Texas phrases (If ifs and buts were candy and nuts...merry Christmas)

[Benjamin Zimmer]

On 11/29/06, Charles Doyle <cdoyle at uga.edu> wrote:
>
> Fred is right to be skeptical; I'm fairly sure Willie did not write those lyrics
> himself (though he did others). Still, it's an important line--in that so many
> allusive and parodic variants now occur (try Googling "Mamas don't let your
> babies grow up to be").

Ed Bruce and his then wife Patsy got the songwriting credit for that
one. But Willie did write some of his own hits (e.g. "On The Road
Again") and of course some hits for others ("Crazy", "Night Life",
"Pretty Paper").


--Ben Zimmer

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