The track was written by Nelson, and it later became a number 1 duet for George Jones and Merle Haggard in 1982.
Its parent album, which opened with a peculiar existential dialogue featuring Nelson and contained songs with philosophical and spiritual themes, confounded the label, with the singer later lamenting, "I think it's one of my best albums but Yesterday's Wine was regarded by RCA as way too spooky and far out to waste promotion money on.
"[1] Although it was perhaps the LP's most accessible track, and has since become regarded as one of Nelson's finest compositions, "Yesterday's Wine" limped to #62 on the Billboard country survey.
The song, a tale of two old friends meeting up unexpectedly in a bar after many years, was a perfect fit for the outlaw-themed record.
[2] The song inspired the title of their first duet LP, A Taste of Yesterday's Wine, and was a natural fit for the two singers, who were often singled out as two of the finest interpreters of pure country music and had both battled many personal demons over the course of their respective careers.