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.
To Tell You The Truth
Gretchen Wilson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It don't break and it don't bend
It don't hide behind the blue
I wish I could be that true
Wakin' up's the hardest part
How could I have broke your heart
How do I just lie in bed
Knowin' what I haven't said
[Chorus:]
To tell you the truth would set me free
I'm livin' a lie and its killin' me
What I really want to do, is just talk this thing through
But it hurt you
To tell you the truth
It all comes up with the mornin' sun
It all comes down to the said and done
You know sometimes I pray for rain
I think somehow it hides my pain
Oh
[Chorus]
Well tomorrow's just another day
That I won't find the words to say
When that old sun comes shinin' in
Reminding me again
[Chorus]
Mornin' light comes shinin' in
It don't break and it don't bend
In this song, Gretchen Wilson is lamenting the fact that she has been living a lie and hiding things from someone she cares about deeply. The morning light serves as a metaphor for the truth, which always shines through and cannot be hidden. She wishes that she could be as true as the sunlight and not hide behind a façade. Waking up is hard for her because she feels regret and guilt for breaking someone's heart and not communicating with them honestly. She yearns to tell the truth and have an open and honest conversation with the person she cares about, but fears that it may hurt them even more.
In the chorus, Gretchen sings that the truth would set her free because she is burdened by the lies she has been keeping. Living a lie is tormenting her and she wishes she could just talk things through with the person she hurt. However, she knows that telling the truth may hurt them more and that's why she's struggling. She feels like everything comes up in the morning with the rising sun, and despite sometimes wishing for rain that may help to hide her pain, she knows that the truth will eventually come out no matter what.
Line by Line Meaning
Morning light comes shinin' in
The day has just begun and light enters my room, signifying a new start.
It don't break and it don't bend
The morning light is strong and constant, never faltering or changing.
It don't hide behind the blue
The light is not obscured by anything, not even the sky.
I wish I could be that true
I wish I could be as constant and consistent as the morning light.
Wakin' up's the hardest part
Getting up in the morning is the most difficult part of the day for me.
How could I have broke your heart
I am struggling to understand how I could have hurt you so much.
How do I just lie in bed
I am questioning how I can continue to stay in bed and avoid the situation at hand.
Knowin' what I haven't said
I am aware that there are things I have not expressed to you.
To tell you the truth would set me free
Expressing my true feelings and thoughts to you would allow me to feel liberated and unburdened.
I'm livin' a lie and its killin' me
Keeping my true feelings hidden and living a facade is causing me distress and emotional pain.
What I really want to do, is just talk this thing through
All I want is to have an open and honest conversation with you about our situation and how we can move forward.
But it hurt you
However, I am aware that the truth may bring pain to you as well.
It all comes up with the mornin' sun
The emotions I have been suppressing all emerge and come to the surface with the arrival of a new day.
It all comes down to the said and done
Ultimately, everything boils down to our actions and the things we have said and done in the past.
You know sometimes I pray for rain
At times, I wish for a downpour of rain to disguise my tears and emotions.
I think somehow it hides my pain
Rain may be a physical manifestation of my emotional pain and can provide a sense of cover or protection for me.
Well tomorrow's just another day
Tomorrow is just another day, and I am unsure if I'll find the courage to tell you how I feel then or not.
That I won't find the words to say
I am doubtful that I will be able to find the right words to express my true feelings.
When that old sun comes shinin' in
When the morning light enters my room, it serves as a reminder of my unresolved emotions and the difficult conversation that needs to happen.
Reminding me again
The morning light reminds me of the internal conflict I am facing and the need to address it.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave
Written by: DEAN HALL, GRETCHEN WILSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind