Born during the Great Depression and raised by his grandparents, Nelson wrote his first song at age seven and joined his first band at ten. During high school, he toured locally with the Bohemian Polka as their lead singer and guitar player. After graduating from high school in 1950, he joined the U.S. Air Force but was later discharged due to back problems. After his return, Nelson attended Baylor University for two years but dropped out because he was succeeding in music. During this time, he worked as a disc jockey in Texas radio stations and a singer in honky-tonks. Nelson moved to Vancouver, Washington, where he wrote "Family Bible" and recorded the song "Lumberjack" in 1956. He also worked as a disc jockey at various radio stations in Vancouver and nearby Portland, Oregon. In 1958, he moved to Houston, Texas, after signing a contract with D Records. He sang at the Esquire Ballroom weekly and he worked as a disk jockey. During that time, he wrote songs that would become country standards, including "Funny How Time Slips Away", "Hello Walls", "Pretty Paper", and "Crazy". In 1960 he moved to Nashville, Tennessee, and later signed a publishing contract with Pamper Music which allowed him to join Ray Price's band as a bassist. In 1962, he recorded his first album, ...And Then I Wrote. Due to this success, Nelson signed in 1964 with RCA Victor and joined the Grand Ole Opry the following year. After mid-chart hits in the late 1960s and the early 1970s, Nelson retired in 1972 and moved to Austin, Texas. The ongoing music scene of Austin motivated Nelson to return from retirement, performing frequently at the Armadillo World Headquarters.
In 1973, after signing with Atlantic Records, Nelson turned to outlaw country, including albums such as Shotgun Willie and Phases and Stages. In 1975, he switched to Columbia Records, where he recorded the critically acclaimed album Red Headed Stranger. The same year, he recorded another outlaw country album, Wanted! The Outlaws, along with Waylon Jennings, Jessi Colter, and Tompall Glaser. During the mid-1980s, while creating hit albums like Honeysuckle Rose and recording hit songs like "On the Road Again", "To All the Girls I've Loved Before", and "Pancho and Lefty", he joined the country supergroup The Highwaymen, along with fellow singers Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, and Kris Kristofferson.
In 1990, Nelson's assets were seized by the Internal Revenue Service, which claimed that he owed $32 million. The difficulty of paying his outstanding debt was aggravated by weak investments he had made during the 1980s. In 1992, Nelson released The IRS Tapes: Who'll Buy My Memories?; the profits of the double album—destined to the IRS—and the auction of Nelson's assets cleared his debt. During the 1990s and 2000s, Nelson continued touring extensively, and released albums every year. Reviews ranged from positive to mixed. He explored genres such as reggae, blues, jazz, and folk.
Nelson made his first movie appearance in the 1979 film The Electric Horseman, followed by other appearances in movies and on television. Nelson is a major liberal activist and the co-chair of the advisory board of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), which is in favor of marijuana legalization. On the environmental front, Nelson owns the bio-diesel brand Willie Nelson Biodiesel, which is made from vegetable oil. Nelson is also the honorary chairman of the advisory board of the Texas Music Project, the official music charity of the state of Texas.
Nelson uses a variety of music styles to create his own distinctive blend of country music, a hybrid of jazz, pop, blues, rock and folk. His "unique sound", which uses a "relaxed, behind-the-beat singing style and gut-string guitar" and his "nasal voice and jazzy, off-center phrasing", has been responsible for his wide appeal, and has made him a "vital icon in country music", influencing the "new country, new traditionalist, and alternative country movements of the 1980s and 1990s".
In 1969, the Baldwin company gave Nelson an amplifier and guitar with their "Prismatone" pickup. During a show in Helotes, Texas, Nelson left the guitar on the floor of the stage, and it was later stepped on by a drunk man. He sent it to be repaired in Nashville by Shot Jackson, who told Nelson that the damage was too great. Jackson offered him a Martin N-20 Classical guitar, and, at Nelson's request, moved the pickup to the Martin. Nelson purchased the guitar unseen for $750 and named it after Roy Rogers' horse "Trigger". The next year Nelson rescued the guitar from his burning ranch.
Constant strumming with a guitar pick over the decades has worn a large sweeping hole into the guitar's body near the sound hole—the N-20 has no pick-guard since classical guitars are meant to be played fingerstyle instead of with picks. Its soundboard has been signed by over a hundred of Nelson's friends and associates, ranging from fellow musicians to lawyers and football coaches. The first signature on the guitar was Leon Russell's, who asked Nelson initially to sign his guitar. When Nelson was about to sign it with a marker, Russell requested him to scratch it instead, explaining that the guitar would be more valuable in the future. Interested in the concept, Nelson requested Russell to also sign his guitar. In 1991, during his process with the IRS, Nelson was worried that Trigger could be auctioned off, stating: "When Trigger goes, I'll quit". He asked his daughter, Lana, to take the guitar from the studio before any IRS agent arrived there, and then deliver it to him in Maui. Nelson then concealed the guitar in his manager's house until his debt was paid off in 1993.
Nelson is widely recognized as an American icon. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1993, and he received the Kennedy Center Honors in 1998. In 2011, Nelson was inducted to the National Agricultural Hall of Fame, for his labor in Farm Aid and other fund raisers to benefit farmers. In 2015 Nelson won the Gershwin Prize, the lifetime award of the Library of Congress. In 2018 The Texas Institute of Letters inducted him among its members for his songwriting. He was included by Rolling Stone on its 100 Greatest Singers and 100 Greatest Guitarists lists.
On The Road Again
Willie Nelson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just can't wait to get on the road again
The life I love is making music with my friends
And I cant wait to get on the road again
On the road again
Goin' places that I've never been
Seein' things that I may never see again
I can't wait to get on the road again
(Everybody sing)
On the road again
Like a band of gypsies we go down the highway
We're the best of friends
Insisting that the world keep turning our way
And our way, on the road again
Just cant wait to get on the road again
The life I love is making music with my friends
And I cant wait to get on the road again
On the road again
Like a band of gypsies we go down the highway
We're the best of friends
Insisting that the world keep turning our way
And our way
Is on the road again (I hear ya)
Just can't wait to get on the road again (I hear ya)
The life I love is making music with my friends
And I cant wait to get on the road again
Big finish
And I cant wait to get on the road again
(Thank you)
(Well, what do you think? Can you handle one more if we can think of one?)
Willie Nelson's "On The Road Again" is an ode to the life of a traveling musician, celebrating his love for the open road and the music that he creates with his band. The lyrics paint a picture of a group of friends united in their pursuit of musical freedom, traveling down the highways like a band of gypsies. The first verse sets the tone for the song, as Willie can't wait to hit the road again and get back to the life he loves. He finds joy in making music with his friends, and the thrill of going to new places and seeing new things drives him forward. He can't wait to get back on the road and experience it all over again.
The second verse of the song describes the sense of adventure that comes with being a traveling musician. Willie and his band are constantly going to new places and having new experiences, seeing things that they may never see again. However, what drives them the most is the camaraderie that they feel as they travel together. They're the best of friends, and they insist that the world keep turning their way.
The chorus of "On The Road Again" is memorable and catchy, repeating the phrase "just can't wait to get on the road again" twice, emphasizing the excitement that comes with hitting the open road. This sense of anticipation is palpable, as Willie can't wait to meet new people, see new places, and make new music with his friends. The song ends with a big finish, leaving the listener with a sense of wonder and longing for the open road.
Line by Line Meaning
On the road again
I am excited to start traveling again
Just can't wait to get on the road again
I am eagerly anticipating the start of my trip
The life I love is making music with my friends
I am passionate about playing music with my companions
And I cant wait to get on the road again
I am looking forward to traveling with my friends and playing music
Goin' places that I've never been
I am excited to explore new locations
Seein' things that I may never see again
I am eager to witness unique experiences
Like a band of gypsies we go down the highway
We travel on the road with the free spirit of nomads
We're the best of friends
We have a deep and meaningful friendship with each other
Insisting that the world keep turning our way
We hold onto the hope that things will continue to go our way
And our way, on the road again
We believe that traveling is the way to continue to have things go our way
Is on the road again (I hear yeah)
Our way of life is based on traveling and playing music
Big finish
We end the song with a flourish
Thank you
The singer thanks the audience for listening
Well, what do you think? Can you handle one more if we can think of one?
The singer is asking the audience if they want to hear another song
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Willie Nelson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind