Born in Mount Olive, Butler County, Alabama, Williams moved to Georgiana, where he met Rufus Payne, a black street performer who gave him guitar lessons in exchange for meals. Payne had a major influence on Williams's later musical style. During this time, Williams informally changed his name to Hank, believing it to be a better name for country music. After moving to Montgomery, Williams began his career in 1937 when WSFA radio station producers hired him to perform and host a 15-minute program. He formed as backup the Drifting Cowboys band, which was managed by his mother, and dropped out of school to devote all of his time to his career.
When several of his band members were conscripted to military service during World War II, Williams had trouble with their replacements and started drinking heavily, causing WSFA to dismiss him. Williams eventually married Audrey Sheppard, who became his manager for nearly a decade. After recording "Never Again" and "Honky Tonkin'" with Sterling Records, he signed a contract with MGM Records. In 1948 he released "Move it on Over," which became a hit, and also joined the Louisiana Hayride radio program. In 1949, he released a cover of "Lovesick Blues," which carried him into the mainstream of music. After an initial rejection, Williams joined the Grand Ole Opry. He had 11 number one songs between 1948 and 1953, though he was unable to read or notate music to any significant degree. Among the hits he wrote were "Your Cheatin' Heart," "Hey, Good Lookin'," and "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry."
During his last years Williams's consumption of alcohol, morphine and other painkillers severely compromised his professional and personal life. He divorced his wife and was dismissed by the Grand Ole Opry due to frequent drunkenness. Williams died suddenly in the early morning hours of New Years Day in 1953 at the age of 29. Despite his short life, Williams has had a major influence on country music. The songs he wrote and recorded have been covered by numerous artists, many of whom have also had hits with the tunes, in a range of pop, gospel, blues and rock styles.
Alabama governor Gordon Persons officially proclaimed September 21 "Hank Williams Day". The first celebration, in 1954 featured the unveiling of a monument at the Cramton Bowl, that was later placed in the grave site of Williams. The ceremony featured Ferlin Husky interpreting "I Saw the Light".[70]
Williams had 11 number one hits in his career ("Lovesick Blues," "Long Gone Lonesome Blues," "Why Don't You Love Me," "Moanin' the Blues," "Cold, Cold Heart," "Hey, Good Lookin'," "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)," "I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive," "Kaw-Liga," "Your Cheatin' Heart," and "Take These Chains from My Heart"), as well as many other top ten hits.[71]
In 1961, Williams was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, and he was inducted in the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in 1985. In 1987, he was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame under the category Early Influence. He was ranked second in CMT's 40 Greatest Men of Country Music in 2003, behind only Johnny Cash. His son, Hank Jr., was ranked on the same list. In 2004 Rolling Stone ranked him number 74 on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. The website Acclaimedmusic, which collates recommendations of albums and recording artists, has a year-by-year recommendation for top artists. Hank Williams is ranked first for the decade 1940–1949 for his song "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry." Many rock and roll pioneers of the 1950s, such as Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan and Jerry Lee Lewis recorded Williams songs early in their careers.
A Mansion On The Hill
Hank Williams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm lonesome and oh how I feel
As I sit here alone in my cabin
I can see your mansion on the hill
Do you recall when we parted
The story to me you revealed
You said you could live without loving
I've waited all through the years love
To give you a heart true and real
'Cause I know you're living in sorrow
In your loveless mansion on the hill
The light shine bright from yer window
The trees stand so silent and still
I know you're alone with your pride dear
In your loveless mansion on the hill
In Hank Williams's song A Mansion On the Hill, the singer is expressing his feelings of loneliness while sitting alone in his cabin in the valley. He becomes nostalgic as he recalls the time when he parted ways with someone who had revealed to him that they could live without love, in their "loveless mansion on the hill." The singer has been waiting for years to give his love to her, but he knows that she is still living in sorrow, all alone in her mansion on the hill.
Hank Williams has used this song to depict the harsh realities of life, where people often have everything they could want materially but lack genuine love and companionship. The mansion on the hill symbolizes the life of the wealthy, but it is also an indication that not all that glitters is gold. The singer is painfully aware of the emptiness present in the life led by his former love in the mansion.
Williams is also highlighting the contrast between the idealism of living a life with a true and real heart and the harsh truth of loneliness when it comes to love. The light coming from the window of the mansion, and the trees standing silently and still, serve to emphasize the somber context of the song. The lament of the singer becomes clear as he realizes that even those who seem to have everything might still be living in deep and abject sorrow.
Line by Line Meaning
Tonight down here in the valley
Currently, I am situated in the valley.
I'm lonesome and oh how I feel
I am indeed lonely, and it's really getting to me.
As I sit here alone in my cabin
I am presently sitting alone in my cabin.
I can see your mansion on the hill
From this vantage point, I have a clear view of your mansion situated on the hill.
Do you recall when we parted
Do you remember the time when we separated?
The story to me you revealed
At that point, you told me a story.
You said you could live without loving
You explicitly mentioned how you could manage to exist without love.
In your loveless mansion on the hill
You would reside in your mansion, void of love.
I've waited all through the years love
For years, I patiently waited and hoped.
To give you a heart true and real
So I could give you a genuine and honest heart.
'Cause I know you're living in sorrow
Because I am aware that you currently exist in a state of sadness.
In your loveless mansion on the hill
You are situated in your mansion, devoid of love.
The light shine bright from your window
I can see a bright light emanating from a window on your property.
The trees stand so silent and still
All the trees around your mansion appear quiet and motionless.
I know you're alone with your pride dear
It's very evident that you are currently by yourself with an overwhelming sense of pride.
In your loveless mansion on the hill
You have yet to find any love within your mansion on the hill.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: FRED ROSE, HANK WILLIAMS SR.
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@curtiswilliams7638
I like all kinds of music i use to listen to metal, rock, hip hop, rap, rnb, etc the last thing i dipped my toes into was country and im never going back, like if i saw the light or something lol
@adav5533
Hank Sr. also have a song titled "I saw the Light." 💖
@dutchvanderlinde6323
Country is a great type of music
@EleonoraBrandenburg1762
There's nothing like it
@B_591
@@dutchvanderlinde6323 💯
@faisaldhariwal1510
I grew up in Birmingham England, my parents came from India and Kenya, but Hank found his way into my heart.
@drewrogers3161
Absolutely fascinating story - I grew up in Australia & Malaysia & now lived in the United States 30 years - I live in the Bible Belt
@glenfriesner8720
To me he is the greatest country singer
@Benwooododododo
No doubt
@sweetparvardi
For me I guess that will always be Jim Reeves, friend, but I'm also most happy to tell you that Hank's "Cold, Cold Heart" will always be one of my most favorite country singles. : - )