(1) A country singer an… Read Full Bio ↴There are at least two artists by this name:
(1) A country singer and songwriter from Texas.
(2) An alias of techno producer Thomas Wendel.
(1) Don Williams (Born May 27, 1939, in Floydada, Texas - Died September 8, 2017) spent much of his childhood in Corpus Christi, Texas. His father was a mechanic whose job took him to other regions, his mother played guitar and he grew up listening to country music. He and Lofton Kline formed a semi-professional folk group called the Strangers Two, and then, with the addition of Susan Taylor, they became the Pozo-Seco Singers, the phrase being a geological term to denote a dry well. Handled by Bob Dylan's manager Albert Grossman, they had major pop hits in the U.S. with "Time," "I Can Make It With You" and "Look What You've Done." Following Kline's departure, they employed several replacements, resulting in a lack of musical direction. After Williams had failed to turn the trio towards country music, they disbanded in 1971.
He then worked for his father-in-law but also wrote for Susan Taylor's solo album via Jack Clement's music publishing company. Clement asked Williams to record albums of his company's best songs, mainly with a view to attracting other performers. In 1973, Don Williams, Volume 1 was released on the fledgling JMI label and included such memorable songs as Bob McDill's apologia for growing old, "Amanda," and Williams' own "The Shelter of Your Eye." Williams' work was reissued by Dot Records, and Don Williams, Volume 2 included "Atta Way to Go" and "We Should Be Together." Williams then had a country No. 1 with Wayland Holyfield's "You're My Best Friend," which has become a standard and is the perennial sing-along anthem at his concerts. By now, the Williams' style had developed: gently paced love songs with straightforward arrangements, lyrics and sentiments. Williams was mining the same vein as Jim Reeves, but he eschewed Reeves' smartness by dressing like a ranch-hand. Besides having a huge contingent of female fans, Williams counted Eric Clapton and Pete Townshend among his admirers. Clapton recorded his country hit "Tulsa Time," written by Danny Flowers, a member of Williams' band.
Williams played a band member himself in the Burt Reynolds film W.W. & the Dixie Dance Kings and also appeared in Smokey and the Bandit 2. Williams' other successes include "Till the Rivers All Run Dry," "Some Broken Hearts Never Mend," "Lay Down Beside Me" and his only U.S. solo pop hit, "I Believe in You." Unlike most established country artists, he has not sought duet partners, although he and Emmylou Harris found success in 1981 with their version of Townes Van Zandt's "If I Needed You." Among the highlights of Williams' recording career is his interpretation of "Good Ol' Boys Like Me," McDill's homage to his southern roots. Moving to Capitol Records in the mid-'80s, Williams released such singles as "Heartbeat in the Darkness" and "Senorita," but the material was not as impressive. He took a sabbatical in 1988, but subsequent RCA Records recordings showed that nothing had changed.
In 1998, Williams released I Turn the Page on Giant Records, but the label soon closed its country music division. Following a live album in 2001, Williams retuned in 2004 with My Heart to You.
Maintaining his stress-free style, Williams continues to be a major concert attraction, especially in the U.K. and South Africa.
Williams initially started out as a songwriter for Jack Music Inc., since he lacked belief about going solo but then signed with JMI as a solo artist. His 1974 song "We Should Be Together" reached number five and he was signed on with ABC/Dot. His first single with ABC/Dot, "I Wouldn't Want to Live If You Didn't Love Me," became a number one hit, and was the first of a string of top ten hits he had between 1974 and 1991. In fact, only four of his 46 singles didn't make it to the Top Ten. Recently (as of 2012), he released the album And So It Goes.
From His Own Website.
They came to call Don Williams “the Gentle Giant” in the decades he was a dominating country hit maker because of his unique blend of commanding presence and that laid-back, easy style that has appealed to adult men and women alike—cutting across national and genre boundaries. If those personal and musical qualities stood out strongly across the 1970s, ‘80s and ‘90s, they are all the more distinctive in 2012, when so many country and pop records seem to work as check off lists of somebody’s idea of how to be a man, or hard-sell attempts to indicate affection for a woman. Don Williams has never sounded like he felt the need to sell somebody something, or to prove anything.
On And So It Goes, available from Sugar Hill on June 19th, that winning, self-assured ease is again front and center, and the musical style that has made Don a ballad vocal model for performers ranging from Eric Clapton (with whom he’d traded songs—“Tulsa Time,” “Lay Down Sally”) to Keith Urban (who guests on this release). One listen to the characteristically right-on-target vocals on this first Don Williams recording in eight years and his admirers will be wondering what he’s done to maintain that strength over the hiatus.
“Well, there are things that I don’t do,” Don laughs. “I don’t do a whole lot of sitting around chit-chatting, laughing, and carrying on—especially when I’m on the road, where that just makes you tired, anyway. Even at home on the farm there are literally days on end that I may not say anything but for an hour or two a day.”
This man who so clearly loves the quiet home life can still fill an auditorium or stadium across the U.S., the U.K., Europe and Africa; his special role as an international ambassador for American country and pop music is ongoing and his musical appeal, he has long since been astonished to find, is about the same from the Central Time Zone to central Africa.
“The weird thing about that is—no; I don’t change my show to go play England or Nairobi. I can pretty much choose anything from my repertoire and it works wherever I am, and that still amazes me, because you’re talking about different cultures, sometimes different languages, and the whole nine yards.”
The hundreds of memorable songs in that repertoire—over fifty of them major hits—whether contemplative ballads, affecting love songs or change-up rhythm numbers, have always been a core Don Williams strength and focus. Don and long-time producer Garth Fundis, who returns in that role on this new album, each credit the other with having contributed to their own song-picking and sequencing skills—skills well put to shared use again when Nashville’s finest writers submitted hundreds of songs for consideration for Don’s return to recording. They both knew what they were looking for in selections that would appear on And So It Goes:
“They’re very well written, they’re interesting, and the melody and the lyric are saying the same thing,” Don says. “Even when we’re starting looking for the songs, just experimenting, Garth and I are just in agreement; we just want to make good music that touches our hearts and, hopefully, touches others’ in the process. For many years, though, Garth has fussed at me about one thing— that we need to be sure and do whatever song that I wrote, because I would just pass over it. I get more excited about a new song that I’ve just heard than I do my own material!” (There are, in fact, two Don Williams co-writes among the ten outstanding songs on this new release.)
Riding and crossing the line between country and pop, and all the more distinctive for doing it, Don brought a sound and sensibility to the country charts that proved a smash—a development that was initially a surprise even to him.
“When I was just a wee lad,” he recalls, “I really appreciated people like Johnny Horton, Johnny Cash and Jim Reeves; all of those guys back then meant a lot to me, but at the same time, I really loved Brook Benton, and the Platters and all of those people. But even when I was ‘in pop’ myself, with everything that I wrote, the only people who really seemed to appreciate it were country fans. That has to tell you a little bit about where your heart’s at, whether your head agrees with it or not!”
Born in Floydada, Florida in 1939 and growing up near Corpus Christi, Texas, Don was playing guitar by age twelve, taught by his mother, and performed in folk, country and rock bands as a teenager. He first gained musical attention as a member of the pop folk trio The Pozo Seco Singers, which had six pop chart hits in 1966-’67, then was signed as a songwriter by Nashville’s Cowboy Jack Clement in 1971—the sort of songwriter whose demos demanded attention. Between 1974 and 1991, Don had at least one major hit every year, including such country standards to be as “ Good Ole Boys Like Me,” “Till the Rivers All Run Dry,” “It Must Be Love,” “I’m Just a Country Boy,” “Amanda” and “I Believe in You.” He also had a hit duet with Emmylou Harris on Townes Van Zandt’s “If I Needed You.” Don was the CMA Male Vocalist of the Year in 1978; his “Tulsa Time” was the ACM Record of the Year for 1979.
In 2010, Don received country music’s highest honor, with his induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Don Williams died on 8 september 2017 after a short illness. He was 78 years old.
(2) Founder and owner of Mojuba & A.R.T.less Records and one half of the Tokomak Records company. He is the creative force behind these imprints and Tokomak's main founding member. His musical influences ranges from Classic, Funk and Jazz via Drum & Bass and Trip Hop to his beloved Detroit Techno and US House, which can be still enjoyed throughout his DJ-Sets. After a few releases on the legendary Pure Plastic imprint, he delivers tracks of his own brand of funk on labels like Rewired, Styrax Leaves and 100% Pure.
Diamonds To Dust
Don Williams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It runs like a river between a woman and a man
But it's course can get twisted, its bed can run dry
And a heart become desert in the wink of an eye.
Once there was loving, once there was trust
Once it was honest and open and just
Our love was a diamond that grew between us
Diamond to dust, oh diamonds to dust
Time can turn even diamonds to dust.
--- Instrumental ---
Ooo ooo ooo ooo
Ooo ooo ooo ooo
Time is a teacher it's kind and it's cruel
It gives you the wisdom to see you're a fool
And it gives love and takes love, it hurts and it heals
And it never parts easy with the truth it reveals.
Diamond to dust, oh diamonds to dust
Time can turn even diamonds to dust.
Diamond to dust, oh diamonds to dust
Time can turn even diamonds to dust.
Ooo ooo ooo ooo
Ooo ooo ooo ooo
Ooo ooo ooo ooo
Ooo ooo ooo ooo...
The song "Diamonds to Dust" by Don Williams speaks about the fragility of love, how it can vanish in the blink of an eye, and how time can unmask the truth. The first verse of the song talks about how love is misunderstood by many people, and how it can turn bad, leaving a person's heart barren. The second verse describes how love can once be true and honest in a relationship, much like a diamond's preciousness, but it can change and turn into dust, losing all of its worth. The line "Time can turn even diamonds to dust" emphasizes how time can be both kind and cruel and how it can either nurture or destroy the love between two people.
The instrumental break in the song is a poignant reminder of how silence often speaks louder than words. The repetitions of "Ooo ooo ooo ooo" in the chorus embody the sound of the wind that carries away the ruins of what once was a loving relationship, symbolizing that it is gone forever. The last two stanzas talk about time as a teacher, which teaches lessons of wisdom, the power of self-reflection and self-realization, and the ability to learn from mistakes, lest one repeats them.
Line by Line Meaning
Love is a question that few understand
Love is a complex and mysterious emotion that is often difficult to fully comprehend.
It runs like a river between a woman and a man
Love is something that flows between two people in a relationship like a river.
But it's course can get twisted, its bed can run dry
However, love can become distorted in its path and may start to dry up.
And a heart become desert in the wink of an eye.
This can cause someone's heart to become like a deserted wasteland in a very short amount of time.
Once there was loving, once there was trust
There was a time when there love and trust between the two people.
Once it was honest and open and just
Their relationship was characterized by honesty, openness, and fairness.
Our love was a diamond that grew between us
Their love was like a precious diamond that was nurtured and grown over time.
But time can turn even diamonds to dust.
However, time has the power to slowly erode and destroy even the most precious things in life.
Diamond to dust, oh diamonds to dust
This phrase serves as a reminder that everything in life is transient and can eventually perish.
Time is a teacher it's kind and it's cruel
Time can be both a positive and negative influence in our lives and teaches us important lessons.
It gives you the wisdom to see you're a fool
Through experience and the passage of time, one can often gain a clearer understanding of their past mistakes and foolish decisions.
And it gives love and takes love, it hurts and it heals
Time has a complex relationship with love, sometimes causing hurt and sometimes healing wounds.
And it never parts easy with the truth it reveals.
Time has a way of gradually revealing the truth, which can be difficult to accept and move on from.
Ooo ooo ooo ooo
This is an instrumental break in the song.
Ooo ooo ooo ooo
This is an instrumental break in the song.
Diamond to dust, oh diamonds to dust
This phrase is repeated to emphasize the transience of life and the impermanence of all things.
Time can turn even diamonds to dust.
The previous phrase is reiterated once again to remind listeners of the fragility of life and the potential consequences of passing time.
Ooo ooo ooo ooo
This is an instrumental break in the song.
Ooo ooo ooo ooo
This is an instrumental break in the song.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DAN FOGELBERG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Pondy Hsu
Love is a question that few understand
It runs like a river between a woman and a man
But it's course can get twisted, its bed can run dry
And a heart become desert in the wink of an eye.
******************
Once there was loving, once there was trust
Once it was honest and open and just
Our love was a diamond that grew between us
But time can turn even diamonds to dust.
Diamond to dust, oh diamonds to dust
Time can turn even diamonds to dust.
******************
Ooh~ ooh~ ooh~ ooh~
Time is a teacher, it's kind and it's cruel
It gives you the wisdom to see you're a fool
And it gives love and takes love, it hurts and it heals
And it never parts easy with the truth it reveals.
Diamond to dust, oh diamonds to dust
Time can turn even diamonds to dust.
Diamond to dust, oh diamonds to dust
Time can turn even diamonds to dust.
Ooh~ ooh~ ooh~ ooh~
Ooh~ ooh~ ooh~ ooh~ .
Pondy Hsu
Love is a question that few understand
It runs like a river between a woman and a man
But it's course can get twisted, its bed can run dry
And a heart become desert in the wink of an eye.
******************
Once there was loving, once there was trust
Once it was honest and open and just
Our love was a diamond that grew between us
But time can turn even diamonds to dust.
Diamond to dust, oh diamonds to dust
Time can turn even diamonds to dust.
******************
Ooh~ ooh~ ooh~ ooh~
Time is a teacher, it's kind and it's cruel
It gives you the wisdom to see you're a fool
And it gives love and takes love, it hurts and it heals
And it never parts easy with the truth it reveals.
Diamond to dust, oh diamonds to dust
Time can turn even diamonds to dust.
Diamond to dust, oh diamonds to dust
Time can turn even diamonds to dust.
Ooh~ ooh~ ooh~ ooh~
Ooh~ ooh~ ooh~ ooh~ .
DAN OMONDI
A song full of message, I just love it
Linda David
one of best Don Williams' songs. i love it
Jason Feldman
So glad he recorded this gem by the late Dan Fogelberg. And it's almost as good a version of it.
Samuel Boafo Mensah
I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOUR SONGS MR. WILLIAMS
tokyo goyoul
awesome song......nostalgia...😀
Brighton kalunga
fantastic lyrics
beverly moore
@Brighton kalunga miss his rich baritone.
Kate Cohu
Great song 🎵
Wellington Kuchonya
Love it