About the Song
“The Taker” stands as one of Waylon Jennings’ early singles that helped shape what later became known as the outlaw-country sound. Written by Kris Kristofferson in collaboration with author and songwriter Shel Silverstein, the track offered Jennings a narrative that felt sharper, darker, and more cynical than much of Nashville’s output at the dawn of the 1970s. Through his interpretation, Waylon transformed their terse character study into something moody and unsettling—a performance that clearly hinted at his growing frustration with playing by traditional studio rules.
Waylon recorded the song at RCA Studio B in Nashville in April 1970, still operating within the same system he was becoming increasingly eager to challenge. RCA released “The Taker” as a single later that year, and it later served as the opening cut on his 1971 album The Taker/Tulsa, issued by RCA Nashville in February 1971. The album climbed into the Top 20 on the Billboard Country LP chart, while the single earned a Top 5 position on Billboard’s Hot Country Singles, reached the Canadian country Top 10, and even managed to brush the American pop Hot 100.
Part of the song’s impact comes from the unlikely pairing of its writers. By the time Jennings recorded it, Kristofferson had already left behind a stable career—Rhodes scholar, Army helicopter pilot—to pursue songwriting in Nashville, where he worked janitorial jobs at Columbia Studio and famously delivered tapes to Johnny Cash. Silverstein, meanwhile, was widely known as a cartoonist and children’s author, yet he also possessed a sharp talent for adult storytelling, contributing songs to artists such as Johnny Cash and Loretta Lynn. When these two unconventional voices joined forces, the result was a lyric that resembled an overheard barroom tale more than a polished Music Row composition.
The narrative centers on a charismatic wanderer who knows exactly how to captivate a lonely woman. He listens closely, speaks with charm, and makes her believe she has finally found someone who truly understands her. The revelation, however, is that he only cares about the pursuit—once her affection is won, he loses interest, takes her for granted, and eventually drifts away. The lyric never excuses his behavior, but it also avoids painting him as a one-dimensional villain. Instead, the song sits in an uneasy emotional space, where listeners may recognize someone they once knew—or perhaps a part of themselves.
Jennings’ performance gives that story its emotional weight. His smooth, low baritone feels almost conversational, as though he is quietly warning a friend about the man she is about to trust. The band keeps the arrangement tight and restrained, built on a steady beat and just enough steel guitar to anchor the track in country tradition, even as its attitude feels boldly modern. Compared with many of his earlier RCA recordings, the sound here is leaner and far less sweet, creating room for every stark line to resonate.
Within the broader arc of his career, “The Taker” arrived at a pivotal moment. Jennings was beginning to demand more creative control and moving toward producing his own records. The Taker/Tulsa is often viewed as an early step toward that independence, marked by songwriter-driven material and more personal track selections than the label had typically permitted. Not long after, he would go on to create landmark albums like Honky Tonk Heroes and become a central figure in the outlaw-country movement—but even here, you can already hear the rebellious spark that would eventually redefine his sound.