Williams began his career following in his famed father's footsteps, covering his father's songs and imitating his father's style. Williams' first television appearance was in a 1964 episode of ABC's The Jimmy Dean Show, in which at age fourteen he sang several songs associated with his father. Later that year, he was a guest star on Shindig!.
Williams' style evolved slowly as he struggled to find his own voice and place within country music. This was interrupted by a near-fatal fall off the side of Ajax Peak in Montana on August 8, 1975. After an extended recovery, he challenged the country music establishment with a blend of country, rock, and blues. As a multi-instrumentalist, Williams' repertoire of skills includes guitar, bass guitar, upright bass, steel guitar, banjo, dobro, piano, keyboards, saxophone, harmonica, fiddle, and drums.
From 1989 through October 2011, his song "All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight", refashioned as "All My Rowdy Friends Are Here on Monday Night", had been used to open broadcasts of Monday Night Football until it was pulled after Williams made controversial comments comparing President Barack Obama to Adolf Hitler. The song returned to open the show in 2017.
On August 12, 2020, Williams was selected to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Williams' early career was guided, some say outright dominated, by his mother Audrey Williams, who many claim was the driving force that led his father to musical superstardom during the late 1940s and early 1950s. Audrey, in many ways, wished for young Hank to be nothing more than a "Hank Williams, Sr. impersonator", sometimes going as far as to have clothes designed for him that were identical to his father's stage clothes and vocal stylings very similar to those of his father.
Although Williams' recordings earned him numerous country hits throughout the 1960s and early 1970s, he became disillusioned with his role as a 'Hank Williams clone' and severed ties with his mother in order to pursue his own musical direction and tastes. After recording the soundtrack to Your Cheatin' Heart, a biography of his father, Williams, Jr. hit the charts with one of his own compositions, "Standing in the Shadows". The song signalled a move to rock and roll and other influences as he stepped from the shadow of his father.
Also during this time, Williams had his first two No. 1 songs: "All For the Love of Sunshine" (1970, featured on the soundtrack to Kelly's Heroes) and "Eleven Roses" (1972).
By the mid-1970s, Williams had finally found the musical direction that would, eventually, make him a superstar. Williams' unique blend of traditional country with southern rock and blues earned him a devoted following, although some mainstream country radio stations wouldn't touch his new songs in this blatantly untraditional sound.
While recording a series of hit songs, Williams began abusing drugs, including alcohol and eventually tried to commit suicide in 1974. Moving to Alabama, Williams began playing music with Southern rock musicians Toy Caldwell, Marshall Tucker Band and Charlie Daniels, and others.
His last major success was "There's a Tear in My Beer", a duet with his father created using electronic dubbing techniques. The song itself was written by his father, presumably, sometime between 1950 and 1953 and was recorded with Hank Williams playing just his guitar. The music video for the song combined existing television footage of Hank Williams performing and the dubbing techniques transferred the image of Hank Jr. onto the screen, so it appeared as if he were actually playing with his father. The video was an overwhelming success, both critically and commercially. It was named Video Of The Year by both the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country music. Hank Williams, Jr. would go on to win a Grammy award in 1990 for Best Country Vocal Collaboration.
Despite his slumping album sales, Hank Williams Jr. continued to be a popular concert draw during the early 1990s and continued to record, with several of his recordings during this time still managing to achieve gold status, selling 500,000 copies.
He is probably best known today as the performer of the theme song for Monday Night Football, based on "All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight". The opening theme became a classic, as much a part of the show as the football itself. In 1991, 1992, 1993, and 1994, Williams' opening themes for Monday Night Football would earn him four Emmy awards.
Williams opened for Super Bowl XL on February 5, 2006, on ABC and was in the stands as a Pittsburgh Steelers fan.
On April 10, 2006, CMT honored Williams with the Johnny Cash Visionary Award, presenting it to him at the 2006 CMT Music Awards.
On November 11, 2008, Williams was honored as a BMI Icon at the 56th annual BMI Country Awards. The artists and songwriters named BMI Icons have had "a unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers".
In 2011, Williams was named one of "Seven Living Legends" of his native Shreveport, Louisiana, by Danny Fox (1954โ2014) of KWKH radio. Others named were Bob Griffin of KSLA and KTBS-TV and James Burton. Two others cited, Claude King and Frank Page, both died in 2013.
In 2015, Hank Williams Jr. was Inducted into The Louisiana Music Hall Of Fame.
I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive
Hank Williams Jr. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I had a lot a luck but it's all been bad
No matter how I struggle and strive
I'll never get out of this world alive
My fishin' pole's broke, the creek is full of sand
My woman run away with another man
No matter how I struggle and strive
My distant uncle passed away
And left me quite a batch
And I was livin' high until the fatal day
A lawyer proved I wasn't born, I was only hatched
Everything's agin me and it's got me down
If I jumped in the river I would probably drown
No matter how I struggle and strive
I'll never get out of this world alive
These shabby shoes I'm wearin' all the time
Is full of holes and nails
And brother, if I stepped on worn-out dime
I bet a nickel I could tell you if it was heads or tails
I'm not gonna worry wrinkles in my brow
'Cause nothin's ever gonna be alright no-how
No matter how I struggle and strive
I'll never get out of this world alive
Hank Williams's song I'll Never Get out of This World Alive is a bleak and mournful meditation on the impermanence of life and the inevitability of death. In the opening lines, the singer bemoans his bad luck, expressing a deep sense of futility and hopelessness. He has lost everything: his fishing pole, his woman, his distant uncle's inheritance, and even his sense of self. With each verse, the singer's despair deepens, culminating in the haunting lines, "No matter how I struggle and strive, / I'll never get out of this world alive."
The song's power lies in its simple yet evocative lyrics, which capture the essence of human struggle and suffering. Through the singer's voice, we glimpse the heartache, disappointment, and despair that afflict us all at one time or another. Yet amidst the song's sadness, there is also a glimmer of hope, a recognition that even in the face of death, we can find solace in the beauty of the world around us.
Overall, I'll Never Get out of This World Alive is a powerful testament to the human spirit, a moving tribute to the courage and resilience that we all possess in the face of life's greatest challenges.
Line by Line Meaning
Now, you're lookin' at a man that's gettin' kinda mad
The singer is angry because of his current situation.
I had a lot a luck but it's all been bad
The singer has had a string of bad luck.
No matter how I struggle and strive
The singer has tried his best to improve his situation.
I'll never get out of this world alive
The artist believes that his situation is hopeless and that he will never escape it.
My fishin' pole's broke, the creek is full of sand
The artist's tools for survival are not working properly.
My woman run away with another man
The singer's personal life is in shambles.
My distant uncle passed away
The singer's situation was briefly improved with an inheritance.
And left me quite a batch
The inheritance was a significant amount of money.
A lawyer proved I wasn't born, I was only hatched
The artist's inheritance was taken away due to legal issues.
Everything's agin me and it's got me down
The artist feels like the world is against him.
If I jumped in the river I would probably drown
The singer feels like he has no way out.
These shabby shoes I'm wearin' all the time
The artist cannot afford new shoes.
Is full of holes and nails
The singer's shoes are in poor condition.
And brother, if I stepped on worn-out dime
The singer is so poor he can tell by the sound of the coin whether it is heads or tails.
I'm not gonna worry wrinkles in my brow
The singer has given up on trying to improve his physical appearance.
'Cause nothin's ever gonna be alright no-how
The artist believes that his situation is always going to be bad.
Lyrics ยฉ Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: FRED ROSE, HANK WILLIAMS SR.
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ShamanG0M00
Now, you're lookin' at a man that's gettin' kinda mad
I had a lot a luck but it's all been bad
No matter how I struggle and strive
I'll never get out of this world alive
My fishin' pole's broke, the creek is full of sand
My woman run away with another man
No matter how I struggle and strive
I'll never get out of this world alive
My distant uncle passed away
And left me quite a batch
And I was livin' high until the fatal day
A lawyer proved I wasn't born, I was only hatched
Everything's agin me and it's got me down
If I jumped in the river I would probably drown
No matter how I struggle and strive
I'll never get out of this world alive
These shabby shoes I'm wearin' all the time
Is full of holes and nails
And brother, if I stepped on worn-out dime
I bet a nickel I could tell you if it was heads or tails
I'm not gonna worry wrinkles in my brow
'Cause nothin's ever gonna be alright no-how
No matter how I struggle and strive
I'll never get out of this world alive
@wrestleguy24
Someone asked Hank, "How do you write all of those sad songs?", Hank replied, "Hell boy, you can't just write 'em, you gotta live 'em, and remember this, everybody loves to feel sorry for themselves." One of my favorite sayings. Good day Ladies and Gentlemen.
@davidbenallie1804
LOL!! Good reply!
@wrestleguy24
@Big Papa Stovepipe I like that one too Little Big Town did a song based on that saying
@wrestleguy24
@@davidbenallie1804 Helped with the writing I like to do. LOL
@katy4714
โคโคโค
@katy4714
That's for metal too
@looknn
40 years ago, as a young college kid going to Fisk University in Nashville, one of my summers jobs was as a laborer at a construction site. I worked with this old white carpenter and EVERY WORK DAY ALL DAY Hank Williams is ALL we listened to. After the second day or so I realized HW is really very good. From time to time I still listen. I'm no expert, but contemporary CW artists can't hold a candle to HW.
@BrookeBrauer
I love this!!!
@SymeonPhronema
In my opinion, sir, you have a good ear and good taste in music!
@AbyssmalAngel
My thoughts exactly, most modern country is spoiled sons of country boys. Most modern country singers don't know what it means to be country, or what country is about. Country isn't about getting in a lady's panties, it isn't about jacked up trucks, bass boats, or beer. It's about the hard scrabble life, but doing what you can with what you have. It's about helping your fellow man, and loving one another. And at times, it's about pouring your heart out for the hard times that aile you. It's from the soul.