Jackson was born to Joseph Eugene Jackson and Ruth Musick in Newnan, Georgia, and has four older siblings. As a youth, Jackson listened primarily to gospel music. Otherwise he was not a major music fan. However, a friend of his introduced him to the music of Gene Watson, John Anderson and Hank Williams Jr. Jackson attended the local Elm Street Elementary and Newnan High School, starting a band after high school. After a time, he and his wife of six years, Denise Jackson, moved from Newnan to Nashville where Jackson hoped to pursue music full-time.
Jackson sang in church as a child. He, his father, mother, and four sisters lived in a small home. At one point, his bed was in the hallway for lack of room. His mother lives in the home to this day. His first job, at 12, was in a shoe store. He wrote his first song in 1983.
In Tennessee, Jackson got a job in The Nashville Network's mailroom. Denise got him connected to Glen Campbell, who helped him jumpstart his career. Jackson eventually signed with Arista.
His first album, 1989's Here in the Real World, was a major hit, as was his second (1991) album, Don't Rock the Jukebox. His 1992 album, A Lot About Livin' (And a Little 'Bout Love) was a success, spawning five major singles. Also in 1992, Randy Travis charted three singles co-written by Jackson: "Forever Together", "Better Class of Losers", and "I'd Surrender All". Conversely, Travis co-wrote Jackson's single "She's Got the Rhythm (And I Got the Blues)".
In 1994 Jackson left his management company, Ten Ten Management, which had overseen his career up to that point, and switched to Gary Overton.
It was around this time that Jackson began also gaining fame for his song-writing skills. Other country music artists who have charted with songs co-written by Jackson, including Clay Walker ("If I Could Make a Living"), Chely Wright ("Till I Was Loved By You")[5] and Faith Hill ("I Can't Do That Anymore").
His first album, 1990's Here in the Real World, was a major hit, as was his second (1991) album, Don't Rock the Jukebox. His 1992 release, A Lot About Livin' (And a Little 'Bout Love) was a smash success, spawning five major singles with "Chattahoochee" being the most enduring and successful. After a few more hit albums, Jackson again rocketed to fame with "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)," a song about the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, which became a hit single and briefly propelled him into the mainstream spotlight; the song was even the subject of parody on the popular animated series South Park, in the episode A Ladder To Heaven.
The Long Way To Go Songfacts states that on January 20, 2011 Alan Jackson and his record label, Sony, parted ways after over 20 years. Three months later a new joint venture between Capitol's EMI Records Nashville and ACR (Alan's Country Records) was announced. His debut single from the new deal was Long Way To Go, which was shipped to Country radio on June 13, 2011.
Although Jackson has been characterized as a "hat act", his influences go deep into the roots of country music and his songs have been recorded by some of the greats like Charley Pride, who recorded "Here In The Real World". He has sung with George Jones on the award-winning "I Don't Need Your Rockin' Chair". His sense of humor comes through in "Gone Country" with the satirical description of the wannabes who cynically jumped on the country music bandwagon in the 1990s: "Everybody's gone country/Yeah we've gone country/The whole world's gone country."
He has been credited for popularizing a Neotraditional Country sound.
How Great Thou Art
Alan Jackson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When I in awesome wonder
Consider all the worlds
Thy hands have made
I see the stars
I hear the rolling thunder
Thy power throughout
The universe displayed
Then sings my soul
My Saviour, God, to Thee
How great Thou art
How great Thou art
Then sings my soul
My Saviour, God, to Thee
How great Thou art
How great Thou art
When Christ shall come
With shouts of acclamation
And take me home
What joy shall fill my heart
Then I shall bow
In humble adoration
And there proclaim my God
How great Thou art
Then sings my soul
My Saviour, God, to Thee
How great Thou art
How great Thou art
Then sings my soul
My Saviour, God, to Thee
How great Thou art
How great Thou art
How great Thou art
How great Thou art
In the opening verse of Alan Jackson's "How Great Thou Art," the singer acknowledges God's power and creativity. When he considers the vastness of the worlds that God has made and the beauty of the stars and thunder that God has put on display, the singer feels a sense of awe ("awesome wonder"). The second verse expands on this idea of God's greatness, acknowledging that even if the singer were to go to the ends of the universe, he would never find any limit to God's power.
In the chorus, the singer's soul sings out in praise to God, calling him "Saviour" and again emphasizing his greatness. The repetition of "How great Thou art" serves both as a form of prayer and as a way of amplifying the singer's feelings of reverence and wonder in the face of God's power.
In the third verse, the singer looks ahead to when he will be taken home by Christ. He imagines the joy that will fill his heart at that time, and he acknowledges that he will bow before God with humility and adoration. The final chorus again emphasizes God's greatness and the deep sense of praise and gratitude that the singer feels in response to it.
Overall, "How Great Thou Art" is a hymn that emphasizes the power and majesty of God, while also presenting him as a source of comfort and joy for those who believe in him. Its simple, repetitive lyrics and soaring melody have made it a favorite in many Christian congregations.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh Lord my God
Oh, my God, the Lord.
When I in awesome wonder
When I am overwhelmed by the wonders of your creation.
Consider all the worlds
Thinking about all of the worlds that exist.
Thy hands have made
That you have created with your hands.
I see the stars
I can see the stars in the sky that you have made.
I hear the rolling thunder
I hear the sound of the thunder that you have created.
Thy power throughout
Your power can be seen everywhere.
The universe displayed
The universe is your creation, it displays your power.
Then sings my soul
Then my soul sings.
My Saviour, God, to Thee
My Savior, God, to you.
How great Thou art
How magnificent and wonderful you are.
How great Thou art
How magnificent and wonderful you are.
Then sings my soul
Then my soul sings.
My Saviour, God, to Thee
My Savior, God, to you.
How great Thou art
How magnificent and wonderful you are.
How great Thou art
How magnificent and wonderful you are.
When Christ shall come
When Jesus returns.
With shouts of acclamation
Amidst cheers of praise and support.
And take me home
And bring me to my eternal home in heaven.
What joy shall fill my heart
My heart will be filled with joy.
Then I shall bow
Then I will bow down.
In humble adoration
In a state of humble respect and admiration.
And there proclaim my God
And there declare the greatness of my God.
How great Thou art
How magnificent and wonderful you are.
Then sings my soul
Then my soul sings.
My Saviour, God, to Thee
My Savior, God, to you.
How great Thou art
How magnificent and wonderful you are.
How great Thou art
How magnificent and wonderful you are.
How great Thou art
How magnificent and wonderful you are.
Lyrics © Capitol CMG Publishing
Written by: Stuart Keene Hine
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@nanikdasani4547
Oh Lord my God
When I in awesome wonder
Consider all the worlds
Thy hands have made
I see the stars
I hear the rolling thunder
Thy power throughout
The universe displayed
Then sings my soul
My Savior, God, to Thee
How great thou art
How great thou art
Then sings my soul
My Savior, God, to Thee
How great Thou art
How great Thou art
And when I think of God,
His son not sparing,
Sent Him to die,
I scarce can take it in;
That on the cross, my burden
gladly bearing He bled and died
to take away my sin
Then sings my soul
My Savior, God, to Thee
How great thou art
How great thou art
Then sings my soul
My Savior, God, to Thee
How great Thou art
How great Thou art
When Christ shall come
With shout of acclamation
And take me home
What joy shall fill my heart
Then I shall bow
With humble adoration
And then proclaim My God
How great Thou art
Then sings my soul
My Savior, God, to Thee
How great Thou art
How great Thou art
Then sings my soul
My Savior, God, to Thee
How great Thou art
How great Thou art
How great Thou art
How great Thou art
@hrabia8811
I love to listen this again and again.God bless you Alan and your family.
@vincentbriegel7038
Amen brother
@dawnwright8731
Absolutely beautiful ❤ Amen ❤❤
@countrygospelmusic6643
Whoever reading this, God knows what you are facing through, He heard your cry, He is going to deliver you Just trust in him. Amen.💕
@nathanaelmini2595
N'importe qui lit ça, Dieu sais ce a quoi tu fais face , il entend tes pleurs , il est en train de te délivrer, juste crois en lui.
@maryelizabeth8793
I needed to hear this - Thank You ❤️
@aaroncrowe4347
Yes I agree and I need him
@Baraodojaguary
Its what i needed to hear
@beverlyjackson4361
My dearest Alan, I want to thank you as a lifelong fan of yours for all you have done writing & singing your songs. In my opinion Real Country Music has been kept alive by you. I hope your doing well, your family, & sweet little grandson. I'm going to request this song along with the video be played at my going home celebration whenever that may be. Joanie sends you love❤🎸
@shafondasheppard8154
The whole country should be singing this! Period