Introduction
In “What You’ll Do When I’m Gone,” Waylon Jennings delivers one of his most emotionally raw and introspective performances, revealing the vulnerable heart beneath his legendary outlaw image. Released in 1986 on his album Will the Wolf Survive, this song offers a glimpse into the deep worries and unspoken fears that often come with love—the question of whether, after everything shared, you’ll be remembered when you’re no longer there.
Written by Larry Butler, this track stands out not because of soaring vocals or high drama, but because of its honest simplicity and emotional weight. It’s a song about that quiet, haunting fear that those we love might move on too easily—that the memories, the laughter, and even the pain might fade faster than we hope.
The opening lines immediately set a tone of deep reflection:
“Maybe someday you’ll be thinking of me / And wishing that I were around…”
With these words, Waylon draws listeners into a world of intimate doubt and aching hope, a world where love’s greatest fear isn’t ending—it’s being forgotten.
Waylon Jennings’s voice, rich with experience, regret, and quiet yearning, carries the song with a weary honesty. There’s no bravado here—just a man speaking from the most fragile parts of his heart. His delivery is understated but powerful, capturing all the complexity of someone who has lived hard, loved deeply, and now wonders what imprint, if any, he’ll leave behind.
The musical arrangement is classic mid-80s Waylon: lean, guitar-driven country, with a restrained rhythm section and a mournful steel guitar that adds a layer of emotional gravity to the track. The production is clean but never slick, allowing the lyrics and voice to stay at the forefront, where they belong.
“What You’ll Do When I’m Gone” is not just a love song—it’s a song about legacy, about wondering what parts of ourselves linger in the lives of those we leave behind. It’s a theme that resonates even more deeply considering Waylon’s later years, when reflection and memory became increasingly central to his music and public persona.
For fans of Waylon Jennings, this track is a reminder of his incredible ability to strip a song down to its emotional core. Beyond the outlaw image and the swaggering anthems, there was always an artist capable of profound vulnerability, and this song captures that side of him with aching clarity.
In “What You’ll Do When I’m Gone,” Waylon Jennings asks a question that is as old as love itself—and in doing so, he leaves us not just with a song, but with a piece of his soul: honest, uncertain, and unforgettable.