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.
Someday You'll Call My Name
Hank Williams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Someday you'll [F] reach for me I won't be [C7] there
For you've grown [F] tired of all the love I [Bb] gave you
But some-[F] day you'll [C7] wish that I still [F] care.
[C7] All these years how I've [F] loved you
Still I [G] know I claim you for my [C7] own
Someday you'll [F] call my name and I won't [Bb] answer
When you hair has turned from Gold to Silver
And your eyes are dimmed by passing years
You'll remember darling what I told you
There'll be no one then to dry your tears.
There'll come a time in your life dear
When you'll need someone who will care
Someday you'll call my name and I won't answer
For someday you'll find that I'm not there.
Hank Williams's song Someday You'll Call My Name is a melancholic country song about lost love, regret, and the unending nature of time. The lyrics talk about a past lover who has grown tired of the singer's love and has left him behind. The singer, in turn, predicts that someday, when the lover grows old and gray, they will remember his love and care, but it will be too late as he won't be there to answer their calls. The song is about the idea of missed opportunities and how we can't hold on to what we have lost.
The song's mournful tone is heightened by the melody's melancholic and slow tempo. The lyrics are simple yet profound, backed by a pared-down acoustic guitar that adds to the song's sorrowful atmosphere. Overall, the song is a poignant reminder that we sometimes don't appreciate what we have until it's gone, and by then, it's too late.
Line by Line Meaning
Someday you'll call my name and I won't answer
You will seek for me but won't find me because I am not willing to respond.
Someday you'll reach for me I won't be there
You will try to get hold of me but I won't be there.
For you've grown tired of all the love I gave you
You no longer have an interest in the love I have for you, and that's the reason I won't pick up your calls.
But someday you'll wish that I still care.
There will be a day that you will want me to have concern for you, yet it will be too late to turn back.
All these years how I've loved you
I have loved you for all these years and beyond.
Still I know I claim you for my own
Despite my love for you, I understand that you belong to yourself.
For someday you'll find yourself alone
One day, you will realize that you are lonely without me, even if I am not there physically.
When your hair has turned from Gold to Silver
With the passing of time, when your hair has turned grey and aged, you'll realize the impact of my absence.
And your eyes are dimmed by passing years
Your vision and perception will no longer be the same as the years go by.
You'll remember darling what I told you
You will remember the words I said to you out of love.
There'll be no one then to dry your tears.
In that moment of realization, there will be no one to wipe away your tears and console your heart.
There'll come a time in your life dear
There will be a time in your life when I won't be there to share it with you.
When you'll need someone who will care
During that time, you will look for someone who will care for you, but there will be no one.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: EDDIE HILL, JEAN BRANCH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@mzpbmoon
Well, here I am tonight, at 3:00 in the morning, listening to this song over and over again and knowing all the reasons why. Nobody has ever said it better than this man because it's obvious he was living it himself. He can turn every word into a teardrop and moan the Blues like no one else ever has. Hank Williams was the Blues, and he still is.
@clintwalls5217
He was Hank,he loved you.
@rayacheson7097
Me too. 11 years later! It's exactly 3.00 am and I'm listening to that same song and experiencing the same emotions! Love Hank Williams songs and sing a few of them - badly! Think that's the next song I'm gonna try to learn. 🎶🎵🎼🎸❤️
@Zarina1634
Love Hank.
@cooperativecam5257
No one quite understands heartache and pain like ole’ Hank did. Singers today fail to understand the bond between the heart and song. Hank was the master. His music is timeless and always will be.
@hardyfh1
This is poetry for tough guys. Hank gives a voice to the voiceless and articulates all those things that people have to bottle up inside. His songs contain hardly a word of more than one syllable and yet Hank covers the full range of human emotions. To take all the rich experience and complexity of human life and express it with such simplicity is the mark of the true poet. The man has sheer, naked honesty. Cut his music down the middle and it just rings true.
@rymanjones3
Well said man
@renegordon6146
you damm right sir
@renegordon6146
i would like meet you and shake your hand you nailed it right buddy
@teddybhear3766
Imagine being one of those peopl3 who actually gave this song a thumbs down. I mean, how can you not love it the first time you hear it.