Born in Texas, Jones first heard country music when he was seven, and was given a guitar at the age of nine. He married his first wife, Dorothy Bonvillion, in 1950, and was divorced in 1951. He served in the United States Marine Corps and was discharged in 1953. He married Shirley Ann Corley in 1954. In 1959, Jones recorded "White Lightning", written by J. P. Richardson, which launched his career as a singer. His second marriage ended in divorce in 1968; he married fellow country music singer Tammy Wynette a year later. Years of alcoholism compromised his health and led to his missing many performances, earning him the nickname "No Show Jones". After his divorce from Wynette in 1975, Jones married his fourth wife, Nancy Sepulvado, in 1983 and became sober for good in 1999. Jones died in 2013, aged 81, from hypoxic respiratory failure.
George Jones has been called "The Rolls Royce Of Country Music" and had more than 160 chart singles to his name from 1955 until his death in 2013. Johnny Cash once said, "When people ask me who my favorite country singer is, I say, 'You mean besides George Jones?'"
Jones tirelessly defended the integrity of country music, telling Billboard in 2006, "It's never been for love of money. I thank God for it because it makes me a living. But I sing because I love it, not because of the dollar signs." Jones also went out of his way to promote younger country singers that he felt were as passionate about the music as he was. "Everybody knows he's a great singer," Alan Jackson stated in 1995, "but what I like most about George is that when you meet him, he is like some old guy that works down at the gas station...even though he's a legend!"
Shortly after Jones' death, Andrew Mueller wrote about his influence in Uncut, "He was one of the finest interpretive singers who ever lifted a microphone...There cannot be a single country songwriter of the last 50-odd years who has not wondered what it might be like to hear their words sung by that voice." In an article for The Texas Monthly in 1994, Nick Tosches eloquently described the singer's vocal style: "While he and his idol, Hank Williams, have both affected generations with a plaintive veracity of voice that has set them apart, Jones has an additional gift—a voice of exceptional range, natural elegance, and lucent tone. Gliding toward high tenor, plunging toward deep bass, the magisterial portamento of his onward-coursing baritone emits white-hot sparks and torrents of blue, investing his poison love songs with a tragic gravity and inflaming his celebrations of the honky-tonk ethos with the hellfire of abandon." In the New Republic essay "Why George Jones ranks with Frank Sinatra and Billie Holiday," David Hajdu writes:
"Jones had a handsome and strange voice. His singing was always partly about the appeal of the tones he produced, regardless of the meaning of the words. In this sense, Jones had something in common with singers of formal music and opera, though his means of vocal production were radically different from theirs. He sang from the back of his throat, rather than from deep in his diaphragm. He tightened his larynx to squeeze sound out. He clenched his jaw, instead of wriggling it free. He forced wind through his teeth, and the notes sounded weirdly beautiful."
David Cantwell recalled in 2013, "His approach to singing, he told me once, was to call up those memories and feelings of his own that most closely corresponded to those being felt by the character in whatever song he was performing. He was a kind of singing method actor, creating an illusion of the real." In the liner notes to Essential George Jones: The Spirit of Country Rich Kienzle states, "Jones sings of people and stories that are achingly human. He can turn a ballad into a catharsis by wringing every possible emotion from it, making it a primal, strangled cry of anguish". In 1994, country music historian Colin Escott pronounced, "Contemporary country music is virtually founded on reverence for George Jones. Walk through a room of country singers and conduct a quick poll, George nearly always tops it." In the wake of Jones's death, Merle Haggard pronounced in Rolling Stone, "His voice was like a Stradivarius violin: one of the greatest instruments ever made." Emmylou Harris wrote, "when you hear George Jones sing, you are hearing a man who takes a song and makes it a work of art - always," a quote that appeared on the sleeve of Jones' 1976 album The Battle. In the documentary Same Ole Me, several country music stars offer similar thoughts. Randy Travis: "It sounds like he's lived every minute of every word that he sings and there's very few people who can do that"; Tom T. Hall: "It was always Jones who got the message across just right"; and Roy Acuff: "I'd give anything if I could sing like George Jones". In the same film, producer Billy Sherrill states, "All I did was change the instrumentation around him. I don't think he's changed at all."
On June 25, 2019, The New York Times Magazine listed George Jones among hundreds of artists whose material was reportedly destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire.
A Place In The Country
George Jones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hustlin' day in day out just tryin' to survive,
He bought his wife the finer things,and sent his kids to collage,
That always took what little bit he tried to put aside,
But through it all he had one thing that seemed to keep him going,
A dream that someday he could leave this city life behind,
I watched his hair turn thin and gray, but his dream never faded,
[Chorus]
He always wanted, a place out in the country,
Where the birds sing, in the morning,and the grass is emerald green,
A place where, he could feel the mornin' sunshine,
And sit out in the evenin', where the air is, fresh and clean.
It took lots of overtime to keep his wife up with the jonses,
And more to get his son out of his run-ins with the law,
The more it took the more he gave, never once complaining,
I don't know how he ever stood the pressure of it all.
I never thought he'd make it, but he finally left the city,
And now he's got that special little place to call his own,
Today I took a ride out in the country just to see him,
It wasn't hard to find because his name was on the stone.
[Chorus: x2]
The lyrics of George Jones's song "A Place In The Country" tell the story of a man who spent over thirty years living in the city and working tirelessly to provide for his family. Despite the hardships and pressure that came along with city life, he never lost sight of his dream of one day owning a place in the country. He worked hard, providing for his family by buying them the finer things in life and sending his children off to college, but this always took a toll on his finances.
Through all of this, his dream of owning a place in the country kept him going. He talked about it a thousand times, never allowing it to fade away even as the years passed and he watched his hair turn thin and gray. Eventually, he was able to fulfill his dream and leave the city for good. Now he has that special little place to call his own, a place where he can feel the morning sunshine and sit out in the evening with fresh, clean air.
The song is a poignant tribute to the perseverance and resilience of the human spirit. It is a reminder that even when life gets tough, it is important to hold onto our dreams and keep moving forward. The lyrics capture the essence of the American Dream and the idea that, with hard work and determination, anyone can achieve their goals.
Line by Line Meaning
For thirty some odd years he faced a grinder in the city,
For over three decades, he grinded through the harshness of city life,
Hustlin' day in day out just tryin' to survive,
Everyday, he hustled just to stay alive,
He bought his wife the finer things,and sent his kids to collage,
He provided his family with luxuries and funded his children's education,
That always took what little bit he tried to put aside,
But all that expense consumed any savings he could have made,
But through it all he had one thing that seemed to keep him going,
Yet, there was one thought that always kept him on the move,
A dream that someday he could leave this city life behind,
The dream of living a peaceful life away from the hustle and bustle of the city,
I watched his hair turn thin and gray, but his dream never faded,
As time went on, age caught up with him, but his dream remained as strong as ever,
He told me all about it at least a thousand times.
The dream was so vivid, he shared it countless times with anyone who would listen.
He always wanted, a place out in the country,
His heart always yearned for an abode in the serene countryside,
Where the birds sing, in the morning,and the grass is emerald green,
A place where the melody of birds would provide the perfect morning hymn and lush green grass would be his view,
A place where, he could feel the mornin' sunshine,
Where the early morning sun would be his daily companion,
And sit out in the evenin', where the air is, fresh and clean.
And where he could sit and unwind in the evening amidst fresh and clean air.
It took lots of overtime to keep his wife up with the jonses,
To maintain a comfortable lifestyle for his wife, he had to work relentlessly overtime,
And more to get his son out of his run-ins with the law,
On top of that, he had to use a considerable amount to bail out his son from his unlawful transgressions,
The more it took the more he gave, never once complaining,
Despite all the financial pressure, he kept giving without any complaints or regrets,
I don't know how he ever stood the pressure of it all.
It was hard to comprehend how he dealt with all the financial pressure for so long.
I never thought he'd make it, but he finally left the city,
Leaving the city and fulfilling his lifelong dream was something that never seemed possible,
And now he's got that special little place to call his own,
But now, he finally had a special place he could call his own,
Today I took a ride out in the country just to see him,
On that day, I took a ride to the country to see him in his new abode,
It wasn't hard to find because his name was on the stone.
It was easy to locate since his name was on the stone, marking the entrance to his beautiful countryside getaway.
He always wanted, a place out in the country,
His dream of having a countryside home finally became a reality.
Where the birds sing, in the morning,and the grass is emerald green,
Where the melody of birds and the lush green grass would be his daily hymn,
A place where, he could feel the mornin' sunshine,
And where the warmth of the morning sun would be his daily companion,
And sit out in the evenin', where the air is, fresh and clean.
Where he could sit and relax in the evening, amidst the fresh and clean countryside air.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Cade Howell
For thirty some odd years he faced a grinder in the city,
Hustlin' day in day out just tryin' to survive,
He bought his wife the finer things, and sent his kids to collage,
That always took what little bit he tried to put aside,
But through it all he had one thing that seemed to keep him going,
A dream that someday he could leave this city life behind,
I watched his hair turn thin and gray, but his dream never faded,
He told me all about it at least a thousand times.
He always wanted, a place out in the country,
Where the birds sing, in the morning, and the grass is emerald green,
A place where, he could feel the mornin' sunshine,
And sit out in the evenin', where the air is, fresh and clean.
It took lots of overtime to keep his wife up with the jonses,
And more to get his son out of his run-ins with the law,
The more it took the more he gave, never once complaining,
I don't know how he ever stood the pressure of it all.
I never thought he'd make it, but he finally left the city,
And now he's got that special little place to call his own,
Today I took a ride out in the country just to see him,
It wasn't hard to find because his name was on the stone.
He always wanted, a place out in the country,
Where the birds sing, in the morning, and the grass is emerald green,
A place where, he could feel the mornin' sunshine,
And sit out in the evenin', where the air is, fresh and clean.
He always wanted, a place out in the country,
Where the birds sing, in the morning, and the grass is emerald green,
A place where, he could feel the mornin' sunshine,
And sit out in the evenin', where the air is, fresh and clean.
barney miller
great song - the greatest singer - it doesn't get any better than this.
Bodie Tyler
I heard this song as a kid and loved it. I'm older now and fully understand the meaning of it. When I pass away, I hope it's played at my funeral.
Sam Fowler
I believe even God likes this song. I've known George since I was 13. He has always been my Favorite. RIP George
Dennis Mosley
He could just tear your heart out with the emotion he sang with. He was the Greatest of them all.
Andre Vachon
It's a wonder to me that this song never went to the top of the country charts. It is in fact one of his lesser known songs. Another murder on Music Row...
KLUNKET
The way he phrases "Place out in the Country" ... my God. If that doesn't make your hair stand on end nothing will! Pay attention youngins' because THAT is how it is done!!!
John Macleod
Love this song,he was the best country singer on the planet RIPGeorge. Marlain
Dennis Mosley
He just tears your heart out. No one was even close to him period. He was the very best.
Tom Mc
Would never disrespect the great man but Irish singer Mick flavin covers a lot of his songs and his version of this is incredible anyone who loves George will love micks voice .
Susie Patterson
He melts my heart...