Willie Nelson Opens Up About His Belief in Reincarnation, Joking That He’ll “Be Back in a Minute” as He Shares Why the Idea of Coming Back Brings Him Peace, What He Thinks He Might Return As, and How His Spiritual Views on Life, Death, and the Universe Shape the Way He Lives at 90—This Rare Glimpse Into His Inner World Shows That for the Red-Headed Stranger, the End Is Just Another Beginning—Click the Link to Read More

For most people, death is a subject wrapped in fear, mystery, and silence. But for Willie Nelson, the legendary country outlaw who recently turned 90, it’s just another part of the journey. In fact, he speaks about it with the same casual, humorous ease that he brings to everything from music to marijuana. When asked about mortality during a recent interview, Nelson simply shrugged and said, “I’ll be back in a minute.”

He was only half joking.

Willie Nelson believes in reincarnation, the idea that the soul is reborn in a new body after death. “It just makes sense to me,” he explained. “Energy doesn’t die. It moves. It changes. It finds another home. Why wouldn’t we do the same?”

His belief isn’t rooted in any strict religion. Though raised in a Christian household, Nelson has long carved his own spiritual path—one that blends country wisdom, cosmic curiosity, and a lifelong openness to the mysteries of existence. “I think God’s too big for one name,” he once said. “Too big for one religion, too big for one lifetime.”

Over the decades, Nelson’s spiritual reflections have appeared quietly in his music. In songs like “Spirit,” “Gravedigger,” and “It’s Not Something You Get Over,” there’s a running undercurrent of transcendence. While never preachy, his lyrics often hint at an awareness that life extends beyond what we see, and that love—real love—never dies.

“I’ve lost a lot of people,” Nelson said softly. “Friends, family, bandmates. And sometimes, when I’m playing guitar late at night, I feel them with me. Not in a spooky way. Just like… they’re still around. Like they came back, maybe not as people, but in the wind, in the melody. It’s a comfort.”

He’s even joked that he might return as a guitar string. “Something useful,” he laughed. “I don’t want to come back as a politician, that’s for sure.”

For Nelson, reincarnation isn’t about escaping death—it’s about honoring life. It’s a way of looking at the world that values each moment without fearing the end. “Knowing—or believing—that you come back takes the edge off things,” he explained. “You don’t feel like you have to cram everything into one go. You can breathe. You can let go.”

That attitude has clearly shaped the way he lives. At an age when most people are retired or reclusive, Nelson is still on the road, still recording albums, still spending time with family and laughing with old friends. He doesn’t take life too seriously, but he treats it with respect. “This life is a song,” he says. “And if I get another one, I’ll sing that too.”

His children say they’ve grown up hearing him talk about life in cycles, about the earth and stars and soul. “Dad always taught us to be curious,” said his son Lukas. “Not to fear death, but to try to understand it. He sees life as part of a much bigger picture.”

That big-picture thinking also applies to how Nelson handles loss. When his longtime drummer Paul English passed away, Nelson didn’t retreat into despair. Instead, he honored English with a song, then played a show the very next week. “Paul would’ve wanted that,” Nelson said. “And besides, who says he’s really gone?”

There’s also a deep environmental and philosophical thread to Nelson’s views. As a vocal advocate for family farms, nature preservation, and the interconnectedness of life, his belief in reincarnation feeds into a larger ethic of stewardship. “If you believe we come back, you treat the earth different,” he explained. “You take care of it like you’ll be walking it again someday.”

It’s that blend of cosmic awareness and earthy humor that makes Nelson’s outlook so compelling. He doesn’t claim to have all the answers. He doesn’t need to. “I’m not a preacher,” he says. “I just sing songs and try to be kind. That’s enough for me.”

Asked if he has any idea what he’d like to come back as, he smiled. “Maybe a tree,” he said. “They stand still, they live long, they don’t argue much. That sounds nice.”

But even with reincarnation in mind, Nelson is clear that the life we’re in right now matters most. “Don’t wait for the next one to get it right,” he said. “This one’s the one that counts.”

He credits his calmness about death to music, meditation, cannabis, and the gift of time. “When you’ve lived this long,” he said, “you realize what really matters. A good laugh. A good song. A good friend. The rest, you can let go of.”

Fans have long admired Nelson not just for his songwriting, but for his unwavering authenticity. He doesn’t hide his age, his beliefs, or his flaws. He simply keeps showing up—onstage, in the studio, in life.

And if one day he doesn’t?

“Well,” he says with a wink, “I’ll be back in a minute.”

In that sentence lies the essence of Willie Nelson—a man who has loved and lost, sung and suffered, wandered and wondered, but never stopped believing that life is something more than the space between birth and death.

To believe in reincarnation, in second chances, in a soul that continues—it’s not about denying reality. For Nelson, it’s about expanding it. Life doesn’t end at the last note. The song goes on