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.
I'm Ragged But I'm Right
George Jones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm a tramp and a rounder, I stay out late at night
A porterhouse steak three times a day for my board
That's more than any loafer in this old town can afford.
Well, a big electric fan to keep me cool while I sleep
A little baby boy to play 'round daddy's feet
I'm a rambler, I'm a gambler and I lead every life
Now, when I got married, I knew I'd settle down
And built a little love nest right here in my hometown
So now I've got a family, one that I'm proud of
I know that I'll be happy, 'cause they're the ones I love
Well, a big electric fan to keep me cool while I sleep
A little baby boy to play 'round daddy's feet
I'm a rambler, I'm a gambler and I lead every life
I tell you folks, I'm ragged but I'm right
In George Jones's song, "I'm Ragged But I'm Right," the singer is acknowledging his rough appearance and unconventional lifestyle, but asserting that he is still in the right. He refers to himself as a tramp and a rounder, staying out late at night and enjoying the luxuries of a porterhouse steak three times a day. Despite his non-traditional lifestyle, he argues that he is still doing better than many others in the town who can't even afford that.
The chorus highlights his willingness to lead any kind of life, as he roams and gambles, but he remains firm in his belief that he is doing the right thing. He also notes that he has a family now, and while he may still be ragged, he is happy because he loves them.
The overall message of the song seems to be that it's alright to deviate from the norm and embrace an unconventional lifestyle, as long as you feel that you are doing what is right for you. The lyrics suggest that happiness and contentment come from following your own path, rather than conforming to societal expectations.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, I've a-come here to tell you folks, I'm ragged but I'm right
I may not be the fanciest or the richest person around, but I know I'm living my life the right way.
I'm a tramp and a rounder, I stay out late at night
I enjoy my freedom and don't feel the need to conform to societal norms.
A porterhouse steak three times a day for my board
I work hard and I deserve to pamper myself with the best food I can afford to eat.
That's more than any loafer in this old town can afford.
I'm not a lazy person like some others in this town who don't work hard and would never be able to afford such luxuries.
Well, a big electric fan to keep me cool while I sleep
I like my creature comforts and I won't compromise on them, even if it means using an electric fan to keep cool at night.
A little baby boy to play 'round daddy's feet
I may be living a nontraditional life, but I still have the joy and love of a family in my life.
I'm a rambler, I'm a gambler and I lead every life
I'm not afraid to take risks and try new things, even if it means leading a life that others may not understand or approve of.
'Cause I tell you folks, I'm ragged but I'm right.
Despite my unconventional choices in life and my lack of material possessions, I know that I am still living my life with integrity and doing what's right for me.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: GEORGE JONES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind