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.
Choices
George Jones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Since the day that I was born
There were voices
That told me right from wrong
If I had listened
No I wouldn't be here today
Living and dying
With the choices I made
I was tempted
By an early age I found
I liked drinkin'
Oh, and I never turned it down
There were loved ones
But I turned them all away
Now I'm living and dying
With the choices I made
I've had choices
Since the day that I was born
There were voices
That told me right from wrong
If I had listened
No I wouldn't be here today
Living and dying
With the choices I made
I guess I'm payin'
For the things that I have done
If I could go back
Oh, Lord knows I'd run
But I'm still losin'
This game of life I play
Living and dying
With the choices I made
I've had choices
Since the day that I was born
There were voices
That told me right from wrong
If I had listened
No I wouldn't be here today
Living and dying
With the choices I made
Living and dying
With the choices I made
The song "Choices" by George Jones is a poignant reflection on the consequences of our choices in life. The singer reflects on the decisions he made throughout his life that led him to where he is today. The lyrics open with the realization that we all have choices in life, starting from the day we are born. The singer acknowledges that there were voices telling him what was right and wrong, but he didn’t always listen. The chorus reiterates the sentiment that if he had listened, perhaps he wouldn’t be where he is today.
The second verse describes how the singer was tempted at a young age and he used to love drinking, which ultimately led him to drive away loved ones. He realizes that he is now living and dying with the choices he made, with a sense of regret and sorrow. In the third verse, he acknowledges that he's paying for the things he's done and wishes he could go back and change his life. But, he's still losing this game of life he plays and must live and die with the choices he made.
Overall, "Choices" is a powerful song that speaks to the human experience – we all have choices, and sometimes, we make the wrong ones. The song is a reminder to be mindful of the choices we make and their potential consequences.
Line by Line Meaning
I've had choices
My life has not been predetermined; I have had agency to make decisions.
Since the day that I was born
As soon as I entered this world, I was given choices to make.
There were voices
Throughout my life, there have been people or beliefs telling me what is right and wrong.
That told me right from wrong
These voices have given me guidance on what is good and bad.
If I had listened
I acknowledge that I had a choice to follow the voices or not.
No I wouldn't be here today
If I had followed the voices and made different choices, my life would be different from what it is now.
Living and dying
I am experiencing the consequences of my past actions throughout my life and until my death.
With the choices I made
The circumstances in which I find myself are a direct result of the choices that I have made in the past.
I was tempted
There were moments in my life where I was faced with difficult choices with enticing outcomes.
By an early age I found
I was not old when I first experienced this type of temptation.
I liked drinkin'
One of my temptations was the consumption of alcohol.
Oh, and I never turned it down
When I was faced with the decision to not drink, I could not resist the temptation.
There were loved ones
People that cared about me tried to intervene and help me make better choices.
But I turned them all away
Unfortunately, I did not listen to their advice and continued on the path I chose.
I guess I'm payin'
I am now experiencing negative consequences of my actions.
For the things that I have done
I am facing repercussions for the choices I made in the past.
If I could go back
I regret some of the choices I made and wish I could redo them.
Oh, Lord knows I'd run
If given the opportunity, I would try to escape from the negative outcome of my choices.
But I'm still losin'
Despite wishing I could change my decisions, I still cannot change the present.
This game of life I play
I am still in the process of making choices, even if I do not have control over their past consequences.
Lyrics © CALHOUN ENTERPRISES, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Billy Wayne Yates, Michael Curtis
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ray Hawkins
I've made a lot of bad choices in my 55 years but I think I finally made a good one. Tomorrow I am going to rehab. I pray that I succeed. If you are reading this, please send me your good thoughts. God bless you.
Cody McCaskill
God Bless you sir
Kwadwo Annan
That's a good choice
Sheri Lowe
Sending strength and love your way. You can do this.
Cathy Schroeder
Second Chance !!! You will MAKE IT ❤️❤️❤️. God Bless You !!!
P. Vines & The Cryptids
any choice you make to better yourself isnt a bad one. hoping for an update soon!
Wes Johnson
You just can't get any better than this. He's not just singing lyrics, he's speaking from his heart.
Marvin Elkins
10 years sober - song hits home - praise Jesus Christ
D G
I only recently found the Lord and saviour Jesus Christ.
Early 60s for me. Most of my
Life was a train wreck. Opiate addiction, sex addiction, you name it. I’ve been clean for almost ten years now. But truthfully the last couple of months have totally changed everything. Since I’ve really started talking to God and studying His word my life has gotten better and better.
George Jones songs always make me emotional. What a singer. Praise God!
Oscar Landrum
I always enjoy what you share here on YouTube but we're not friends yet, I will love to be friends with you.. how are you feeling today.🥰🥰