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.
The Bed
Gretchen Wilson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He's sleeping like a baby
Dreams are dancing in his head
Lying with his lady
It's a peaceful night
And everything's just fine
On his side of the bed
Those big brown eyes are cryin
From the things he never says
Deep inside she's dyin
As she turns to face the wall
There's no love at all
On her side of the bed
If he'd just reach out
She'd forget about
All the times that he let her down
Oh but in his mind
Everything's alright
When the lights go out
Now on his side of the bed
He never even noticed
Her negligee of red
The very same one that she wore
The night that they were wed
But he never turned his head
To her side of the bed
If he'd just reach out
She'd forget about
All the times that he let her down
Oh but in his mind
Everything's alright
When the lights go out
Now on his side of the bed
He wakes up and turns to say I love you
But instead
All he finds are pages
Full of words she never said
And that's all she left
On her side of the bed
The song "The Bed" by Gretchen Wilson is a poignant story of a couple experiencing a disconnect in their relationship. The first verse sets the scene of a peaceful night, where the man is sleeping soundly and dreaming, while lying next to his partner. However, the second verse highlights the woman's side of the bed, where she is feeling neglected and unloved, crying in silence. She turns to face the wall, feeling the absence of the love and affection that she longs for. Meanwhile, the man on the other side of the bed is oblivious to her pain, as he thinks everything is alright.
The third verse brings things full circle as the man wakes up and reaches out to his partner, only to feel the absence of her touch. He finds pages of unsaid words, the things she wanted to express, but never could. It is a powerful reminder that a lack of communication and effort can cause irreversible damage to a relationship. Through her heartfelt lyrics and beautiful melody, Gretchen Wilson tells a relatable story of love lost and the importance of cherishing what we have.
Line by Line Meaning
On his side of the bed
He's asleep peacefully while his partner is struggling with her emotions.
He's sleeping like a baby
He is sound asleep and peaceful, with no worries on his mind.
Dreams are dancing in his head
He's having good dreams and is content in his sleep.
Lying with his lady
He's sleeping next to his partner, but is unaware of how she's feeling.
It's a peaceful night
The atmosphere is calm, but only on his side of the bed.
And everything's just fine
He thinks everything is well in their relationship.
But on her side of the bed
His partner is upset and having inner turmoil.
Those big brown eyes are cryin
She's been crying and feeling a lot of emotional pain.
From the things he never says
He doesn't communicate with her, causing her a lot of distress.
Deep inside she's dyin
She's struggling with her emotions and feeling abandoned in the relationship.
As she turns to face the wall
She's avoiding him and feeling a sense of distance from him.
There's no love at all
She's not feeling any love from him and the relationship is lacking intimacy.
If he'd just reach out
If he showed any effort to communicate and connect with her.
She'd forget about
She would be able to move past.
All the times that he let her down
He has disappointed her multiple times and hasn't made any effort to fix things.
Oh but in his mind
He thinks everything is fine.
Everything's alright
He thinks everything is good in their relationship.
When the lights go out
At night when they're in bed, he's content and not worried about their relationship.
Now on his side of the bed
He's awake and wanting to show affection.
He never even noticed
He didn't pay attention to her sexy night attire.
Her negligee of red
Her red dress, which she wears to be intimate with him.
The very same one that she wore
The dress she wore the night they got married, which was symbolic and special for them.
But he never turned his head
He didn't even acknowledge her.
To her side of the bed
He was only focused on his own emotions and didn't see how she was feeling.
He wakes up and turns to say I love you
He wants to express his love to her.
But instead
He's surprised and confused.
All he finds are pages
He discovers something that she left for him.
Full of words she never said
His partner had written down her feelings since she didn't feel she could express herself verbally to him.
And that's all she left
The only thing she felt she could give him at that moment.
On her side of the bed
While she's not there physically, she left behind her emotions and thoughts for him to read.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: KEITH N ANDERSON, VICKY MCGEHEE, JOHN D. RICH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind