I tried to tell a little bit of what happened to me in L.A. See, places like Tulsa ... when I think of the United States, I think of Tulsa and Memphis ... I think of the South. I always think of the Deep South. New York doesn't remind me so much of the ... you know what I mean ... the United States. You think of Dallas, you think of San Francisco, Los Angeles ... those names that are closer to the other end. And so, Tulsa really represents to me the United States - sort of - that feeling of being in the South. The song is sort of an adventure of me down there. The more you listen to it, depending on how much you've been through or what your experiences have been, you can take the verses ... you can take them any way you want. But the thing is, when I wrote them, they all had a continuity to the way I thought. So I believe that if they had a continuity the way I put them together that they'll fit with any set of images and work all the way through - they have to. If they work one way, they can't possibly miss another way. It's the law, you know ... that's the way it is. Neil Young CBC Radio Interview with Robert Fulford February 1969

The Last Trip To Tulsa - I'm not there anymore. I tell ya, that's one record I made that I wish I hadn't. Unfortunately - that's not a put down to you - it's just the way I feel about it. It's funny - some records that you make you like. I thought it was okay when I made it, but later on ... Neil Young The Canterbury House, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA October 16, 1969

Like "The Last Trip To Tulsa," in my opinion, after I did it, I didn't like it and I didn't want it. After the album came out that's the one I really didn't like, you know, and I still don't, but a lot of people really dug that better than anything else on that whole album. See, it's strange. Just because it doesn't happen to be my favorite part, and I know a lot of people really didn't like it, you know, and I can dig why. Because it sounds overdone. It just sounds like it's a mistake to me, and luckily it's cool. Neil Young Rolling Stone by Elliot Blinder April 20, 1970

I always thought there was a funny side to my music. But see, my sense of humour hadn't really been appreciated at that point in my career... it hadn't even been noticed. I mean, 'Last Trip to Tulsa'...that's my idea of a really funny song and that's just one of 'em. Neil Young Mojo/Nick Kent December 1995

Soon Briggs discovered that I needed to drink some beer to do vocals. In those days I didn’t sing live; I overdubbed. I was very unsure of my singing, especially after my previous experiences in the studio with Greene and Stone producing Buffalo Springfield. They tried feeding me amphetamines to get me loosened up enough to sing “Burned” with the Springfield, a song I wrote about having a seizure. Now there is a hit song idea! I sang “Burned” for about four hours after it had been recorded, unable to stop. David Briggs suggested an Oly—Olympia Beer was my favorite. It loosened me up quite a bit, and I actually sang a song, “Last Trip to Tulsa,” that was about ten minutes long, without overdubs. Once I got loose and in the groove I was fine, although it still sounded like me. Briggs always said my voice was good. It was unique, and that’s what we needed to make it. Neil Young Waging Heavy Peace Sept 2012

I had met Briggs, and we were planning my first solo record. The songs were gathered from the past and the future, mostly dreams, nothing concrete; they were mostly created as vehicles for record-making, like “Here We Are in the Years,” or personal expression and longing, such as “I’ve Been Waiting for You.” Some of them were stream-of-consciousness, like “The Last Trip to Tulsa,” with no preconceived thought behind them. They were just songs. There was no big pressure on me at that time to top anything I had already done. That came later. The sky was the limit. I had no idea what was coming my way. Neil Young Waging Heavy Peace Sept 2012

Letter: What was the inspiration for last trip to Tulsa? NY: my mind on weed. Neil Young NYA Letters To The Editor May 6th, 2020