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.
My Tears Are Overdue
George Jones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If you want to see somebody cry their heart out
For a love they lost and must live without
If you're not afraid my misery might rub off on you
Just hang around my tears are overdue
If you want to hear confessions from a broken man
Who once held a world of love right in his hands
If you wanna see a heartbreak right in two in front of you
Now there's not a way that I can say how much it really hurts
When a broken heart and guilty conscience starts to work
I hope you won't forget the sight you see today
Just remember love I had then threw away
If you're not afraid my misery might rub off on you
Just hang around my tears are overdue just hang around my tears are overdue
The song "My Tears Are Overdue" by George Jones delves into the pain and sorrow of a broken heart that is still grieving, even after some time has passed. The opening line "Just hang around my tears are overdue" is an invitation for anyone who wants to witness the anguish of the singer. He then goes on to describe the depth of his heartache, mentioning that he has lost a love that he cannot have again. The singer pleads to the listener, warning them that his pain is contagious and they may be affected by it if they choose to stay around him.
The second verse continues with the singer's confessions, admitting that he once held the love of his life in his hands and lost her. He invites the listener to witness the heartbreak that he is going through as he tries to come to terms with his loss. The chorus is repeated again, with the singer reminding the listener that the pain of the broken heart he is experiencing is not something anyone would want to catch. In the last verse, the singer talks about how difficult it is to express the magnitude of the pain he is feeling, but hopes that the witness of his misery will not forget it.
Overall, "My Tears Are Overdue" is a hauntingly beautiful song that captures the raw emotion of heartbreak and the desperation that comes with the loss of love. George Jones delivers a powerful vocal performance, conveying the depth of his hurt with his poignant lyrics and somber melody.
Line by Line Meaning
If you want to see somebody cry their heart out
If you want to witness someone expressing deep emotion and sorrow
For a love they lost and must live without
Due to the loss of a significant relationship, they must now learn to live without the presence of their loved one
If you're not afraid my misery might rub off on you
If you're willing to be around someone who is heartbroken, even if their sadness could potentially affect you as well
Just hang around my tears are overdue
Stay close by, as I have been holding back my tears for quite some time and I am in need of emotional release
If you want to hear confessions from a broken man
If you're interested in hearing the emotional and mental struggles of someone who is deeply hurt
Who once held a world of love right in his hands
Who previously had everything they ever wanted in terms of love and affection
If you wanna see a heartbreak right in two in front of you
If you would like to witness a person's heart shattering into pieces, in real time
Now there's not a way that I can say how much it really hurts
There are no words that can accurately describe the intensity of the emotional pain one feels when their heart is broken
When a broken heart and guilty conscience starts to work
When the combination of a heartbreak and feelings of wrongdoing begin to take an emotional toll
I hope you won't forget the sight you see today
I hope that the pain that I am displaying is not easily forgotten, and that it may have a lasting impact on those who witness it
Just remember love I had then threw away
Please keep in mind that I had love at one point, but I made a mistake that caused me to lose it
Just hang around my tears are overdue just hang around my tears are overdue
I am in desperate need of someone to be there for me, to support me emotionally and to help me get through this difficult time
Lyrics © GLAD MUSIC CO.
Written by: FREDDIE HART
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
aggie shuler
He sings the truth with such feeling and clarity. You can hear his range and ability to use it for good.
Bill Doe
damn im not ashamed to admit it, but i cried during this song,cause the Golden Voice was remarkable and we thank you for the memories George,
machenderson
And there sings the late Great George Jones, to be surpassed by none.
Mortimer Post
Just listen to Mr. Jones draw out the last "hang around." Dammit, that's country soul, through and through, friend!
J Barry
Right out of the Lefty handbook! Not a surprise as George was a big Lefty Frizzell fan. This is a great version!
John O'Guinn
He murdered that hang around 🔥🔥
Roberta Elder
I've just came across this song from George Jones and the song got a hold on me thank you so much for the songs keep playing them for me thank you you tube and country collection I am very happy
Teresa McClanahan
Wow he was so Amazing so glad I grew up with real, true, pure Country Music from this Legend “George Jones!”
I Loved this, Thanks so much for sharing! 😉😊
BradRoss63
What a voice - one of a kind!
Celestino Esquibel
Greatest Ever! Nuff said!