Gretchen Frances Wilson (born June 26, 1973 in Pocahontas, Illinois) is a G… Read Full Bio ↴Gretchen Frances Wilson (born June 26, 1973 in Pocahontas, Illinois) is a Grammy award-winning American country music singer-songwriter.

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.

Trucker Man
Gretchen Wilson Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

He's got a sunburn on his left arm
From hanging out a Peterbilt window
Got a wife and three kids on the farm
He's driving just as fast as he can go
Minneapolis in his rear view
He's deadheading to Tulsa
Got the hammer down on eighty two
Every mile marker getting closer

Hey he's a trucker man
Trying to get home just as fast as he can
Those red eye runs are taking their toll
This eighteen wheeler is rolling back home
Staring a hole through the wind shield
He's got nineteen on the CB
Well they call him the Bandit
Cause he only breaks for the smokey's

Hey he's a trucker man
Trying to get home just as fast as he can
Those red eye runs are taking their toll
This eighteen wheeler is rolling back home

He's got a Smith & Wesson in the glove box
And Mother Mary on the dashboard
He's a red blooded blue collar man
American right to the core

Hey he's a trucker man
Trying to get home just as fast as he can
Those red eye runs are taking their toll
This eighteen wheeler is rolling back home

Hey he's a trucker man
Trying to get home just as fast as he can
Those red eye runs are taking their toll

This eighteen wheeler is rolling back home
He's a rolling back home

Overall Meaning

The song "Trucker Man" by Gretchen Wilson is a tribute to the hardworking truck drivers who spend their days and nights on the road, trying to get home as fast as they can. The lyrics describe a truck driver who is driving as fast as he can, with a sunburn on his left arm from hanging it out of the window of his Peterbilt. He has a wife and three kids on the farm and is deadheading to Tulsa, with Minneapolis in his rearview mirror. The song paints a vivid picture of a man on a mission to get home, with every mile marker getting him closer.

The chorus of the song celebrates the truck driver's determination, with the line "Hey, he's a trucker man, trying to get home just as fast as he can". The driver is described as being on a "red-eye" run, with the toll of life on the road slowly taking its toll. Despite this, he keeps on driving, with his eyes fixed on the road ahead. The song notes that he has a Smith & Wesson in the glove box and a dashboard adorned with a statue of Mother Mary, suggesting he draws some solace from his faith while on the road.

Overall, "Trucker Man" is a tribute to the truck driving community, a group of hardworking, blue-collar people who spend long hours on the road to keep the country moving.

Line by Line Meaning

He's got a sunburn on his left arm
His left arm is burned from being out the window of the Peterbilt for so long.

From hanging out a Peterbilt window
He hangs his arm out of the window of the Peterbilt truck while driving.

Got a wife and three kids on the farm
He has a family consisting of a wife and three children who live and work on a farm.

He's driving just as fast as he can go
He is driving as fast as he can to get home to his family.

Minneapolis in his rear view
He has left Minneapolis behind and is no longer in the city.

He's deadheading to Tulsa
He's driving to Tulsa without a load to pick up.

Got the hammer down on eighty two
He is driving at a high speed on Route 82.

Every mile marker getting closer
He's getting closer to his destination as he passes each mile marker.

He's got nineteen on the CB
He's using channel 19 on his CB radio to communicate with other truckers.

Well they call him the Bandit
He's known by the nickname of the 'Bandit' among other truckers.

Cause he only breaks for the smokey's
He only slows down for police officers, known as 'smokey's' on the CB radio.

He's got a Smith & Wesson on the glove box
He keeps a Smith & Wesson gun in the glove box of his truck.

And Mother Mary on the dashboard
He has a statue or image of Mother Mary on the dashboard of his truck, indicating his religious beliefs.

He's a red-blooded blue-collar man
He is a working-class man who takes pride in being American and his country's values.

American right to the core
He deeply values his nation's principles and is devoted to his country.

This eighteen wheeler is rolling back home
The truck he's driving is his vehicle of choice to quickly reach home, as he spends long hours on the road to support his family.

Hey, he's a trucker man
He is a truck driver, working long hours to support his family and provide for their needs.

Trying to get home just as fast as he can
He is doing everything possible to reach home as quickly as possible, despite the challenges that come with a long drive.

Those red eye runs are taking their toll
The overnight drives are taking a toll on him both physically and mentally.

He's a rolling back home
He is driving back home to reunite with his family and enjoy some time off the road.

Lyrics © AMPLIFIED ADMINISTRATION, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JOHN D. RICH, RODNEY DALE CLAWSON, VICKY MCGEHEE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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