Introduction:
Country music singer Toby Keith released the song Wacky Tobaccy in 2017. The song marked a departure from Keith’s usual patriotic and storytelling themes, instead venturing into territory that was unexpected for many of his fans. Wacky Tobaccy is a country song about cannabis use, with the title being a slang term for marijuana.
The song was released as a single ahead of Keith’s album The Bus Songs, which came out in July of 2017. Wacky Tobaccy was not included on any of Keith’s studio albums before The Bus Songs. The song was written by Keith and Scotty Emerick. Emerick is a songwriter who has collaborated with Keith on numerous occasions, co-writing many of Keith’s biggest hits including Courtesy of the Red, White, & Blue (The Angry American), Beer for My Horses, and I Love This Bar.
Wacky Tobaccy did not achieve the same level of commercial success as some of Keith’s other singles. It did not reach the top of the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, though it did peak at number 23. However, Wacky Tobaccy did gain notoriety for its subject matter. Cannabis legalization was a growing conversation in the United States in 2017, and Wacky Tobaccy was one of the first major country songs to address the issue. The song was met with mixed reviews from critics, with some praising its lighthearted take on marijuana use and others criticizing its lyrics as cliche.
The music video for Wacky Tobaccy, filmed on Keith’s tour bus, offered another element of surprise. The video featured a cameo appearance by legendary country singer Willie Nelson, a longtime advocate for cannabis legalization. Nelson’s appearance in the video lent Wacky Tobaccy additional credibility and helped spark further conversation about the song’s themes.
While Wacky Tobaccy may not be one of Toby Keith’s biggest hits, it remains a notable song in his career for its unique subject matter and its connection to the growing conversation around cannabis legalization in the United States.
Video:
Lyrics:
“Wacky Tobaccy”
What’s that smell?Wanda is a woman, she works down the hall
Shows up on time, she like balls to the wall
She went out to lunch with her high school friends
‘Bout three hours later she came rollin’ back in
Well the boss man really jumped her, son he wasn’t joking
Everybody in the office knew Wanda had been smokin’That old Wacky Tobaccy
When you feel it creeping up on you
That old Wacky Tobaccy
Kick back and let it do what it do
Know you can two tote her, you can one hit him
Puff it in a pipe and you can twist it in a stem
You can bake it in some brownies, smoke it through a bong
Roll up a great big fat one like ol’ Cheech and Chong
Burn it through a hole in a can of Budweiser
If you can’t take the heat, son, vaporizer
That old Wacky Tobaccy
When you feel it creeping up on you
That old Wacky Tobaccy
Kick back and let it do what it do
Now do what you do
Oh yeah
You got your Mexican and Jamaican with those buds of blue
Humboldt County and hydroponic too
Okeechobee Purple from down in the South
And that ol’ stuff your uncle smokes would give you cotton mouth
Homegrown is healthy, synthetic can kill ya
My all time favorite is Red Hair Sinsemilla
That old Wacky Tobaccy
When you feel it creeping up on you
That old Wacky Tobaccy
Kick back and let it do what it do
Awww let it do what it do
Yeah it do
Y’all got any Frito’s?