Wildwood Weed

Jim Stafford

About Wildwood Weed

"Wildwood Weed" is a 1974 hit song written by Don Bowman and recorded by Jim Stafford. It was the fourth of four U. S. Top 40 singles from his eponymous debut album. Musically, the song takes its inspiration from The Carter Family's instrumental recording "Wildwood Flower". The lyrics in the verses are spoken, rather than sung. The song is a story about farmers who take a sudden interest in a common wildflower on their farm, and soon discover and enjoy its hallucinogenic and mind-altering properties after one of them begins to chew on one. They begin to cultivate the plant in earnest, however, federal agents raid their property and destroy their crop. Nevertheless, the men are undeterred by the destruction of their plants as they have saved a supply of seeds which was overlooked by the agents. "Wildwood Weed" reached number seven on the U. S. Billboard Hot 100, number five on Cash Box and number three on the Canadian pop singles chart. It was a crossover hit onto the Adult Contemporary charts of both nations (reaching number two in Canada), as well as the U. S. Country chart. 


Year:
1974
2:41
200 
#1

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The wildwood flower grew wild on the farm,
And we never knowed what it was called.
Some said it was a flower and some said it was weed,
I never gave it much thought
One day I was out there talking to my brother,
Reached down for a weed to chew on,
Things got fuzzy and things got blurry,
And then everything was gone!
Didn't know what happened,
But I knew it beat the hell out of sniffin' burlap.

I come to and my brother was there,
And he said, What's wrong with your eyes?
I said, I don't know, I was chewing on a weed.
He said, Let me give it a try.
We spent the rest of that day and most of that night,
Trying to find my brother, Bill.
Caught up with him, 'bout six o'clock the next morning,
Naked, swinging on the wind mill!
He said he flew up there.
I had to fly up there and bring him down,
He was about half crazy

The very next day we picked a bunch of them weeds,
And put 'em in the sun to dry.
Then we mashed 'em up and chopped 'em up,
And put 'em in the corncob pipe.
Smokin' that wildwood flower got to be a habit,
We didn't see no harm.
We thought it was kind of handy,
Take a trip and never leave the farm!

All good things gotta come to an end,
And it's the same with the wildwood weed.
One day this feller from Washington came by,
And he spied it and turned white as a sheet.
Then they dug and they burned,
And they burned and they dug,
And they killed all our cute little weeds.
Then they drove away,
We just smiled and waved 
Sittin' there on that sack of seeds!

Y'all come back now, hear?

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Jim Stafford

James Wayne "Jim" Stafford (born January 16, 1944, Eloise, Florida) is an American comedian, musician, and singer-songwriter. While prominent in the 1970s for his records "Spiders and Snakes", "Swamp Witch", and "My Girl Bill", Stafford has headlined at his own theater in Branson, Missouri since 1990. Stafford is self-taught on guitar, fiddle, piano, banjo, organ and harmonica. more »

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Written by: DON BOWMAN, JIM STAFFORD

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind


11 facts about this song

Song Composition
"Wildwood Weed" is a humorous country song written and performed by Jim Stafford. It was released in 1974.
Billboard success
Despite its unconventional topic, the song became a major hit. It reached number #7 on the Billboard Hot 100, and #5 on the Adult Contemporary chart.
Album success
The song was featured on Stafford's self-titled debut album, which was a major commercial success. The album reached #55 on the Billboard 200.
Song Theme
The song tells a tongue-in-cheek story about growing marijuana, set to a cheerful, country folk melody.
Chart Success
This song was one of four Top 40 hits for Stafford in the US.
Censorship Restrictions
"Wildwood Weed" faced some censorship issues due to its theme of marijuana cultivation. However, this didn't stop the song from becoming popular.
Popularity
Even though its subject matter is considered controversial by some, the song's comedic telling and catchy tune ensure it still remains popular today.
Genre
It falls under the category of country, novelty songs with its lyrics involving humorous storytelling.
Songwriter
Initially credited to Don Bowman, it was later revealed that the song was primarily written by Jim Stafford himself.
Inspiration
The song was inspired by the poem "The Wildwood Weed" by Don Bowman, which itself was based on the traditional song "The Wildwood Flower".
Live Performances
Jim Stafford often included an extended comedic monologue when performing "Wildwood Weed" live, adding further humor to the already comedic song.

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    Wildwood Weed

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    Top Hot 100 Songs 1974

    Billboard #7


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