What Goes Around – Waylon Jennings: A Grit-Edged Reminder from a Man Who’s Seen It All

About the Song

Album: What Goes Around Comes Around
Released: 1979

By 1979, Waylon Jennings had already carved his place in country music history—not just as a singer, but as a voice of truth in an industry often driven by image. On his album What Goes Around Comes Around, he leaned fully into that identity, delivering songs that were honest, reflective, and firmly rooted in life’s harder lessons. One of the standout tracks from the record is “What Goes Around,” a no-frills meditation on the reality that every choice eventually circles back.

There’s nothing flashy about the song’s production. It’s stripped down, measured, and driven by a slow, steady beat that gives Waylon’s voice all the room it needs. And what a voice it is—low, worn, and full of quiet wisdom. He doesn’t sing like he’s guessing. He sings like he knows.

Lyrically, “What Goes Around” is about consequences—not in the vengeful sense, but in the natural, inevitable way that life has of balancing itself out. He doesn’t preach, and he doesn’t scold. He just lays it out plainly: what we put into the world, we eventually get back. Good or bad, fast or slow—it all returns.

The strength of the track lies in its restraint. Waylon Jennings never needed to shout to be heard. He lets the words do the work, backed by a simple groove and a melody that rides comfortably like a long road under open sky. It’s country music as it was meant to be—truthful, humble, and shaped by experience.

As part of What Goes Around Comes Around, this song fits perfectly alongside others that explore regret, resilience, and reflection. It’s not a radio single built for quick fame. It’s a life lesson set to music—delivered by a man who lived it and never looked back.

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