Country music has been a mainstay in American pop culture since the 1920s, and it’s remained an iconic genre of music in our country to this day. While many songs typically reference big trucks, cookouts, and beer, the occasional twangy tune sneaks in a cannabis reference as well. Here’s a little playlist of country music songs that mention our favorite herb.
“Smoke a Little Smoke” – Eric Church
Considered by many as the next Willie Nelson, Eric Church has garnered a huge following for his many hits, mainly about chasing women, drinking Jack Daniels, and smoking some good cannabis. This hit single from 2009 is no different, as Church gets straight to the point with this song, singing, “Dig down deep, find my stash / Light it up, memory crash.”
“Toes” – Zac Brown Band
Those who follow celebrity gossip sites won’t be surprised to see the Zac Brown Band on this list, especially after frontman Zac Brown got arrested for “partying” with some cannabis, cocaine, and strippers in Florida this past April. That being said, the Zac Brown Band has risen to become a powerful mainstream country band through songs that often include indulging in cannabis. One such example is “Toes,” featuring the lyrics, “Gonna lay in the hot sun and roll a big fat one / And grab my guitar and play.”
“Weed with Willie” – Toby Keith
A bonus track on Toby Keith’s eighth studio album, Shock’n Y’all, “Weed with Willie” is a hilarious song about Keith’s encounter with Willie Nelson. “I always heard that his herb was top shelf / Lord, I just could not wait to find out for myself,” he sings.
As you can tell, Keith consumed cannabis with the legend himself, and the results of their smoking session are found throughout this song, as in the chorus Keith vows to, “never smoke weed with Willie again.”
It must have been some strong cannabis the two were consuming, since Keith ends the song, “In the fetal position with drool on my chin / We broke down and smoked weed with Willie again.”
“Stoned at the Jukebox” – Hank Williams, Jr.
This song, found in Williams’ 1990 album Lone Wolf, is about Williams being left devastated by a girl who left him. He finds a way to manage his pain during the day, but when nighttime comes around he turns to substances to get him by, leaving him “stoned at the jukebox” wallowing in his pain. Though this song does not mention whether or not the cannabis helped him out at all, it simply implies it played a role in his recovery of a broken heart.
“Follow Your Arrow” – Kacey Musgraves
A song that sparked a whole lot of controversy – and a whole lot of support from the fans – “Follow Your Arrow” is a clever song from Kacey Musgraves that encourages listeners to take their own path and to not worry about what others think. Her examples includes whether or not to kiss a boy, or kissing a girl, being curvy or stick-thin, or smoking a joint or not.
A lyric that stands out: “When the straight and narrow / Gets a little too straight / Roll up a joint, or don’t / Just follow your arrow / Wherever it points,” while Musgraves adds “I would” to that sentiment.
Of course, this roundup would not be a true country music list without the legend himself, Willie Nelson. Let’s check out two of his more recent popular songs that are about cannabis.
“It’s All Going to Pot” – Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard
One of the newest hits for Nelson, the song was released on the duet record Django and Jimmie earlier in 2015 by both Nelson and Merle Haggard. The song advocates for the consumption of cannabis, which is clearly shown in the music video, which features both artists passing a joint back and forth during the presumed recording process. The song reflects Nelson’s personal beliefs and seems to foresee that the rest of the country (and even the world) is moving in a direction that will eventually loosen up its stance on cannabis in general, making it even more accepted than whiskey.
“Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die” – Willie Nelson
From his 2012 record Heroes, this song has a great list of collaborators and guest vocals, including Snoop Dogg, Kris Kristofferson, and Jamey Johnson. Unsurprisingly, the record was released on the cannabis national holiday 4/20.
The lyrics are classic Nelson: “Roll me up and smoke me when I die / And if anyone don’t like it, just look ‘em in the eye / I didn’t come here, and I ain’t leavin / So don’t sit around and cry / Just roll me up and smoke me when I die.”
Cannabis and Music
Gage Peake is a former staff writer for Leafly, where he specialized in data journalism, sports, and breaking news coverage. He's a graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's College of Journalism and Mass Communications.
View Gage Peake's articlesThe latest in Lifestyle
Show all
By submitting this form, you will be subscribed to news and promotional emails from Leafly and you agree to Leafly's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe from Leafly email messages anytime.