LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥� Willie starts with the words.
It's one of the surprising revelations in 's new book, 鈥淓nergy Follows Thought: The Stories Behind My Songs,鈥� an examination of the 90-year-old country legend and soon-to-be 's seven decades of songwriting.
While his guitar is practically an extension of his body at this point, he has always started the writing process by thinking up words rather than strumming chords. To him, it's doing the hard part first.
鈥淭he melodies are easier to write than the words,鈥� Nelson told The Associated Press in an interview ahead of Tuesday's release of his book.
He does not, however, write those words down, not even on a napkin.
鈥淚 have a theory,鈥� he said, 鈥渢hat if you can鈥檛 remember 'em, it probably wasn鈥檛 that good.鈥�
Nelson actually started out as a poet of sorts. At age 6 in Depression-era Texas, he composed a verse in response to the looks he got when he picked his nose and got a nosebleed while standing in front of his church congregation.
鈥淢y poem was, 鈥榃hat are you looking at me for? I ain鈥檛 got nothin to say, if you don鈥檛 like the looks of me, look some other way,鈥欌�� he recalled 84 years later. 鈥淭hat was the beginning.鈥�
He started writing songs soon after.
When he became a superstar in middle age in the mid-1970s, Nelson would be best known for his dynamic live performances and his guitar and vocal stylings.
But as a young man in the 1950s and early '60s, he was best known as one of the struggling songsmiths who spent their days and nights at Tootsie's Orchid Lounge in Nashville.
In 1961, three of his songs became hits for other artists: Billy Walker's 鈥淔unny How Time Slips Away,鈥� Faron Young's 鈥淗ello Walls鈥� and, most importantly, Patsy Cline's 鈥淐razy,鈥� a song that would become a signature for her and both a financial boon and an ego boost for him.
鈥淏ecause Patsy liked it, I was poor no longer," he writes in the book. "This particular 鈥楥razy鈥� convinced me, at a time when I wasn鈥檛 a hundred percent sure of my writing talent, that I鈥檇 be crazy to stop writing.鈥�
He would go on to make other writers' songs his own in the same way. He didn't write most of the biggest hits associated with him, which came in the 1970s and 80s: 鈥淏lue Eyes Crying in the Rain,鈥� 鈥淢ammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys,鈥� 鈥淎lways on My Mind.鈥�
He almost seemed to retire from songwriting when fame finally came to him in the Outlaw Country era, enjoying the chance to record his favorite old standards or the compositions of hot young writers.
But he never stopped composing entirely. Director Sydney Pollack prodded him to write a new song for the 1980 Nelson-starring film 鈥淗oneysuckle Rose," on which Pollack was an executive producer.
Nelson responded by writing 鈥� words first 鈥� 鈥淥n The Road Again.鈥�
Pollack was less than thrilled with the lyrics in isolation: 鈥淭he life I love is makin鈥� music with my friends, and I can鈥檛 wait to get on the road again.鈥�
But was pleased when he heard the chugging music that suggested a train, or a tour bus.
And Nelson would appreciate the nudge.
鈥淲ithout knowing or trying, in a few little lines, I鈥檇 written the story of my life," he says in the book.
But the songs did get fewer and farther between. More than performing, songwriting can be a young man's game.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 write as much as I used to,鈥� he told the AP. 鈥淭he ideas don鈥檛 come that quick. I still write now and then.鈥�
He did recently write the song that gives the name to his book, 鈥淓nergy Follows Thought,鈥� for his 2022 album, 鈥淎 Beautiful Time.鈥�
In it, Nelson and co-authors David Ritz and Mickey Raphael give brief backstories to 160 different songs he's written through the years.
It wasn't prompted by any great sense of reflection.
鈥淪ome of my business guys thought it would be a good thing to do,鈥� Nelson said.
The year of his 90th birthday has been overloaded with events. He was feted by a fellow stars, including Neil Young and Snoop Dogg, in a in the summer.
And on Friday, the same week the book is released, he'll be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Last year, fellow country legend got a spot in the hall, and had mixed feelings about whether she belonged, even at first.
But Nelson, whose whole body of work has been built on ignoring the lines between genres, has no such problem.
鈥淵ou can get rock 鈥榥鈥� roll in country, rock and roll in any kind of music,鈥� he said.
Andrew Dalton, The Associated Press
