“I’ll Never Smoke Weed with Willie Again”: The Wild Night That Inspired a Toby Keith Classic
Country legend Toby Keith was never one to shy away from a story — and some of his best ones came offstage. One such tale took place in Las Vegas and led to one of the most hilarious songs in his discography: “Weed with Willie.”
In a 2010 interview, Keith recalled a memorable night off in Las Vegas when he found himself caught between two legendary parties. He had plans to attend NBA icon Charles Barkley’s midnight birthday bash, but beforehand, he decided to catch up with his longtime friend Willie Nelson, who was performing at the now-closed Hacienda Hotel and Casino.
“I get up, do a couple of songs with him, I’m ready to leave,” Keith recalled, “and he hollers from the stage, ‘Stay after the show a little bit. I wanna talk to you.’”
That simple request turned into a late-night detour Keith would never forget.
A Not-So-Gentle Introduction to Willie’s Weed
After the show, Keith joined Nelson on his famous Honeysuckle Rose tour bus — a rolling temple of relaxation known in country circles for its hazy atmosphere. While Keith had little experience with marijuana, he wasn’t about to decline an invitation from Willie Nelson himself.
“We sit down and he rolls one up… It’s just me and him sitting there,” Keith said. “And when in Rome…”
That’s when things got real.
“It was like the most hardcore weed I’d ever smoked — and I only hit it three or four times,” he laughed. “Unlike Bill Clinton, I did inhale.”
The effects hit fast and hard.
“My ears were burning. My head was throbbing. I was breathing different,” Keith recalled. “And Willie’s just sitting there grinning. He knew he got me.”
The Song That Came from the Smoke
The next morning, Keith had a simple takeaway:
“I’m never, ever smoking weed with Willie again.”
As it turned out, he wasn’t the only one. According to Keith, “everybody” who visited Willie’s bus had the same story — and the same regret. That inspired him and songwriter Scotty Emerick to pen “Weed with Willie,” a comical tribute to the dangers of keeping up with the king of cannabis.
The song hilariously documents that infamous night:
I always heard that his herb was top shelf
And Lord, I just could not wait to find out for myself
Well, don’t knock it ’til you tried it / And I’ve tried it, my friend
I’ll never smoke weed with Willie again
The track was later released as a bonus cut on Keith’s 2003 album Shock’n Y’All, becoming a fan-favorite for its tongue-in-cheek storytelling and memorable chorus.
“Beer for My Horses” — A Duet Born from the Same Night
That infamous night didn’t just leave Keith red-eyed and dazed — it also led to a massive country hit. Out of his time with Nelson came the recording of “Beer for My Horses,” a chart-topping duet that appeared on Keith’s 2002 album Unleashed. The song hit No. 1 on the Billboard Country Chart and helped Unleashed reach the top of the Billboard 200.
The Willie Effect
Years later, Keith still laughed about the experience and admired Nelson’s laid-back honesty. On his website, Keith once wrote, “Someone was interviewing Willie recently, and he said the funniest thing I’ve heard him say. They asked if he’d cut back on weed for his health, and he replied, ‘No, it’s just getting harder to find the good stuff.’”
Keith concluded with a warning for the uninitiated:
“Trust me, you don’t even want to mess around with that stuff if you’re not a professional — which I am not.”
From smoky buses to platinum records, the stories behind Toby Keith’s songs are as rich as the songs themselves — blending laughter, music, and a little bit of mayhem. And when it comes to “Weed with Willie,” one thing is certain: some lessons you only learn the hard way.