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.
Busted
George Jones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I'm busted
Cotton is down to a quarter a pound
I'm busted
I got a cow that went dry
And a hen that won't lay
A big stack of bills
The county's gonna haul
My belongings away
'Cause I'm busted
I went to my brother to ask for a loan
I was busted
I hate to beg like a dog for a bone
But I'm busted
My brother said, "there ain't a thing I can do
My wife and my kids are all down with the flu
I was just thinkin' about callin' on you
I'm busted"
Well, I am no thief
But a man can go wrong when he's busted
The food that we canned last summer is gone
And I'm busted
The fields are all bare
And the cotton won't grow
Me and my family gotta pack up and go
I'll make a living, but how, I don't know
'Cause I'm busted
No bread, I mean nothin'
"Busted" is a classic country song by George Jones that reflects the harsh reality of poverty and financial struggles. The first verse sets the tone for the rest of the song, as the singer confesses that he is behind on all of his bills, and his children need new shoes, and he feels "busted." The agricultural theme of the song is also clear from the start, when the singer laments that the price of cotton is down, and he's not making enough money.
The second verse goes into further detail about the singer's hardships. His cow has stopped producing milk, and his hen won't lay eggs, leaving him with less to sell. Meanwhile, he has stacks of bills that keep growing, and he can't keep up. He faces eviction from his home, which is another consequence of being in such dire financial straits. All of these struggles make the singer feel like he is "busted" beyond repair.
The third verse takes a more desperate turn, as the singer turns to his brother for help. However, his brother is unable to help him, and this is the final straw for the singer. He has no other options but to resort to doing something illegal to survive. The song ends on a somber note, with the singer feeling broken and defeated.
Line by Line Meaning
My bills are all due and the babies need shoes
All of my bills need to be paid, and my children need new shoes. I am in a bad financial state.
And I'm busted
I have no money left. I am broke.
Cotton is down to a quarter a pound
The price of cotton is very low. I won't make much profit even if I sell it.
I'm busted
I am broke and can't afford to buy or do anything right now.
I got a cow that went dry
My cow is not producing milk anymore. I need milk for my family and it is affecting my income.
And a hen that won't lay
My hen is not laying eggs. I need the eggs to feed my family or sell them to earn money.
A big stack of bills
I have a huge pile of bills that keeps growing with time.
That gets bigger each day
The amount of money I owe keeps increasing every day. I can't keep up.
The county's gonna haul
The county authorities will seize or take away my belongings like furniture or anything that has value.
My belongings away
The officials will take my possessions to pay off my debts. I have nothing left to offer as security.
'Cause I'm busted
The reason behind losing everything is that I don't have money, I am broke.
I went to my brother to ask for a loan
I asked my brother to lend me some money to help me in my time of financial crisis.
I was busted
I approached my brother because I was broke and needed help financially.
I hate to beg like a dog for a bone
Asking for a favor or financial help makes me feel embarrassed and needy. I don't like begging.
But I'm busted
I wouldn't ask for money if I had the means to support myself or my family. I am broke and have no other option.
My brother said, "there ain't a thing I can do
My brother is in no position to help me. He can't lend me any money.
My wife and my kids are all down with the flu
My brother has other financial problems to tackle. His family is sick and needs medical attention.
I was just thinkin' about callin' on you
Ironically, I was thinking of helping my brother when he called me for assistance.
I'm busted
My financial situation is not good right now. I can't afford any unexpected expenses or bills.
Well, I am no thief
I am not a criminal, and I have never stolen anything. I am in financial trouble, but I won't resort to any illegal activities to earn money.
But a man can go wrong when he's busted
When a person is broke and desperate, they might make poor decisions that can harm others or themselves.
The food that we canned last summer is gone
I don't have any food left in my pantry, even the one I stored for future use.
And I'm busted
My bank account is empty, and I have nothing valuable to trade or sell.
The fields are all bare
All my land is barren, and my harvest has failed. I won't earn a good amount.
And the cotton won't grow
Even if I put in effort, my fields won't yield any cotton. My financial situation won't improve in the near future.
Me and my family gotta pack up and go
We have to vacate this place and move elsewhere. We can't afford to live here anymore.
I'll make a living, but how, I don't know
I'll try to earn some money for my family's survival, but I don't know how I will do that now. My future is uncertain.
'Cause I'm busted
The reason behind my life's downfall is my awful financial state. I have no money left to my name, and I can't afford much right now.
No bread, I mean nothin'
I don't have any money or possessions to live on, so I am extremely broke. I can't afford to buy even the essential items for survival like bread or food.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Harlan Howard
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@10mmRebel
I'm busted but I feel rich when I listen to George Jones by god!
@fowie3
I love it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@marythompson5458
I Not Heard This Song In Years George Can Sing Angthing Make It Great Rip
@raymomdarthur5159
great song by George jones.
@jasonshepperd7907
God I miss this man
@kjhulk
I've said it before and i'll say it again, I'd buy i record of George Jones reading a Chinese restaurant's menu.
@grenade8753
That would genuinely be hilarious
@dmefford86
i use to listen to this cd on full volume through the city of indianapolis with the windows down and the bass and treble up in my grand dads old ford truck he sold me
@dawnstrydom4031
Awesome 💕💕
@emilyempowers1939
R.i.p. George I love you so much :(