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.
Pictures from Life's Other Side
Hank Williams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hang the scenes that're painted from life
There's pictures of love and of passion
And there's pictures of keys and of strife
Of old age and a blushing young bride
They all hung on the wall but the saddest of all
Are the pictures from life's other side
Just a picture from life's other side
Someone has fell by the way
A life has gone out with the tide
That might have been happy some day
There's a poor old mother at home
She's watching and waiting alone
Just longing to hear from a loved one so dear
Just a picture from life's other side
The first scene is that of a gambler
Who had lost all of his money at play
And he drowses dead mother's ring from his finger
Which she wore long ago on her wedding day
It's his last earthly treasure but he stakes it
Then bows his head that his shame he might hide
But when they lifted his head they found he was dead
That's just a picture from life's other side
Now the last scene is that by the river
Of a heartbroken mother and baby
As the harbor lights shine and they shiver
On an outcast, soon no one will save
And yet she was once a true woman
She was somebody's darling and pride
God help her she leaps, oh there's no one to weep
It's just a picture from life's other side
Hank Williams's Pictures from Life's Other Side is a song that speaks of the ups and downs of life. Williams uses artistic imagery to paint a picture of the world's gallery where scenes of life are portrayed. The first stanza of the song gives the listeners a prelude to the pictures that hang on the walls of the world's mighty gallery. The gallery contains pictures of love, passion, youth, beauty, and old age. However, the saddest of all pictures that hang on the walls are the pictures from life's other side. Williams stresses that these pictures are usually not considered by people as they are heart-wrenching.
The second half of the song describes the two saddest pictures in the world's gallery. The first picture portrays a gambler who has lost his entire fortune, including his dead mother's ring. This ring symbolizes his last earthly treasure, and he stakes it on his last bet. When the gamblers lift his head after he bows it down, they find that he has died of shame. The second, sadder picture shows a heartbroken mother and baby by the river. The baby's mother was once a true woman, somebody's darling, and pride. However, she is now an outcast, and no one is there to help her. She eventually jumps into the river, and there is no one there to weep.
Line by Line Meaning
In the world's mighty gallery of pictures
There are various images that depict different aspects of life
Hang the scenes that're painted from life
These pictures are all based on genuine life experiences
There's pictures of love and of passion
Some of these scenes depict love and romance
And there's pictures of keys and of strife
Others depict difficult times and struggles
There hung pictures of youth and of beauty
Some of the scenes show young people who are attractive and full of life
Of old age and a blushing young bride
Others show elderly people or new brides who are filled with hope and anticipation
They all hung on the wall but the saddest of all
Despite the variety of images, the most tragic ones are the most devastating
Are the pictures from life's other side
These are the scenes that we don't usually see, the ones that show life at its most difficult
Just a picture from life's other side
These images are often overlooked or ignored by those who prefer to focus on more positive aspects of life
Someone has fell by the way
One of the saddest images portrays someone who has fallen by the wayside - lost and forgotten
A life has gone out with the tide
This person's life has ended and their vitality has been lost, leaving only memories behind
That might have been happy some day
This person may have had hopes and dreams for a happy future, which will now never come to fruition
There's a poor old mother at home
Another picture shows a mother who is poor and alone, without any support or care
She's watching and waiting alone
This woman is waiting for her loved ones to return, but they may never come back
Just longing to hear from a loved one so dear
Her heart aches to hear from someone she cares for deeply, but who is no longer around
The first scene is that of a gambler
Another image tells the story of a gambler who has lost everything and is at his lowest point
Who had lost all of his money at play
This man's gambling addiction has left him penniless and desperate
And he drowses dead mother's ring from his finger
The only thing of value he has left is a ring that belonged to his deceased mother
Which she wore long ago on her wedding day
This ring has sentimental value and represents a happier time when his mother was still alive and happy
It's his last earthly treasure but he stakes it
Despite the ring's importance, he gambles it away in an attempt to regain some dignity
Then bows his head that his shame he might hide
Unfortunately, he loses the bet and knows that he has hit rock bottom
But when they lifted his head they found he was dead
Tragically, he has died from the shame and desperation he felt in that moment
Now the last scene is that by the river
The final image portrays a heartbroken woman and her child on the banks of a river
Of a heartbroken mother and baby
This woman is clearly in a lot of pain and her baby is a symbol of her hopelessness and despair
As the harbor lights shine and they shiver
The only light they have is from the harbor, and they are physically and emotionally shivering in the cold
On an outcast, soon no one will save
This woman is outcast from society and has nobody to turn to for support
And yet she was once a true woman
Despite her current situation, this woman was once strong and capable
She was somebody's darling and pride
She had people who loved her and were proud of her, but those times are long gone now
God help her she leaps, oh there's no one to weep
In an act of desperation, she takes her own life, and nobody is around to mourn her passing
It's just a picture from life's other side
This final image is a reminder that life can be cruel and unfair, and that some people are left to suffer alone
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@user-uj4cn8cc1y
I grew up on this music my Daddy drank a lot when I was young and this is what he played when he came home drunk R.I.P. Dad I still listen to the same music you did.. George Jones,Charlie Pride,Hank Jr,Loretta Lynn,and the list goes on...R.I.P. Mr Williams your music will live on forever as your son said in Standing In The Shadows..
@calvinjrbrumfield
2023 guy who likes hank more than almost everything on the radio these days
@georgezink8256
I’ve listened to this? Man? Who has made many days of my life , well it’s hard for me to put into words! As a child, listening to Hanks music? Then I was sent to Vietnam? And many times as I sit in my D7 , cutting the jungle down in a country 10 thousand miles from home! I’d sing Hanks songs to take my. Mind from the next snipers round That may take my life? Hank is the Best
@DanielRichards-he6ep
Thank You for your Service to Country 🙏🙏🙏,
@robertjenkins6760
I was born in 1951, so I never had the chance to see him in person, but I have listened to him for most or my 70 years. I sang his songs out loud in my youth and love being able to hear him whenever I want to
@DanielRichards-he6ep
A great writer and a Savior of Music too broken and busted men,whom life let drift without hope Come Too JESUS CHRIST all whom Suffer..
Daniel Richards
Springfield Illinois
@mikeaubuchon8573
Hank " Luke the Drifter " Williams . The greatest country artist to ever walk God's green earth .
@kevindean1327
That's a fact, Possum is the 2nd best!
@eazymoneyTX
💯
@frankmyers7526
You know quillty when you hear and see!! No one will ever match his song writing and singing!