Waiting 'Round to Die

Waiting Round to Die is a folk/country song written and performed by the country singer/songwriter Townes Van Zant. The song appears first on Townes' 1968 debut album, For The Sake of the Song.

One of Van Zandt's more famous songs, Waiting 'Round to Die chronicles the life of a fictional drifter as he passes sadly through the experiences of an abusive father, the abandonment of his mother, drug and alcohol abuse, fast women, and even prison.

The song appears on the classic documentary of 1970's outlaw country music, Heartworn Highways, where Townes Van Zandt is seen performing in his Austin, Texas home with his wife and good friend, the "Walking Blacksmith" Seymore Washington. [Heartworn Highways] At one point during the performance, Washington, a 75 year old man, is visibly seen crying as Van Zandt plays.

In a biographical documentary about the life and work of Townes Van Zandt, Be Here To Love Me [Be Here to Love Me,] Townes' first wife is seen informing the audience that "Waiting 'Round To Die" was the first song Van Zandt composed during their marriage in his small apartment shoe closet/rehearsal space in Houston, Texas.

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