The Story Behind “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys” by Waylon Jennings with Willie Nelson and How It Became a Legendary Duet

“Let’s go to Luckenbach, Texas, with Waylon, Willie, and the boys!” The song “Luckenbach, Texas” proved to be Waylon Jennings‘ biggest hit. Although it is credited solely to Jennings, another voice appeared in the final verse of the 1977 single—that of Willie Nelson. The pair had teamed up on the smash 1976 compilation Wanted! The Outlaws, the first country album to sell a million copies. They won a Country Music Association Award for  Duo of the Year for their song “Good Hearted Woman.”

After many collaborations and touring together, a duet album was inevitable. As they were on different labels, the two superstars started by taking some of Nelson’s older RCA recordings and adding Jennings’ voice. The end result wasn’t what they were looking for, so arrangements were made with Columbia Records and they started from scratch to create Waylon & Willie.

The lead single, “The Wurlitzer Prize (I Don’t Want to Get Over You),” was again credited solely to Jennings. The song hit No. 1 on the Billboard country chart. The second single was an even bigger hit as it also crossed over to the pop chart. This time, it was credited to both Jennings and Nelson. Let’s take a look at the story behind “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys” by Waylon Jennings with Willie Nelson.

Cowboys ain’t easy to love, and they’re harder to hold
They’d rather give you a song than diamonds or gold
Lonestar belt buckles and old faded Levi’s
And each night begins a new day
If you don’t understand him, and he don’t die young
He’ll prob’ly just ride away

Ed and Patsy Bruce Wrote It

The song was written by country singer Ed Bruce with his then-wife Patsy. Bruce felt the song was perfect for either singer from the new “outlaw movement.” “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys” warns mothers of the pitfalls of the cowboy way. Bruce recorded the song and released it as a single in 1975. It reached No. 15 on the Billboard country chart, becoming his biggest hit as an artist. But bigger things were around the corner.

Bruce recounted the story in The Billboard Book of Number One Country Hits: “I had just left the studio, and everybody was knocked out with what I did. I was good at what I did, but nobody really knew, and my first thought was, ‘Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Play Guitars.’ Then I changed it to ‘Don’t Let ‘Em Grow Up to Be Cowboys,’ and worked in guitars.”

Mamas, don’t let your babies grow up to be cowboys
Don’t let ’em pick guitars or drive them old trucks
Let ’em be doctors and lawyers and such
Mamas don’t let your babies grow up to be cowboys
‘Cos they’ll never stay home, and they’re always alone
Even with someone they love

Bruce Pitched the Song to Jennings

In 1976, Chris LeDoux included the song on his Songbook of the American West album. Unbeknownst to Bruce, Jennings had already recorded it himself. Unfortunately, Jennings was unhappy with his recording, so he brought it to a session with Nelson, who added vocals to the existing recording. The song now had new life.

Jennings recalled, “Me and Willie were talking about recording again, and I said, ‘Willie, I cut this thing, but I ain’t sure about it.’ I said, ‘It don’t sound right, but it might be a great duet.’ The whole record was finished, and I just took part of my voice and put his on.”

Cowboys like smokey old pool rooms and clear mountain mornings
Little warm puppies and children and girls of the night
Them that don’t know him won’t like him, and them that do
Sometimes won’t know how to take him
He ain’t wrong. He’s just different, but his pride won’t let him
Do things to make you think he’s right

A Wave of Success

The song hit No. 1 on the Billboard country chart for four weeks as well as reaching No. 42 on the Hot 100. Both singers rode the wave of continued success. Jennings had three No. 1 albums in a row, and Nelson released Stardust, a collection of standards that would become his biggest-selling album. In 1979, the pair won the Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.

Nelson revisited the tune a few more times. In 1979, he cut a solo version for the Robert Redford/Jane Fonda movie The Electric Horseman, and in 2002, he cut a version with Matchbox Twenty for the album Stars & Guitars. In 2017, he recorded a live version with Toby Keith for a tribute album, Outlaw – Celebrating the Music of Waylon Jennings. In 1994, the song hit No. 49 on the Billboard country chart after the Gibson/Miller Band included it on their album Red, White and Blue Collar and it was used in the movie The Cowboy Way. It was also featured in The Ride, Space Cowboys, Catch and Release, and W, as well as a 2015 TV commercial for the Volkswagen Passat.

Mamas, don’t let your babies grow up to be cowboys
Don’t let ’em pick guitars or drive them old trucks
Let ’em be doctors and lawyers and such
Mamas don’t let your babies grow up to be cowboys
‘Cos they’ll never stay home, and they’re always alone
Even with someone they love

“Don’t You Think This Outlaw Bit’s Done Got Out of Hand”

Jennings eventually tired of the outlaw image and saw it barreling out of control when the DEA raided him at a Nashville recording studio. Jennings distracted the agents while his drummer flushed cocaine down the toilet. He wrote the song “Don’t You Think This Outlaw Bit’s Done Got Out of Hand” after the experience, claiming the movement had become a “self-fulfilling prophecy.” Jennings claimed his cocaine habit grew to $1,500 a day.

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