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.
Just Waitin'
Hank Williams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The crooner's just waitin' to sing
The old cow's standin' by the Bull Durham sign
Just awaitin' for the grass to turn green
The bar-fly's waitin' for an easy mark
An' the hitch-hiker's waitin' for a ride
The life-termer's waitin' for a prison break
Farmer's daughter's waitin' for the salesman
To take her into town
The city slicker's waitin' for the country boy
To lay all his money down
You know everything comes to a standstill
Nothin' seems to make a turn
Worm must be waitin' for the early bird
I guess the early bird's waitin' for the worm
Nobody wants to do nothin'
Just waitin' to get a finger in the pie
Waitin' for a call from a big quiz show
Or hopin' and awaitin' for some rich uncle to die
Katy, she's waitin' at the garden gate
The moonshiner's waitin' at the still
An' the gambler's still waitin' for that ace in the hole
I guess, Jack's still waitin' for Jill
Everybody's waitin' for somethin'
Nothin' seems to turn out right
'Cause the night shift's waitin' for mornin'
And the burglar just waitin' for night
The congregation's waitin' for the preacher
Preacher just waitin' for the groom
The groom's just waitin' for the June bride
And the bride's just waitin' for June
Sunflowers waitin' for the sunshine
Violets just waitin' for dew
Bees just waitin' for honey
And, honey, I'm just waitin' for you
In Hank Williams's "Just Waitin,'" the lyrics describe the anticipation and boredom of various characters in different situations all waiting for something seemingly unattainable. The old maid is waiting for leap year, the crooner is waiting to sing, the old cow is waiting for spring grass, the hitchhiker is waiting for a ride, and the farmer's daughter waits for a salesman to take her into town. Similarly, other characters in the song wait for events or things that may never come. The lyrics suggest that life is often a waiting game, and everyone seems to be waiting for something.
The song begins and ends with the line, "Everybody's waiting for something, nothing seems to turn out right." The lyrics indicate that people are waiting for different things, but they have one thing in common, and that is a hope for something better. The characters' aspirations range from simple desires for sunshine, honey and dew to more complicated ambitions such as winning the lottery, escaping from prison, or finding true love. Hank Williams's "Just Waitin'" evokes a particular mood and tone of waiting, and it's one that is both filled with hope and tinged with sadness.
Line by Line Meaning
The old maid's waitin' for leap year to come
The old maid is waiting for an extra day to come around so she can be married
The crooner's just waitin' to sing
The singer is ready and waiting to perform a song
The old cow's standin' by the Bull Durham sign
Just awaitin' for the grass to turn green
The cow is waiting for springtime when the grass will grow and she can eat
The bar-fly's waitin' for an easy mark
The bar-hop is waiting for someone to con or take advantage of
An' the hitch-hiker's waitin' for a ride
The hitchhiker is standing on the side of the road waiting for someone to give them a lift
The life-termer's waitin' for a prison break
The person serving a life sentence is waiting for an opportunity to escape from prison
The beachcomber's waitin' for the tide
The person who walks on the beach looking for items is waiting for the tide to come in or go out for better finds
Farmer's daughter's waitin' for the salesman
To take her into town
The farmer's daughter is waiting for the salesman to take her into town because she doesn't have a car
The city slicker's waitin' for the country boy
To lay all his money down
The person from the city is waiting for the country boy to spend all his money so they can take advantage of him
You know everything comes to a standstill
Nothin' seems to make a turn
Worm must be waitin' for the early bird
I guess the early bird's waitin' for the worm
Everything has come to a stop, and it seems that nothing can change. The worm must be waiting for the early bird, as the bird usually eats the worm, but the early bird must be waiting for the worm to come out so it can catch it.
Nobody wants to do nothin'
Just waitin' to get a finger in the pie
Waitin' for a call from a big quiz show
Or hopin' and awaitin' for some rich uncle to die
Nobody wants to work, they just want to be given chances to become rich without having to put in the effort. They are hoping for opportunities to come their way.
Katy, she's waitin' at the garden gate
The moonshiner's waitin' at the still
An' the gambler's still waitin' for that ace in the hole
I guess, Jack's still waitin' for Jill
Katy is waiting at the garden gate for someone to come home. The moonshiner is waiting for the moonshine to be ready at the still. The gambler is waiting for the one card that will help him win the game. Jack is still waiting for Jill to be his romantic partner.
Everybody's waitin' for somethin'
Nothin' seems to turn out right
'Cause the night shift's waitin' for mornin'
And the burglar just waitin' for night
Everyone is waiting for something, but things don't seem to go according to plan. The people working the night shift are waiting for the morning when they can go home, and burglars are waiting for nighttime when it's easier to break into homes.
The congregation's waitin' for the preacher
Preacher just waitin' for the groom
The groom's just waitin' for the June bride
And the bride's just waitin' for June
The congregation is waiting for the preacher to deliver the sermon. The preacher is waiting for the groom to arrive so he can start the wedding ceremony. The groom is waiting for his bride to show up, and she is waiting for the month of June when the wedding will take place.
Sunflowers waitin' for the sunshine
Violets just waitin' for dew
Bees just waitin' for honey
And, honey, I'm just waitin' for you
The flowers are waiting for the sun to shine and the dew to arrive so they can bloom. The bees are waiting for the flowers to bloom so they can collect pollen and honey. The singer is waiting for their lover to arrive.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Bob Gazzaway, Hank Williams, Sr.
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Cain Crowes gaming channel
Love this
Judy Wheeler
Love this song fifty years I had the record was on a 78
John Jurkewicz
👍👍It so great 👍👍
Marshall
You have to have smelt a lot of mule manure to write a song like this.
beertrain
smelt
verb
extract (metal) from its ore by a process involving heating and melting.
"tin smelting"
extract a metal from (ore) by smelting.
stan stone
brendan Gleason lead me here
Ganjagrid Plant Vibration Trainer by THCX
Me2
MARY689
Look up the John Prine cover
Sean S
Haha me too! Late late show. I have to admit Brendan Gleason does a way better version. Maybe for using the mandolin
LittleLakeShane
So much truth in this song! Today we are waiting for the scientists to come up a safe and sensible vaccine for COVID-19.