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.
It Ain't Easy
Gretchen Wilson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I might leave with you right now
Sounds good, but what about tomorrow?
Could I face another day?
Could I wash it all away?
Would it leave me feeling stained and hollow?
Tell me, would you make it worth all the sorrow?
It ain't easy
Being strong
So hard to walk away
From what you want
Yeah, it would feel so right
But it would feel so wrong
No, it ain't easy being strong
Temptation is a funny thing
It'll tell you it's okay
Go ahead, and get swept away
It's all right
But when I come back down to earth
I'm gonna know it wasn't worth
All the guilt and all the hurt for one night
Yeah, you can wait, I'm gonna pay the price
It ain't easy
Being strong
So hard to walk away
From what you want
Yeah, it would feel so right
But it would feel so wrong
No, it ain't easy bein' strong
But it would feel so right
But it would feel so wrong
No, it ain't easy, oh, it ain't easy
No, it ain't easy being strong, uh
It ain't easy
Being strong
The lyrics of Gretchen Wilson's song It Ain't Easy describe the struggle of resisting temptation and making the difficult decision to walk away from something that feels good in the moment, but could potentially cause pain and regret in the future. The singer is tempted to have another drink and leave with someone, but questions whether it's worth it in the long run. She wonders if she can face the consequences and if it will leave her feeling hollow and stained. She asks the hypothetical person if they can make it worth all the sorrow and is ultimately conflicted about what to do.
The chorus of the song emphasizes the difficulty of being strong and walking away from what you want. The singer acknowledges that it would feel so right to give in to temptation, but ultimately it would feel so wrong. The singer knows that temptation is a deceptive thing that can make you feel like it's okay to get swept away, but in the end the guilt and hurt are not worth it. The chorus is a reminder of the inner strength required to resist temptation and make the right decision.
Overall, the lyrics of It Ain't Easy paint a picture of a struggle that everyone faces at some point in their lives. The internal battle between what feels good in the moment and what is right in the long run is not an easy one, but it is necessary in order to live a life with minimal regret and pain. The song is a reminder of the importance of being strong and making difficult decisions in order to preserve one's well-being.
Line by Line Meaning
If I have another round
Contemplating drinking more alcohol
I might leave with you right now
Considering going home with someone
Sounds good, but what about tomorrow?
Questioning the long-term consequences of impulsive actions
Could I face another day?
Asking if she can handle the aftermath of a decision
Could I wash it all away?
Wondering if she can forget the experience
Would it leave me feeling stained and hollow?
Pondering how the situation would make her feel inside
Tell me, would you make it worth all the sorrow?
Asking if the person tempting her is worth the potential emotional pain
It ain't easy
Being strong
So hard to walk away
Resisting temptation is difficult
From what you want
Desire can cloud judgement
Yeah, it would feel so right
Acting on impulses can be tempting
But it would feel so wrong
Knowing that giving in to temptation could have negative consequences
Temptation is a funny thing
Reflecting on the misleading nature of desire
It'll tell you it's okay
Desire can make you believe things are acceptable when they're not
Go ahead, and get swept away
Encouraging impulsive behavior
It's all right
Implying that giving in to temptation won't have consequences
But when I come back down to earth
Realizing the reality of the situation
I'm gonna know it wasn't worth
Regretting the decision to give in to temptation
All the guilt and all the hurt for one night
Feeling the negative fallout of a decision for a brief moment of pleasure
Yeah, you can wait, I'm gonna pay the price
Recognizing that the consequences of decisions generally fall on the person making the choice
No, it ain't easy bein' strong
Resisting temptation requires inner strength
But it would feel so right
Giving in to temptation can feel satisfying in the moment
No, it ain't easy bein' strong
Repeating that it's difficult to resist temptation
But it would feel so wrong
Knowing that indulging in temptation could have negative consequences
No, it ain't easy, oh, it ain't easy
Acknowledging once again that resisting temptation is difficult
No, it ain't easy being strong, uh
Reiterating that resisting temptation requires strength
Contributed by Ian N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.