After years of singing standards, putting out duet albums, starring in movies, appearing in soundtracks, and taking other detours, Willie Nelson finally returned with an album of (almost) all-new material with 1983's Tougher Than Leather, his first collection of original songs since 1975's Red Headed Stranger. Like that record, Tougher Than Leather is a concept record, but unlike Stranger, it's nearly impossible to figure out what the record is about. In all likelihood, it's about a gunfighter, who may or may not be a metaphor for Willie himself, in his last days, and there are four songs with "rose" in the title, two parts of "Somewhere in Texas," and a version of "Beer Barrel Polka" thrown in for good measure. Musically, it's right in the vein of Red Headed Stranger — a little more robust, since it was cut with his touring band (with the help of Nashville guitar genius Grady Martin), which also leads to a greater variety of sounds, something that doesn't necessarily jibe with the intended intimacy of the songs, even if it's wholly welcome after the stilted Chips Moman productions. The problem with Tougher Than Leather is that the album simply doesn't hold together thematically, which wouldn't be a major problem if the songs were consistently good, but they're often too minimal to catch hold, with only the revived "Summer of Roses" (originally on Yesterday's Wine), "Little Old Fashioned Karma," and the elegiac "Nobody Slides, My Friend" standing out among the pack, and they're modest in their success as well. Consequently, Tougher Than Leather winds up being more admirable for what it tries to do than what it accomplishes.

WILLIE NELSON
TOUGHER THAN LEATHER
(Columbia QC-38248)
February/1983
Produced by Willie Nelson & Bee Spears

Willie Nelson - vocal/guitar
Grady Martin, Jody Payne - guitar
Bee Spears - bass
Paul English - drums
Mickey Raphael - harmonica
Bobbie Nelson - piano
Johnny Gimble - fiddle/mandolin
Recorded: Pandernales Studio, Spicewood

1.
MY LOVE FOR THE ROSE
(Willie Nelson)
« © '82 Full Nelson Music, BMI »

Was it something I did Lord a lifetime ago
Am I just now repaying a debt that I owe
Justice sweet justice you travel so slow
But you can't change my love for the rose
**********
2.
CHANGING SKIES
(Willie Nelson)
« © '82 Full Nelson Music, BMI »

There's a bird in the sky flying high flying high
To a place from a place changing skies changing skies
There are clouds in the sky clouds of fear and despair
But love like ours never dies changing skies changing skies
[ guitar ]
Little bird have you heard freedom lies freedom lies
But love like ours never dies just changing skies changing skies
**********
3.
TOUGHER THAN LEATHER
(Willie Nelson)
« © '82 Full Nelson Music, BMI »

He was tougher than leather and he didn't care whether the sun shined or not
When a young kid in Cow Town wanted a showdown
He was careless or just maybe forgot
But he died in the gunfight blinded by sunlight never draw when you're facin' the sun
And old tougher than leather just carved one more notch on his gun

And when he turned to go the beautiful maiden knelt down
Where her dead sweetheart lay
And on his breast placed a rose while the townspeople stared in dismay
And old tougher than leather should've known better
But he picked up the rose in his hand
And the townspeople froze when his hands crushed the rose
And the rose petals fell in the sand

And old tougher than leather was a full-time go-getter
The grass never grew beneath his feet
From one town to another he would ride like the wind
But his mind kept going back to the street
Where a young cowboy died and a young maiden cried
And rose petals fell in the sand
And his heart had been softened by the beautiful maid
And he knew he must see her again

Well he went back to the town where it all had come down
And he searched but his search was in vain
He had wanted to find her and say he was sorry
For causing her heart so much pain
But one night he died from a poison inside
Brought on by the wrong he had done
And old tougher than leather had carved his last notch on his gun

Well he was burried in Cow Town along about sundown
Lookin' good in his new store-bought clothes
When the young maiden came over and knelt down beside him
And on his lapel placed a rose
There's a bird in the sky flying high flying high
To a place from a place changing skies changing skies
[ guitar ]
**********
4.
LITTLE OLD FASHIONED KARMA
(Willie Nelson)
« © '82 Full Nelson Music, BMI »

There's just a little fashioned karma coming down
Just a little old fashioned justice going round
A little bit of sowing and a little bit of reaping
A little bit of laughing and a little bit of weeping
Just a little old fashioned karma coming down
Coming down coming down just a little old fashioned karma coming down
It really ain't hard to understand
If you're gonna dance you gotta pay the band
It's just a little old fashioned karma coming down
[ fiddle - guitar - harmonica - piano ]
There's just a little fashioned karma...
**********
5.
SOMEWHERE IN TEXAS PART 1
(Willie Nelson)
« © '82 Full Nelson Music, BMI »

Somewhere in Texas a cowboy dreams of the days when the buffalo roamed
And he wished he had lived then cause he knew that he could have been
The best cowboy the world had ever known
He went dancing that night with his San Antone rose
The one he would marry someday to the music of Bob Wills and polkas and waltzes
While beautiful time passed away
**********
6.
BEER BARREL POLKA
(Lew Brown - Wladimir A. Timm - Jaromir Vejvoda)
« © '34 Shapiro-Bernstein Co, ASCAP »

[ instrumental ]
**********
7.
SUMMER OF ROSES
(Willie Nelson)
« © '71 Full Nelson Music, BMI »

A short time I have to be with you my love
But a short time is better than no time you see
So I bring to you all my posessions and would that you'd share them with me
I bring you one springtime of robins one springtime of robins to sing
I bring you one summer of roses one summer of roses I bring
I bring you the dry leaves of autumn dry leaves will be helpful you know
To soften the fall of your snowflakes when I bring you your winter of snow
[ fiddle - piano ]
**********
8.
SOMEWHERE IN TEXAS PART 2
(Willie Nelson)
« © '82 Full Nelson Music, BMI »

Going home in this pickup not knowing this stickup
Was in progress on the same side of town
By a man in a truck the same kind he was driving
Bad karma was soon coming down
Before the store owner died she had tried to describe
The man who had shot him that day
And he described to a letter the innocent cowboy
So he tried him and sent him away
**********
9.
MY LOVE FOR THE ROSE
(Willie Nelson)
« © '82 Full Nelson Music, BMI »

Was it something I did Lord a lifetime ago
am I just now repaying a debt that I owe
Justice sweet justice you travel so slow
But you can't change my love for the rose
**********
10.
CONVICT AND THE ROSE
(Betty Chapin - Robert A. King)
« © '25 Shapiro-Bernstein Co, ASCAP »

Within my prison cell so dreary alone I sit alone with aching heart
I'm dreaming of my little darling from her forever I must part

The rose she sent me as a token she sent it just to light my gloom
And tell me that her heart is broken and cheer me before I meet my doom

The judge would not believe my story the jury said I have to pay
And with the rose in all its glory not guilty's all that I could say

Goodbye sweetheart for in the morning to meet my Maker I must go
And when I die at daylight's dawning against my heart they'll find this rose
[ guitar ]
Within my prison cell so dreary...
**********
11.
CHANGING SKIES
(Willie Nelson)
« © '82 Full Nelson Music, BMI »

Little bird have you heard freedom lies freedom lies
But love like ours never dies changing skies just changing skies
**********
12.
I AM THE FOREST
(Willie Nelson)
« © '82 Full Nelson Music, BMI »

I'll always be with you for as long as you please
For I am the forest but you are the trees
I'm empty without you so come grow within me
For I am the forest and you are the trees
And the heavens need romance so love never dies
You'll be the stars dear and I'll be the sky
And should any of this find us let them all be forewarned
That you are the thunder and I am the storm
And I'll always be with you for as long as you please
For I am the forest and you are the trees
I'll always be with you for as long as you please
For I am the forest but you are the trees
[ guitar ]
I'll always be with you for as long as you please
For I am the forest but you are the trees
[ mandolin ]
**********
13.
NOBODY SLIDES MY FRIEND
(Willie Nelson)
« © '82 Full Nelson Music, BMI »

Nobody slides my friend it's a truth on which you can depend
If you're living a lie it will eat you alive and nobody slides my friend
Nobody slides my friend you can try it but you'll never win
You can scream you can shout but it all evens out
And nobody slides my friend
[ guitar ]
Nobody slides my friend listen I'll say it again
You can run you can hide but it's still waitin' inside
And nobody slides my friend
**********