Billy Joe Shaver

Most of the things I write are things that are personal to me. I realized that that's the only way to really be honest. If you go writing about someone else you're just guessing at it.

Billy Joe Shaver (August 16, 1939, Corsicana, Texas, United States – October 28, 2020) was a Texas country music singer and songwriter. Shaver's 1973 album Old Five and Dimers Like Me is a classic in the outlaw country genre.

Quotes

Billy Joe Shaver Bares 'Tooth,' First Album in Seven Years (2014)

Hudak, Joseph (August 5, 2014). "Billy Joe Shaver Bares 'Tooth,' First Album in Seven Years". Rolling Stone (Wenner Media, LLC). Retrieved on August 8, 2014. 

• Most of the things I write are things that are personal to me. I realized that that's the only way to really be honest. If you go writing about someone else you're just guessing at it.

Billy Joe Shaver talks Waylon, women, more (2014)

Cooper, Peter (July 31, 2014). "Billy Joe Shaver talks Waylon, women, more". The Tennesseean (Gannet, Inc). Retrieved on August 5, 2014. 

• I think maybe I was born to be a songwriter. It's quite a comfort. I wrote most of my songs to stay alive, the rest to get back in the house.

• I'm a serious guy, and hungry, too.

• I churched it and churched it. I got born again, slowly. I've slid back several times, but it seemed like it don't matter. God will give you seven times 70 a chance. I've pushed it to the limit a time or two.

Billy Joe Shaver: Outlaw Country's Real Deal (2014)

Dougherty, Steve (August 1, 2014). "Songsmith Billy Joe Shaver: Outlaw Country's Real Deal". Wall Street Journal (Dow Jones & Company, Inc). Retrieved on August 5, 2014. 

• I've been in trouble most of my life. No stealing or anything like that, just fights. It's all fights.

• Hopefully things will work out where we become friends enough so that he gives me back my bullet.
  • Statement made by Shaver after being acquitted from aggravated assault charges.

A Conversation with Billy Joe Shaver (2014)

Mike Ragogna (August 28, 2014). "Politics, Storytellers and Milltowns: Chatting With Kinky Friedman, Billy Joe Shaver and Mark Erelli". Huffington Post (AOL-HuffPost Entertainment). Retrieved on August 28, 2014. 

• The main thing is to make up your mind. If you're going to do it, do it, and if you're just going to halfway do it don't even try. This is a very demanding thing. I stay simple, I didn't get a whole lot of education, so most of it's just coming from what I gathered up. If you stay honest we've all got in common that we're all different. If you stay real deadly honest and write about some very interesting things then you'll be a good one. A lot of people just don't like to get honest but it's the cheapest psychiatrist there is. I think that's the way to look at it.
  • Statement made by Shaver when asked for an advice to young musicians

• I look to bop till I drop. That's what I want to do. I want to go out on the road [...]I love to travel and I couldn't afford to do it if it wasn't for this.