About the Song
Released in 1977 as part of the chart-topping album Ol’ Waylon, “I Think I’m Gonna Kill Myself” is a prime example of Waylon Jennings’ unique ability to blend satire, sorrow, and stark honesty into a song that leaves listeners unsure whether to laugh, cry, or pause in contemplation. While the title might sound jarring at first glance, it’s important to understand the song within the broader tradition of country music’s dark wit and emotional candor.
At its core, this isn’t a literal cry for help, but rather a sharp-edged commentary on the emotional burnout and existential fatigue that can come with a hard-lived life — especially the kind Waylon knew all too well. Life on the road, fame’s demands, and personal demons had taken their toll by the mid-1970s. And in true outlaw fashion, Waylon turned those pressures into music, using irony and storytelling to defuse pain with rough-edged humor.
Musically, the song is upbeat and deceptively cheerful, featuring a twangy honky-tonk groove that contrasts with the gravity of its title. This contrast is no accident — it’s part of the brilliance. It forces the listener to reckon with the duality in Waylon’s world: joy and despair often ride side by side. His delivery is wry, even playful in parts, yet tinged with the unmistakable weight of weariness just beneath the surface.
This is where “I Think I’m Gonna Kill Myself” earns its place in Waylon’s legacy. It’s not a gimmick, nor a throwaway track. It’s a bold, complex, and oddly touching song about reaching the edge — not necessarily to fall, but to look over and think, “How did I get here?” It speaks to the emotional exhaustion that many feel but few express — and does so with a mix of courage, dark humor, and brutal honesty.
In the context of Ol’ Waylon, which also featured hits like “Luckenbach, Texas,” this track plays a crucial role: it reminds us that behind the outlaw image was a man searching, struggling, and surviving — sometimes through laughter, sometimes through song, and always with unflinching truth.