub as my grandpa. He's a loving, kind, generous, and funny grandpa. He's never been angry with me. His voice is always warm when we catch up on the phone, and he always has the most right thing to say in the moment. He has always been on the road, working and playing for his fans; he sure does love his fans. That's what we've always known: he was on the road, working, doing what he loves to do, and it's all for us anyway ... and you.

ANNIE NELSON.

I'm really lucky because I have a husband who is my friend as well as my love. Like all couples, we have had our differences in working out how to blend lives, families, and children. In our case we have a few families to blend, which isn't for the faint of heart-or sissies.We are lucky to have an amazing and talented family. All of our kids are brilliant ... yeah, I know, but honestly they were all blessed to have Willie as their father and must have chosen him for a reason. Maybe they were really good in their past lives and won the father lottery. Was he a "Disney dad"? Sure, but he always balanced it with reason if one of them went too far. A word from him, and they were easily steered back on track. He has a way of seeing life that is a gift to anyone who is lucky enough to spend time with him, so imagine his children's childhoods!Anyway, that's about as much as I care to share, except to say that the most common question people ask me is, is it hard to be Willie's wife with all those women around, and always being interrupted? The answer is no. My husband knows where he lives, and I am grateful to everyone who hears the love in his voice through his music, and I understand ... I love him too.WHATEVER HAPPENED TO PEACE ON EARTHThere are so many things going on in the worldBabies dying, mothers cryingHow much oil is one human life worthAnd what happened to peace on earthWe believe everything they tell usThey are going to kill us so we gotta kill them firstBut I remember the commandment thou shalt not killHow much is that soldier's life worthAnd what happened to peace on earthAnd the bewildered herd's still believingEverything they've been told from their birthh.e.l.l they won't lie to meNot on my own d.a.m.n TVHow much is a liar's word worthAnd what happened to peace on earthNow you may not hear this on your radioAnd not on your local TVBut if you have time and you're ever inclinedYou can always hear it from meAnd the bewildered herd's still believingEverything we've been told from our birthh.e.l.l they won't lie to me,Not on my own d.a.m.n TVBut how much is a picker's life worthAnd what happened to peace on earth I KNOW KNOW I I NEED NEED TO TO END END THIS THIS BOOK BOOK BECAUSE BECAUSE I I HAVE HAVE WRITTEN WRITTEN WAY WAY too many words. And in the words of my old friend Larry Trader, "I'm tired of talking, the end." Time for the 2012 Olympics! I was just telling Annie that they have the Olympics and the Special Olympics, but they should have one for seniors only and just call it the LIMPics! too many words. And in the words of my old friend Larry Trader, "I'm tired of talking, the end." Time for the 2012 Olympics! I was just telling Annie that they have the Olympics and the Special Olympics, but they should have one for seniors only and just call it the LIMPics!

SUPERMANToo many pain pillsToo much potTrying to be somethingThat I'm notSuperman, SupermanTrying to do more than I can,Got a little out of handI ain't SupermanWell I blew my throatAnd I blew my tourI wound up sippin' onSoup du jourI wasn't SupermanI wasn't SupermanTryin' to do more than I canGot a little out of handI ain't SupermanThe doctor said sonIt's a crying shameBut you ain't Clark KentAnd I ain't Lois LaneYou ain't SupermanYou ain't SupermanTrying to do more than I canGot a little out of handI ain't SupermanAnd when I diePut it on my stoneG.o.d said suckerGet your bad a.s.s homeI wasn't SupermanI wasn't SupermanTrying to do more than I canGot a little out of handI wasn't Superman

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Born in Abbott, Texas,on April 29, 1933,WILLIE NELSONis one of the most popular, prolific, and influential songwriters and singers in the history of American music. A Kennedy Center honoree in 1998, he has been inducted into a number of music halls of fame and received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000. During the past six decades, he has recorded more than one hundred alb.u.ms, appeared in several films, and written two New York Times New York Times bestsellers: bestsellers: Willie: An Autobiography Willie: An Autobiography and and The Facts of Life and Other Dirty Jokes The Facts of Life and Other Dirty Jokes. He resides in Texas and Hawaii.

MICAH NELSON is a musician, visual artist, and videographer who plays regularly with his father, Willie Nelson. is a musician, visual artist, and videographer who plays regularly with his father, Willie Nelson.

www.teachingmachine.tv/particlekid KINKY FRIEDMAN is an author, musician, defender of strays, cigar smoker, and the governor of the heart of Texas. is an author, musician, defender of strays, cigar smoker, and the governor of the heart of Texas.

Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins authors. for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins authors.

ALSO BY WILLIE NELSON.

FICTION.

A Tale Out of Luck.

NONFICTION.

The Tao of Willie: A Guide to the Happiness in Your Heart (with Turk Pipkin) (with Turk Pipkin) The Facts of Life and Other Dirty Jokes.

Willie: An Autobiography (with Bud Shrake) (with Bud Shrake).

CREDITS.

All ill.u.s.trations by Micah Nelson All photographs courtesy of Willie Nelson with the exception of: Bee Man: Budrock Prewitt Mark Rothbaum:Randie Laine K Willie Nelson and Family alb.u.m cover:Courtesy of Sony Music Entertainment alb.u.m cover:Courtesy of Sony Music Entertainment Lukas, Micah, Annie, and me: Nadav Benjamin, nadavbenjamin.com Grateful acknowledgment is made for permission to reprint excerpts from the following: "Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die." Words and music by Buddy Cannon, Willie Nelson, John Colgin, Michael McQuerry, and Richard Alves. Copyright 2011 Run Slow Music, Act Five Music, Warner-Tamerlane Publis.h.i.+ng Corp., Colleywood Music, Cotton Valley Worldwide Publis.h.i.+ng and Hard Labor Music. All rights for Run Slow Music administered by BMG Rights Management (US) LLC. Reprinted by permission of Hal Leonard Corporation. All rights for Act Five Music administered by Warner-Tamerlane Publis.h.i.+ng Corp. Used by permission of Alfred Music Publis.h.i.+ng Co., Inc. All rights for Colleywood Music administered by Brice Music Group. All rights for Cotton Valley Worldwide Publis.h.i.+ng administered by Bluewater Music Services. All rights for Hard Labor Music administered by HoriPro Entertainment Group. International Copyright secured. All rights reserved.

"Come On Back Jesus." Words and music by Buddy Cannon, Micah Nelson, and Willie Nelson. Copyright 2011 Run Slow Music, Warner-Tamerlane Publis.h.i.+ng Corp., Act Five Music and Lukas Autry Nelson Music LLC. All rights for Run Slow Music administered by BMG Rights Management (US) LLC. All rights for Act Five Music administered by Warner-Tamerlane Publis.h.i.+ng Corp. All rights reserved. International copyright secured. Used by permission of Alfred Music Publis.h.i.+ng Co., Inc. Reprinted by permission of Hal Leonard Corporation.

"Hero." Words and music by Willie Nelson. Copyright 2012 Warner-Tamerlane Publis.h.i.+ng Corp. and Act Five Music. All rights administered by Warner-Tamerlane Publis.h.i.+ng Corp. Used by Permission of Alfred Music Publis.h.i.+ng Co., Inc. All rights reserved.

"I Thought About You, Lord." Words and music by Willie Nelson. Copyright 1996 Warner-Tamerlane Publis.h.i.+ng Corp. and Act Five Music. All rights administered by Warner-Tamerlane Publis.h.i.+ng Corp. Used by permission of Alfred Music Publis.h.i.+ng Co., Inc. All rights reserved.

"Somebody Pick Up My Pieces." Words and music by Willie Nelson. Copyright 1998 Warner-Tamerlane Publis.h.i.+ng Corp. and Act Five Music. All rights administered by Warner-Tamerlane Publis.h.i.+ng Corp. Used by permission of Alfred Music Publis.h.i.+ng Co., Inc. All rights reserved.

"Superman." Words and music by Willie Nelson. Copyright 2006 Warner-Tamerlane Publis.h.i.+ng Corp. and Act Five Music. All rights administered by Warner-Tamerlane Publis.h.i.+ng Corp. Used by permission of Alfred Music Publis.h.i.+ng Co., Inc. All rights reserved.

"The Troublemaker." Words and music by Bruce Belland and David Somerville. Copyright 1969 (renewed) WB Music Corp. Used by permission of Alfred Music Publis.h.i.+ng Co., Inc. All rights reserved.

"Always Now." Words and music by Willie Nelson. Copyright 2008 Warner-Tamerlane Publis.h.i.+ng Corp. and Act Five Music. All rights administered by Warner-Tamerlane Publis.h.i.+ng Corp. Used by permission of Alfred Music Publis.h.i.+ng Co., Inc. All rights reserved.

"Heaven and h.e.l.l." Words and music by Willie Nelson. Copyright 1974 (renewed 2002) Full Nelson Music, Inc. All rights controlled and administered by EMI Longitude Music. All rights reserved. International copyright secured. Used by permission. Reprinted by permission of Hal Leonard Corporation.

"I Guess I've Come to Live Here in Your Eyes." Words and music by Willie Nelson. Copyright 1980 Full Nelson Music, Inc. All rights controlled and administered by EMI Longitude Music. All rights reserved. International copyright secured. Used by permission.

"Little Old Fas.h.i.+oned Karma." Words and music by Willie Nelson. Copyright 1982 Full Nelson Music, Inc. All rights controlled and administered by EMI Longitude Music. All rights reserved. International copyright secured. Used by permission. Reprinted by permission of Hal Leonard Corporation.

"Phases and Stages." Words and music by Willie Nelson. Copyright 1972 (renewed 2000) Full Nelson Music, Inc. All rights controlled and administered by EMI Longitude Music. All rights reserved. International copyright secured. Used by permission. Reprinted by permission of Hal Leonard Corporation.

"Shotgun Willie." Words and music by Willie Nelson. Copyright 1973 (renewed 2001) Full Nelson Music, Inc. All rights controlled and administered by EMI Longitude Music. All rights reserved. International copyright secured. Used by permission. Reprinted by permission of Hal Leonard Corporation.

"Texas." Words and music by Willie Nelson. Copyright 1989 Full Nelson Music, Inc. All rights controlled and administered by EMI Longitude Music. All rights reserved. International copyright secured. Used by permission. Reprinted by permission of Hal Leonard Corporation.

"Yesterday's Wine." Words and music by Willie Nelson. Copyright 1971 (Renewed 1999) Full Nelson Music, Inc. All rights controlled and administered by EMI Longitude Music. All rights reserved. International copyright secured. Used by permission. Reprinted by permission of Hal Leonard Corporation.

"And So Will You My Love." Copyright 1965 Sony/ATV Music Publis.h.i.+ng LLC. All rights administered by Sony/ATV Music Publis.h.i.+ng LLC, 8 Music Square West, Nashville, TN 37203. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

"Funny (How Time Slips Away)." Copyright 1961 Sony/ATV Music Publis.h.i.+ng LLC. All rights administered by Sony/ATV Music Publis.h.i.+ng LLC, 8 Music Square West, Nashville, TN 37203. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

"Good Times." Copyright 1968 Sony/ATV Music Publis.h.i.+ng LLC. All rights administered by Sony/ATV Music Publis.h.i.+ng LLC, 8 Music Square West, Nashville, TN 37203. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

"I Gotta Get Drunk." Copyright 1963 Sony/ATV Music Publis.h.i.+ng LLC. All rights administered by Sony/ATV Music Publis.h.i.+ng LLC, 8 Music Square West, Nashville, TN 37203. All rights reserved. Used by permission.