About the Song
Released in August 1967 on the album Love of the Common People, “Money Cannot Make the Man” stands as an early but telling entry in Waylon Jennings’ catalogue. The song serves as a model of his ability to distill moral contemplation into the lean, purposeful format of a two-minute country cut.
At its heart, “Money Cannot Make the Man” challenges one of the more persistent illusions in our culture: that status, wealth, or possessions automatically equate to character, worth, or dignity. Jennings—still on the earlier side of his career but already possessing the seasoned voice and easy clarity that would define his later “outlaw” era—delivers the message not as a preacher in full throttle, but as a man who’s paid attention to the road, to real people, and to what actually holds weight over time.
Musically, the song is straightforward: vocal, guitar, and the kind of backing that lets the lyric breathe. There’s no dramatic flourish. Rather, Jennings uses his voice to deliver quietly unimpeachable truths—“you can’t buy your way into what really matters,” seems to be the gist. It’s the type of message that resonates especially with older listeners who’ve seen the illusions of glamour fade and the substance of integrity last.
For those familiar with Jennings’ later output—the grit of his outlaw period, the full band arrangements, the roadhouse swagger—this track offers a glimpse of something foundational: the thoughtful songwriter behind the rebel. In “Money Cannot Make the Man,” he hints that the story he would later tell in fuller form had roots in honesty, in everyday lives, and in the recognition that authenticity doesn’t carry a price tag.
If you listen with the patience of someone who’s watched real time pass, the song sounds like advice given across a kitchen table rather than a stage. It’s a reminder that in a world chasing what glitters, the true measure of a man is often found in what’s unseen—and unlabeled.