Jerry Jeff Walker – Pissin’ In The Wind

Pissin’ in the wind, bettin’ on a losing friend
Makin’ the same mistakes, we swore we’d never make again
And we’re pissin’ in the wind, but it’s blowing on all our friends
We’re gonna sit and grin and tell our grandchildren

I heard this song as a kid…where and when I can’t tell you but it came back to me as soon I started to play it. There was no way country radio would have played this back in 1975 so I sure as hell didn’t hear it there. You know what is really odd? I’ve been blogging for 7 years and never have I had a song with “piss” in the title…and this is the second song TODAY I’ve written up with that word in the title. I decided against posting them back to back so I picked another song to follow this post.

I had forgotten about this song until Randy and CB brought up Jerry Jeff Walker. You know his most famous song very well, Mr Bojangles. That song was made popular by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. When I get into something…I usually fall hard for it. That is the reason you have seen weeks of Texas songwriters. The writing is so consistently good.  Walker was not Texan born but he settled in Texas in the 1970s and stayed there for the rest of his life.

This song is funny and different. He used a Dixieland clarient in a country song which is a wonderful mixture. Needless to say, this is not one of his serious songs but I love the loose feel of it. On top of that, he throws a fun jibe at Bob Dylan’s Blowin’ in the Wind.

The song was on the critically praised album Ridin’ High. The album charted at #14 on the Billboard Album Charts in 1975.

Pissin’ In The Wind

Pissin’ in the wind, bettin’ on a losing friend
Makin’ the same mistakes, we swore we’d never make again
And we’re pissin’ in the wind, but it’s blowing on all our friends
We’re gonna sit and grin and tell our grandchildren

About the time I called this guy it was four in the morning
Teach me the words to the song I was humming

He just laughed and he said that the ole grey cat is sneakin’ down the hall
But all he wants to know is who in the hell is paying for the call

Chorus

Now this Nunn called me up, it was eight in the morning
Wanted to know how in the world am I doin’
He just laughed and he said get together boy, and fall on by the house
Some Gonzo buddies would like to play anything your’s picking now

Chorus

Now we worked and we suffered and struggled
Makin’ our record till we got it right
Now we’re waiting on the check to come sneaking down the hall
Like that old time feeling
That we never should have ever put the record out at all

Chorus

That the answer my friend is just pissin’ in the wind
The answer is pissin’ in the sink

….

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Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all.

31 thoughts on “Jerry Jeff Walker – Pissin’ In The Wind”

  2. Jerry Jeff was one of my musical heroes. when I heard him sing “Charlie Dunn” I wanted to go to Austin and get my first cowboy boots since childhood.

    This song quotes Guy Clark’s song “That Old Time Feeling”: “And that old time feelin’ goes sneakin’ down the hall
    Like an old gray cat in winter, keepin’ close to the wall.”

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    1. Somewhere I heard this before… but I’m going through his music now along with a few others.
      Thanks…I didn’t know he was quoting Clark…that is really cool.

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    1. I know…I had to write about this one…he does much more serious songs…but I do remember this song as a kid…but it’s a mystery on where I heard it!

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  5. Pretty classic stuff from JJW. Sounds like he sang in while in a drunken stupor and wrote it that way as well! Perhaps not that far from the truth either. That’s not meant to be a criticism, I’ve liked this and many of other songs for a long time now. It’s got a great message buried in there. That bunch from Texas are the real deal. Thanks so much for the mention.

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    1. I was telling CB…it’s cool to discover all of these guys. I love discovering new artists (for me) because you can listen to it with a newness that you will never have again.
      I love what I’ve heard by him also. I knew this one somewhere somehow and it just clicked.

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  7. You gotta think I’m a bull-shitter (which I am) when I chime in but again you are in my wheelhouse. Back when Jerry Jeff was having fun and raising hell. I caught him a few years later and it was so cool. An intimate small show. The guy was good.

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    1. Listening to his other songs…who wouldn’t have wanted to see this guy? He seemed like a lot of fun. I’m having a great time going through his catalog.

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  10. Pingback: Mojo Nixon and Skid Roper – I Ain’t Gonna Piss in No Jar – PowerPop… An Eclectic Collection of Pop Culture

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