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.
Everything's Okay
Hank Williams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To see my Uncle Bill and sorta pass the time away
I asked him how he'd been since at last I'd passed his way
He rubbed his chin and here's what he had to say
near down with the flu
The cow's gone dry and the hens won't lay but we're
still a livin' so everything's okay
The hogs took the cholera and they've all done died
The bees got mad and they left the hive
The weevils got the corn and the rain rotted the hay
But we're still a livin' so everything's okay
The porch rotted down that's more expense
The durned old mule he tore down the fence
The mortage is due and I can't pay but we're still
a livin' so everything's okay
The cow broke in the field and ate up the beans
The durn rabbits they got the turnip greens
And my mainlaw just moved in to stay but we're still
a livin' so everything's okay
My land's so poor so hard and yeller
You have to sit on a sack of fertilizer to raise an umbrella
And it rains out here nearly every day but we're still
a livin' so everything's okay
The well's gone dry and I have to tote the water
Up from the spring about a mile and a quarter
My helper he quit for lack of pay but we're still a
livin' so everything's okay
The house it leaks it needs a new top when it rains
it wets everything we got
The chimney fell down just the other day but we're
still a livin' so everything's okay
The corn meals gone and the meat's run out
Got nothin' to kill to put in the smokehouse
The preacher's comin' sunday - to spend the day
But - we're still a-livin' - so ever'thing's okay.
The canned stuff's spoiled - else the jar's got broke
And all we got left is one old billy goat
We're gonna have a new baby about the first of may
But - we're still a-livin' - so ever'thing's okay.
My crop it rotted - in the ground
I asked for another loan but the banker turned me down
But - we're still a-livin' and we're prayin' for better days
So - after all, ever'thing's in purty good shape.
In this classic country song, "Everything's Okay," Hank Williams tells the story of a farmer visiting his uncle in the country. While there, his uncle shares with him all the struggles he has been facing since they last saw each other. The farmer listens as his uncle lists off all the problems he's been facing, from his wife and children being sick to his hogs dying from cholera. Despite all of this, his uncle remains optimistic and says that everything's okay because he's still alive. The chorus reinforces this sentiment, with lyrics like "we're still a-livin' so everything's okay."
The song is a reflection of the resilience of rural people and their ability to persevere through tough times. The farmer's uncle is an embodiment of this spirit, remaining steadfast in his positivity despite all of his hardships. The song highlights the importance of focusing on the good things in life, even when everything seems to be going wrong.
This song also touches on the idea of the importance of family to rural people. The farmer traveled a long way to see his uncle and presumably did so because he values their relationship. Despite the hardships his uncle is facing, he has family around him, which is enough to make him feel like everything is okay.
Line by Line Meaning
I went to the country just the other day
I went to visit my Uncle Bill in the countryside
To see my Uncle Bill and sorta pass the time away
I visited my Uncle Bill and hung out with him for a while
He rubbed his chin and here's what he had to say
Uncle Bill pondered for a moment before replying
My wife's been sick and the young'ns too and I'm durn near down with the flu
My wife and children have been ill, and I'm not feeling too great myself
The cow's gone dry and the hens won't lay but we're still a livin' so everything's okay
Our cow stopped producing milk and the hens stopped laying eggs, but we're still alive and that's all that matters
The hogs took the cholera and they've all done died
Our hogs got sick and all died from cholera
The bees got mad and they left the hive
Our bees got angry and abandoned their hive
The weevils got the corn and the rain rotted the hay
Weevils ate our corn and heavy rainfall ruined our hay
But we're still a livin' so everything's okay
Despite all the misfortunes, we're still alive and that's all we can ask for
The porch rotted down that's more expense
Our porch rotted and now we have to spend money to fix it
The durned old mule he tore down the fence
Our mule destroyed the fence
The mortage is due and I can't pay but we're still a livin' so everything's okay
Our mortgage payment is due and we can't pay, but at least we're still alive
The cow broke in the field and ate up the beans
Our cow broke into the field and ate our beans
The durn rabbits they got the turnip greens
The rabbits ate our turnip greens
And my mainlaw just moved in to stay but we're still a livin' so everything's okay
And my in-law moved in to live with us, but at least we're still alive
My land's so poor so hard and yeller
My land is so poor and dry
You have to sit on a sack of fertilizer to raise an umbrella
The land is so dry that you have to sit on a sack of fertilizer to provide shade
And it rains out here nearly every day but we're still a livin' so everything's okay
Although it rains almost every day, at least we're still alive
The well's gone dry and I have to tote the water
The well has gone dry and I have to carry water from a spring
Up from the spring about a mile and a quarter
I have to carry the water from the spring, which is about a mile and a quarter away
My helper he quit for lack of pay but we're still a livin' so everything's okay
My helper quit due to lack of pay, but at least we're still alive
The house it leaks it needs a new top when it rains it wets everything we got
Our house leaks and needs a new roof. When it rains, everything inside gets wet
The chimney fell down just the other day but we're still a livin' so everything's okay
Our chimney collapsed recently, but at least we're still alive
The corn meals gone and the meat's run out
We've run out of cornmeal and meat
Got nothin' to kill to put in the smokehouse
We have nothing to smoke and preserve for winter
The preacher's comin' Sunday - to spend the day
The preacher is visiting us on Sunday and plans to spend the day
But - we're still a-livin' - so ever'thing's okay.
Despite all the hardships, we're still alive and that's all that matters
The canned stuff's spoiled - else the jar's got broke
Our canned food has spoiled or been damaged
And all we got left is one old billy goat
All we have left is an old billy goat
We're gonna have a new baby about the first of May
We're expecting a new baby around May 1st
But - we're still a-livin' - so ever'thing's okay.
Despite all the difficult circumstances, we're still alive
My crop it rotted - in the ground
My crop rotted before it could be harvested
I asked for another loan but the banker turned me down
I asked for a loan to help with the farm expenses, but the banker refused
But - we're still a-livin' and we're prayin' for better days
Despite all the setbacks, we're still alive and hoping for a better future
So - after all, ever'thing's in purty good shape.
In the end, everything is actually relatively okay, despite all the difficulties we've faced
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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