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 (1954–2014) 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.
Just Enough to Get in Trouble
Hank Williams Jr. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Country roads, boulevards, and interstates
I kinda know my way around
A little bout a lot of things
I know what the cards say
Sometimes the hard way
It looks so easy
What really happens if
You turn that knob
Or flip that switch
Something I shouldn't do
Why you already knew
Thats all been taught to me
[Chorus]
I know just enough to get in trouble
And thats just enough to understand
That the more I know
The more I'm sure
Someday it's gonna do me in
Yeah when my time comes
And I'm dead and gone
Let em put it on my tombstone
He knew just enough to get in trouble
But not enough to leave it alone
They got a book somewhere
On everything a woman wants
Bout how and when and where
And why they will
And why they won't
Thats complicated stuff
And when it comes to love
I'm still learning
[Chorus]
Waylon always told me
Son everybody makes mistakes
And how come it's always me
Standing there when something breaks
Yeah I know just enough to get in trouble
And thats just enough to understand
That the more I know
The more I'm sure
Someday it's gonna do me in
Yeah when my time comes
And I'm dead and gone
Let em write it on my tombstone
Here lies just enough to get in trouble
But not enough to leave it alone
He knew just enough to get in trouble
But not quite enough to leave it alone
The song "Just Enough to Get in Trouble" by Hank Williams Jr. expresses the fear of living life on the edge, of continuously taking risks, and the uncertainty of the consequences of one's actions. The song starts with the singer talking about how he has been down several types of roads, such as the country, boulevards, and interstates, suggesting that he has seen and experienced a lot. He knows a little about many things, and his curiosity always gets him in a ditch. He also knows what the cards say, sometimes the hard way, and it looks so easy. Through this verse, the singer explains that he has made mistakes in life and has learned a lot through them.
In the chorus, the singer expresses that he knows just enough to get in trouble, and that's enough to understand that the more he knows, the more he's sure that someday, it's going to do him in. With this, the singer suggests that he is aware of his limitations and is afraid that he might not be able to live long enough to see himself make the most of what he has learned.
The second verse is about love and relationships. Here the singer says that there's a book somewhere that tells people everything a woman wants. However, when it comes to love, he is still learning. He is saying that love and relationships are complicated, and he is also afraid that he might make mistakes in this area of his life.
Overall, the song is about living life to the fullest, taking risks, and sometimes making mistakes that are necessary for personal growth. It is about accepting the consequences of one's actions and living with them. The theme of the song is relatable, and it teaches the audience to be cautious and mindful of their actions.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been down my share of Country roads, boulevards, and interstates
I have traveled extensively through both rural and urban areas.
I kinda know my way around A little bout a lot of things
I have basic knowledge about a wide range of subjects.
I know what the cards say Sometimes the hard way It looks so easy
I have learned from past experiences, sometimes even after making mistakes, and have come to understand that things can appear deceptively simple.
My curiosity always gets me in a ditch What really happens if You turn that knob Or flip that switch Something I shouldn't do Why you already knew Thats all been taught to me
I often give in to my curious impulses and try things that I shouldn't do. Even though I might be aware of the risks, I tend to need to learn through experience rather than solely heeding warnings from others.
I know just enough to get in trouble And thats just enough to understand That the more I know The more I'm sure Someday it's gonna do me in Yeah when my time comes And I'm dead and gone Let em put it on my tombstone He knew just enough to get in trouble But not enough to leave it alone
I have acquired sufficient knowledge to be curious about even more dangerous endeavors, enough to understand I am capable of screwing up, and it's only a matter of time before my lack of self-control leads to my downfall.
They got a book somewhere On everything a woman wants Bout how and when and where And why they will And why they won't Thats complicated stuff And when it comes to love I'm still learning
There seems to be a manual on what women desire, but it's a complex subject that I'm still trying to understand when it comes to romantic love.
Waylon always told me Son everybody makes mistakes And how come it's always me Standing there when something breaks
My father, Waylon, would advise me that everyone messes up and that I seem to be perpetually learning lessons the hard way.
He knew just enough to get in trouble But not quite enough to leave it alone
I had sufficient knowledge to engage in risky behavior yet not enough to avoid it or make better choices.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., CAROL VINCENT & ASSOC LLC
Written by: DAVID LEE MURPHY, KIM TRIBBLE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Marvin Thayer
Story of my life " ... know just enough to get into trouble, but not enough to leave it alone..."
promisedeyes
Great track!
Alan McCarthy
BOCEPHUS FROM OLD SCHOOL WHEN COUNTRY MUSIC WAS REAL 'CAUSE REAL COUNTRY MUSIC IS A FAMILY TRADITION 😎
LONG LIVE TO HANK:
Alabama kings ❌
BOCEPHUS 4 PRESIDENT 2020 !!
Joe Deer
hell yes!
Alan McCarthy
HANK JR 4EVER&4ALWAYS
GOD BLESS HIM 🏅 🎸