12 righteous weed songs from the world of Americana

“WEED WITH WILLIE” by Toby Keith and Scotty Emerick (2003)

Well, it didn’t take long to get Willie, now did it? Keith and Emerick released a live version of this story song as a bonus track from his 2003 album Shock’n Y’all.” It recalls a trip to Willie’s Honeysuckle Rose tour bus – a trip that many a musician has made. Keith says he has heard many of them echo the refrain of this song: “I’ll never smoke weed with Willie again.” And, SPOILER ALERT, that vow would be broken on many occasions.

“ROLL ME UP AND SMOKE ME WHEN I DIE” by Willie Nelson (2012)

I’m only going to choose one song from any artist for this list (Eric Church fans, be warned). So, this is his only entry. But what a glorious song it is. From his 2012 album Heroes, it is an unapologetically feel-good tribute. He does a solo version, but the best version is the upbeat collab he performs with outlaw brother Kris Kristofferson, country giant Jamey Johnson, and one more vocalist who I hesitate to mention because he is on another team. He is actually the captain of one of the other teams.

Then again, fans of weed will tell you that when used by responsible adults in the right frame of mind, recreational use can lead to amazing fellowship between men. Perhaps that’s what Willie has been trying to tell us.

“SMOKE A LITTLE SMOKE” by Eric Church (2008)

Church has been one of many artists who seem to have inherited Willie’s passion for promoting the positive attributes of marijuana. “Smoke a Little Smoke” isn’t the only time he has sung about the subject. But it was the first major public proclamation. He has since explained that “smoke” is a bit of a misstatement. He prefers edibles, which are not as hard on his vocal cords.