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.
There's A Tear In My Beer
Hank Williams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'Cause I'm cryin' for you, dear
You are on my lonely mind
Into these last nine beers
I have shed a million tears
You are on my lonely mind
I'm gonna keep drinkin'
And then maybe, these tears will leave my eyes
There's a tear in my beer
'Cause I'm cryin' for you, dear
You are on my lonely mind
Last night I walked the floor
And the night before
You were on my lonely mind
It seems my life is through
And I'm so dog gone blue
You are on my lonely mind
I'm gonna keep drinkin'
'Til I can't move a toe
And then maybe, my heart won't hurt me so
There's a tear in my beer
'Cause I'm crying for you, dear
You are on my lonely mind
Lord, I've tried and I've tried
But my tears, I can't hide
You are on my lonely mind
All these blues that I've found
Have really got me down
You are on my lonely mind
I'm gonna keep drinkin'
'Til I can't even think
'Cause in the last week, I ain't slept a wink
There's a tear in my beer
'Cause I'm crying for you, dear
You are on my lonely mind
Hank Williams's song There's a Tear In My Beer is a classic country song about loneliness and heartbreak. The lyrics tell the story of a person who can't forget about their lost love and tries to drown their sorrows in alcohol. The song is filled with emotional imagery of tears and memories that the person can't escape.
The opening line, "There's a tear in my beer," sets the tone for the song and immediately conveys a sense of sadness and melancholy. The repetition of the line "You are on my lonely mind" throughout the song emphasizes the depth of the singer's despair and inability to move on from their lost love.
The chorus reveals the singer's coping mechanism for dealing with the pain and heartache: drinking. The line "I'm gonna keep drinkin' until I'm petrified" shows the desperation the person feels and their desire to numb themselves to the pain. The final stanza, where the person admits to not being able to sleep and not being able to think, shows the extent to which the lost love has consumed their thoughts.
Overall, the lyrics to There's a Tear in My Beer are a poignant reminder of the power of lost love and the lengths people will go to deal with their pain.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a tear in my beer
I am sad and mourning
'Cause I'm cryin' for you, dear
Because I miss you so much
You are on my lonely mind
You are all I can think about
Into these last nine beers
I have been drinking a lot
I have shed a million tears
I am very sad
I'm gonna keep drinkin'
I will continue to drink
Until I'm petrified
Until I am so drunk that I can't move
And then maybe, these tears will leave my eyes
Drinking may help me forget and stop crying
Last night I walked the floor
I tossed and turned because I couldn't sleep
And the night before
The previous night, I had the same problem
It seems my life is through
I feel like my life has lost all meaning
And I'm so dog gone blue
I am extremely sad
Lord, I've tried and I've tried
I have made efforts to get over you
But my tears, I can't hide
No matter what I do, I can't stop crying
All these blues that I've found
All the sad things that have happened to me
Have really got me down
Have left me feeling very sad
I'm gonna keep drinkin'
Drinking helps me forget
'Til I can't even think
Until I am so drunk that I can't even form thoughts
'Cause in the last week, I ain't slept a wink
I haven't slept all week because of missing you
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Hank Williams Sr.
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@karenconnell7493
This was actually Hank Jr.`s way of accepting his father's music. He was order by his mother, Miss Audry, for the first 15 years of his life to play his "daddy's music", that no one wanted to listen to him, they came to see a reincarnation of Hank Sir. Can you imagine that? Your entire life being told you will never be good enough? And to top it off, by the woman who gave you life?
I can't imagine the hell he must have lived through with that woman. So when he was old enough, he broke free and played his own stuff, and found to his disappointment that his mother was right. They boo`ed him off the stage, told him to play his daddy's music. So for years he wouldn't touch his dad's stuff. He wanted his own style, his own identity. So, we get to this song. He finds this recording in an attic and does a "duet" with his dad. He finally embraces his dad's music and by doing so, earns "Song of the Year" with it, at the CMT Awards. Hank Jr. is finally able to let the ghost of his father free, and thus is able to go on with his music, proudly, without the fans of his father's putting him down. He finally has his own fan base.
Is he the most talented out there? No. But give the man an award for the most spirited and the most courageous. Y`all can cut him down with your nasty comments on YouTube, but trust me, he has heard and read worst, much worse than any of you Hank Jr. haters could ever put out here.
Respect the man for the pain he has survived through, respect the man for the original artist that he fought so hard to become, and did, even though he had to fight a ghost to do it. Give him props for the over six decades of entertainment that he gave us, his fans, worldwide.
KRC
@NickKnutson97
Old hank is up in heaven smiling down. He would be proud of his son.
@sb61fury
Nick Knutson yes he would be proud
@toasty138
+Nick Knutson and grandson...
@bobsmith-ru7xp
He'd probably be prouder of his grandson.
@hankwilliamsiv2244
+bob smith He would be really proud of his great grandson too.
@alnosaints
Lot more proud of his grandson
@NeilRoy
Sitting here drinking a beer, missing my wife who died seven months ago and this song came on...
@tazmaniandevil2335
RIP to your wife man I'm sorry for your loss, I've been with my lady for 10 years and the thought of her passing away would break my heart
@TheOneTheOnlyGhost
If I were to say everything would be okay that would be a lie because I’m not sure if that’s true or not, but the shittier the day the easier it is for the next to be better. Everything is as good as you make it, the lower you go the higher you can reach. If you’re on a mountain top there’s nothing higher, you’ve peaked. But if you’re at the lowest part of the world then everything else is up. The end is never the end. Keep going.
@industrialathlete6096
@@TheOneTheOnlyGhost Poetic!! Thank YOU!!