"If Not for You" is a song written by
Jerry Chesnut and recorded by American country singer
George Jones. It was released as a single on the
Musicor label and reached No. 6 on the Billboard country singles chart in 1969.[citation needed] Like many of his biggest hits of the period, it is a love ballad. The song extols the virtues of a supportive lover.[citation needed] Chestnut also composed the Jones hit "
A Good Year for the Roses".