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.
Right On Time
Gretchen Wilson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I jump every river I cross
Not much for following the sensible size,
I can't count the times I've been lost
'Cause you can't see where you're going in the pouring rain,
When you're running into walls, feeling no pain
We all owe dues to the devil, I've paid mine
I don't regret a single moment
It's been one hell of a ride
I count myself among the fortunate ones,
Made it to the other side
Yeah you go what you go through to get where you are
Lucky for me, I didn't go too far
I turned around before the end of the line,
Took a while to get here, but I'm right on time
No, you can't see where you're going in the pouring rain,
When you're running into walls, feeling no pain
We all owe dues to the devil and I've sure paid mine
Took a while to get here but I'm right on time
Took a while to get here but I'm right on time
In Gretchen Wilson's song "Right On Time", the lyrics speak of a person who doesn't necessarily follow the normal path in life. They don't have the patience to wait for the "sensible size" and have found themselves lost numerous times. However, they have persevered through the obstacles they've faced, even when it feels like they're running into walls in the pouring rain. The lyrics mention how everyone has dues to pay to the devil and the singer has already paid theirs, finally arriving at their destination, albeit after taking a while.
The singer in the song seems to be proud of their journey and all that they've overcome to get where they are today. Even though they've faced challenges along the way, they express no regret for their experiences, viewing it as one "hell of a ride". They express gratitude for having made it to the other side and not having gone too far down the wrong path. The lyrics are about trusting the path you choose and trusting that you will ultimately end up where you need to be, even if it takes a while.
Overall, "Right On Time" is a song about resilience and persistence, despite facing obstacles and taking a more unconventional path in life. It emphasizes the idea that the journey to success is rarely easy or straightforward, but as long as you stay true to yourself and work hard, success will come to you in due time.
Line by Line Meaning
It's not my nature to be patient
I am not a patient person by nature.
I jump every river I cross
I take risks in life and face challenges head-on.
Not much for following the sensible size,
I do not conform to what is considered sensible or mainstream.
I can't count the times I've been lost
I have been lost or unsure of what to do many times in life.
'Cause you can't see where you're going in the pouring rain,
When life gets tough and obstacles come my way, it's hard to see the way forward.
When you're running into walls, feeling no pain
Even when I face setbacks, I remain determined and do not let fear or pain stop me.
We all owe dues to the devil, I've paid mine
Everyone has their share of struggles or bad experiences, and I have had my fair share of them.
Took a while to get here, but I'm right on time
Even though it took me some time to reach my current state, I am content with where I am now.
I don't regret a single moment
I have no regrets about any of the experiences or choices that have brought me to where I am now.
It's been one hell of a ride
My life so far has been a wild and exciting journey.
I count myself among the fortunate ones,
I consider myself lucky to have made it to this point in my life.
Made it to the other side
I have overcome challenges and obstacles in my life and have emerged victorious.
Yeah you go what you go through to get where you are
Life requires you to go through difficult experiences in order to achieve success or happiness.
Lucky for me, I didn't go too far
I didn't have to endure more hardships than necessary to reach my current state.
I turned around before the end of the line,
I changed direction or made course corrections before it was too late.
Took a while to get here, but I'm right on time
It may have taken me some time, but I am exactly where I need to be at this moment in time.
No, you can't see where you're going in the pouring rain,
When life gets tough and obstacles come my way, it's hard to see the way forward.
When you're running into walls, feeling no pain
Even when I face setbacks, I remain determined and do not let fear or pain stop me.
We all owe dues to the devil and I've sure paid mine
Everyone has their share of struggles or bad experiences, and I have had my fair share of them.
Took a while to get here but I'm right on time
Even though it took me some time to reach my current state, I am content with where I am now.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: ALAN GORDON ANDERSON, SHARON VAUGHN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Fabian Cuervo
Maaaannnn.... Her voice is so awesome. We need to hear more Gretchen Wilson on the radio. This song is nice and mellow.
Lori Williams
Thank you, I have been looking for this song since her album was released. I feel like it was written just for me. I love Gretchen Wilson, she just keeps it real.
Dawn DeRossett
Love this album wish she would make another soon
stolli75
Bobby McGee would have loved this :)
inlight2024
young soul ;)
Livy Pack
Greco I love all ur songs wish we could meet u help me a hole lot
Alan O'Leary
Thou hand that rocks thou world cra"D"el , THIS offers thou "students" hearts 🏆 thanks , again ? *
Egan Meyar
took a while to get here, but i'm right on time..