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.
Let's Turn Back the Years
Hank Williams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And go back to yesterday
Let's pretend the time has stopped
And I didn't go away.
We had our love to make us happy
It wasn't meant to bring us tears
Love like our should never die
We had our love to make us happy
It wasn't meant to bring us tears
Love like our should never die
So darling, let's turn back the years...
In Hank Williams's song "Let's Turn Back the Years," the singer is pleading with his lover to return to a time when their love was flourishing and they were happy. The singer desires to relive their past because he regrets the events that led to their separation. He wants to forget about the present and be transported back to a time when things were simpler and happier.
The lyrics use the metaphor of time as something that has caused harm to their love and relationship. The singer asks to stop time, or to at least imagine that it has stopped, to prevent any further harm from happening. The song expresses a deep sense of longing to return to a point in the past where their love was at its strongest and most beautiful.
Overall, the song revolves around the theme of nostalgia for a time when the couple was happy and in love. It emphasizes the importance of the past and how memories of love can bring comfort and solace during difficult times.
Line by Line Meaning
Darling, let's turn back the years
Let's reminisce and relive our past memories together
And go back to yesterday
Let's revisit the happy times we shared in the past
Let's pretend the time has stopped
Let's forget about the present and imagine we're frozen in a moment of happiness from the past
And I didn't go away.
And I never left you, we're still together in this moment
We had our love to make us happy
We found joy in our relationship and it brought us happiness
It wasn't meant to bring us tears
We didn't expect our love to cause us pain or sadness
Love like our should never die
True love should be eternal and continue to exist despite the passage of time
So darling, let's turn back the years.
Let's return to the time when our love was strong and we were happy together
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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