Willie Nelson looks back on seven decades of songwriting in new book

While Nelson’s guitar is practically an extension of his body at this point, he has always started the writing process by thinking up words rather than strumming chords. Photo: AFP

Willie starts with the words.

It’s one of the surprising revelations in Willie Nelson's new book, Energy Follows Thought: The Stories Behind My Songs, an examination of the 90-year-old country legend and recent Rock & Roll Hall of Famer‘s seven decades of songwriting.