About the Song
Released in 1967 on the album Love of the Common People, “I Tremble for You” captures a moment of soft vulnerability from Waylon Jennings—an early career performance that foreshadows the emotional depth he would bring to his outlaw-era work.
In this track, Jennings’ voice carries the weight of longing. The lyric, “I’ve just chased you so long now I’m too weak to run… Alone in my room I tremble for you”, sets the tone for the song: wakeful nights, the uneasy hush after the day’s noise, the ache for someone who’s leaving or already gone.
Musically, “I Tremble for You” is modest in arrangement—lean guitar, gentle rhythm, and no flash—so that Waylon’s voice sits front and center. The production is typical of his RCA Victor era: clean, unadorned, and letting the lyrics resonate. According to album credits, the track is listed at approximately 2 minutes 15 seconds.
For someone familiar with the later, more rugged Waylon Jennings—full of defiance and swagger—this song offers a different shade: the tone of a man still quietly wrestling with his heart. For older listeners, especially those who have lived through their own nights of waiting, uncertainty and quiet repentance, this song may feel familiar not because of grand drama, but because of its authenticity.
In the context of the album Love of the Common People, the song sits among other tracks that reflect everyday life, work, loss and minimal glamour. It’s not the outlaw breakthrough yet—but it shows Jennings as a storyteller with heart, willing to lean into emotion rather than always lean into bravado.
In short: “I Tremble for You” stands as a quiet but meaningful piece in Waylon Jennings’ catalogue—less about rebellion, more about the human condition. If you’ve ever sat in the dark and felt the tremor of absence, this song may resonate softly yet deeply.