Gretchen was born in Pocahontas, Illinois to a 16-year-old mother. Her father left before she was two years old, and she and her mother lived in trailer parks and relative poverty. Gretchen's mother worked as a waitress, and Gretchen herself dropped out of the 8th grade at age 15 to work as a cook and bartender in rural Illinois.
After a failed marriage to former Baywolfe bandmate Larry Rolens, Gretchen moved to Nashville and began dating Mike Penner. They have a daughter, Grace Frances Penner, who was born November 9, 2000.
Gretchen, who had sung for Kmart as a child, sang in two bar bands by the age of 20. In 1996 she moved to Nashville to sing back-up and record sample songs. In 2000, she met John Rich, a former member of Lonestar, who invited her to become his song-writing partner. Wilson signed with Epic Records in 2003 and recorded Here for the Party within the year.
Her first single, "Redneck Woman", was released in early 2004 and reached the top of the Hot Country Songs charts and #22 on the Billboard Hot 100. The success of "Redneck Woman" prompted an earlier-than-planned release for Here for the Party -- May 11, 2004 -- and it debuted at #1 on the Billboard country chart. It also reached #2 on the Billboard 200 and Billboard Internet album sales charts. She performed as a support artist for Brooks & Dunn and Montgomery Gentry.
She released the title track Here For The Party as the second single. It peaked at #3 on the Billboard country chart. Two other songs were released as singles, and both reached the top 10. Released in markets outside the U.S., the album hit #2 on the Australian country charts (behind Kasey Chambers) and the top 50 of the Australian charts. As of July 5, 2004, "Redneck Woman" was #1 on a world composite country chart (based on the U.S., UK, and Australia charts). The album went on sell more than 4 million copies in the U.S. and 5 million worldwide and was certified four times platinum.
On September 27, 2005, Gretchen released her second album, All Jacked Up, which peaked at #1 on both the Top 200 and Country album charts, but, after initial decent sales, the album quickly fell off the charts. It was certified Platinum and sold 1 million copies. The title track, All Jacked Up, peaked at a disappointing #8 on the Country singles chart and was the only song from the album to reach the top 10. The second single, I Don't Feel Like Loving You Today, peaked at #22. The third and the fourth singles were Politically Uncorrect and California Girls, which peaked respectively at #23 and #25 on the Country chart. Kid Rock appeared on "The Other Side of Me," an exclusive track that Target released with the album.
On February 28, 2006, Gretchen appeared on Kid Rock and The Twisted Brown Trucker Band's "Live" Trucker, as she performed "Picture" recorded at Detroit's Cobo Hall, 3/26/04. On November 2006, she released a new single called Come To Bed, a song produced by her friend John Rich, who also sings the background vocals. The song's suggestive video received a TV-14 S rating when aired on CMT.
Gretchen's "I Don't Feel Like Loving You Today" was nominated for two Grammy Awards: Best Female Country Vocal Performance, and Best Country Song. In 2006, Wilson contributed a well-received cover of Kris Kristofferson's Sunday Mornin' Coming Down on the tribute CD The Pilgrim: A Celebration of Kris Kristofferson. In 2007, Wilson displayed her rock and roll vocals on the cable TV special VH1 Rock Honors, singing Heart's hit Barracuda, along with Alice in Chains and Heart member Nancy Wilson on guitars.,
On May 15, 2007, Gretchen released her third album, One of the Boys. The album debuted at #5 on the Top 200 and at #1 on the Country album chart. After 11 weeks, it exited the Billboard Top 200, having sold just 178,220 copies at that point. "Come To Bed" and "One Of The Boys", the first two singles released, both failed to enter the top 30 and missed the Hot 100 completely. The third single, "You Don't Have to Go Home", was even less successful, peaking at #53.
As Far As You Know
Gretchen Wilson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've gotten over you
And I bet it makes it easy yeah
Bet you still believed
When you let me go
I made a clean goodbye
Like it didn't even phase me no
I didn't even cry
I've got a face to save too
But when I get home all alone
I get to thinkin' 'bout
What you did and I
Come on Sweetie
And I burn all your letters
Tear off the linen
Break all the mirrors
As if you were in 'em
And stop
Take a breath
Take a breath
Take control
Oh 'cause you know me
I'll let you go
As far as you know
Everything's A-OK
'Cause all I let you see is
The smile that I fake
And nobody knows
How much I hurt inside
'Cause I keep it in the closet yeah
And I hold my head up high
Won't need my pride that I lose no
Lay down and die I refuse oh
Yeah when I get home all alone
I get to thinkin' 'bout
What you did and I
Come on Sweetie
And I burn all your letters
Tear off the linen
Break all the mirrors
As if you were in 'em
And stop
Take a breath
take a breath
Take control
Oh 'cause you know me
I've got to go
As far as you know
I'm missin' you now
As far as you know
Need to twist your little neck
'Cause when I get home all alone
I get to thinkin' 'bout
What you did and I
Come on Sweetie
And I burn all your letters
Tear off the linen
Break all the mirrors
As if you were in 'em
Pull off the walls
break half the laws
I've got a pistol to light up a fire
And I stop
Gretchen Wilson’s song As Far As You Know is about the pain of a breakup and the feeling of needing to put on a brave face for the world, even though inside you are hurting. The song starts with the line "As far as you know, I've gotten over you" indicating that the person who left is under the impression that the singer has moved on. However, as the song continues, it is clear that the singer is struggling with the breakup and is trying to maintain a facade of strength. While the singer is out in public, she puts on a fake smile to hide her emotions, but when she is alone, she burns letters and breaks mirrors as if the person who left is still there. The line "I've got a face to save too" emphasizes the importance of the singer's public image.
The song shows the struggle between the public and private selves that come with a breakup. A person may try to look unaffected by the breakup in front of others, but inside, the feelings of hurt and betrayal can be overwhelming. The lyric “I've got a pistol to light up a fire” emphasizes this struggle and how the pain of the breakup can push someone to extreme thoughts.
Line by Line Meaning
As far as you know
From your perspective
I've gotten over you
I've moved on from our relationship
And I bet it makes it easy yeah
I'm sure it's easier for you to not have me cling to you
Bet you still believed
I'm sure you thought
When you let me go
When you broke up with me
I made a clean goodbye
I acted as though our break up didn't bother me
Like it didn't even phase me no
As though it didn't even impact me
I didn't even cry
I didn't shed a tear
But it's not all about you no
However, it's not only about you
I've got a face to save too
I have a reputation to maintain as well
Everything's A-OK
Everything is normal and fine
'Cause all I let you see is
Because all I show you is
The smile that I fake
The forced smile that I put on
And nobody knows
No one is aware
How much I hurt inside
The extreme pain that I feel internally
Cause I keep it in the closet yeah
Since I conceal it from everyone around me
And I hold my head up high
I maintain a dignified attitude
Won't need my pride that I lose no
I won't let go of my self-respect
Lay down and die I refuse oh
I refuse to give up or surrender
I'm missin' you now
I currently miss you
Need to twist your little neck
I want to cause you physical pain
Pull off the walls, break half the laws
I'll be destructive and break rules
I've got a pistol to light up a fire
I have the means to start a fire with a gun
Take a breath, take a breath, take control
I need to calm down and take control of myself
Oh 'cause you know me
Because you have a good idea of who I am
I'll let you go
I will finally let you go from my thoughts
And I burn all your letters
I destroy all the letters you ever sent me
Tear off the linen
I rip the fabric apart
Break all the mirrors
I shatter all the mirrors in sight
As if you were in 'em
As though you were inside the mirrors
Come on Sweetie
Let's go
And I stop
I pause
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BEKKA BRAMLETT, BOBBY TERRY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind