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.
San Antonio Rose
Hank Williams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A song of old San Antone
Where in dreams I live with a memory
Beneath the stars all alone
It was there I found beside the Alamo
Enchantment strange as the blue up above
A moonlit pass that only she would know
Still hears my broken song of love
Call back my rose, rose of San Antone
Lips so sweet and tender like petals falling apart
Speak once again of my love, my own.
Broken song, empty words I know
Still live in my heart all alone
For that moonlit pass by the Alamo
And Rose, my Rose of San Antone
Deep within my heart lies a melody,
A song of old San Antone
Where in dreams I live with a memory
Beneath the stars all alone
It was there I found beside the Alamo
Enchantment strange as the blue up above
A moonlit pass that only she would know
Still hears my broken song of love
Moon in all your splendor know only my heart
Call back my rose, rose of San Antone
Lips so sweet and tender like petals falling apart
Speak once again of my love, my own.
Broken song, empty words I know
Still live in my heart all alone
For that moonlit pass by the Alamo
And Rose, my Rose of San Antone
“San Antonio Rose” is a beautiful love song written by Bob Wills that Hank Williams covered in 1951. The song’s protagonist describes memories of his time spent in San Antonio. He mentions a moonlit pass by the Alamo where he found a strange enchantment that only his lover would understand. Despite the relationship being broken, he still longs for his lover, his Rose of San Antone. The song has an air of nostalgia and heartache that reflects on the past, but also looks forward to the future. The singer still holds onto his love for Rose, despite the distance and heartbreak.
Line by Line Meaning
Deep within my heart lies a melody
There's a tune deep in my heart that I can't forget
A song of old San Antone
It's a song about San Antonio, Texas that's been with me for a long time
Where in dreams I live with a memory
In my dreams, I go back to a memory of a place where I felt so alive
Beneath the stars all alone
I was there, underneath the stars, by myself
It was there I found beside the Alamo
While I was there, near the Alamo, I found something special
Enchantment strange as the blue up above
It was something magical, something that felt just like the blue sky above me
A moonlit pass that only she would know
It was a pathway lit by the moon, that only one person - she - would know about
Still hears my broken song of love
Years later, the memory of that place still brings back the heartache I felt then
Moon in all your splendor know only my heart
Moon, shining down on me, you're the only one who understands my feelings
Call back my rose, rose of San Antone
Bring back my love, the one I left behind in San Antonio
Lips so sweet and tender like petals falling apart
I'll never forget her lips, so soft and gentle, just like flower petals falling apart
Speak once again of my love, my own.
I wish I could hear her speak of love, and know that I belong to her
Broken song, empty words I know
I know that the song I sing is incomplete, and my words don't do justice to how I really feel
Still live in my heart all alone
But even though I'm alone, the feelings I have for her still live strongly in my heart
For that moonlit pass by the Alamo
I yearn to go back to that pathway, lit by the moon, near the Alamo
And Rose, my Rose of San Antone
And I dream of the woman I love, my Rose of San Antonio, who I left behind
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: James Robert Wills
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind