Introduction
A Voice Aged Like Fine Whiskey: Willie Nelson Revisits “Funny How Time Slips Away” in 1997
Some songs don’t just grow old with us—they grow deeper. They take on new layers with every passing decade, not because the melody has changed, but because we have. That’s exactly the case with Willie Nelson – 1997 – Funny How Time Slips Away, a soul-stirring rendition of one of Nelson’s earliest and most enduring compositions.
Originally written in the early 1960s, “Funny How Time Slips Away” is a masterclass in understatement—a conversation between old lovers masked in politeness but heavy with unspoken feelings. In 1997, decades after writing the song, Nelson brought it back with a voice weathered by time and rich with lived experience. What was once a young man’s bittersweet goodbye had become an elder’s wry, knowing reflection on love, loss, and the passage of time.
This 1997 performance—whether experienced through a studio recording or a live appearance—is particularly affecting. Nelson doesn’t need to embellish. His guitar work remains soft and conversational, and his phrasing, always unique to him, stretches the lyrics just enough to let the meaning breathe. “It’s been so long now… but it seems now, that it was only yesterday.” That line, when delivered by a man well into his sixties, carries a weight that no young artist could convincingly deliver.
Willie Nelson – 1997 – Funny How Time Slips Away reminds us that great songs aren’t just written—they evolve with the singer. They become personal history. In this version, Nelson invites us to reflect alongside him—not just on a relationship, but on life itself, and how quickly it passes. It’s not just a performance; it’s a moment of shared memory, wrapped in melody.