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.
Ramblin' in My Shoes
Hank Williams Jr. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And drag my sorry ass out of bed
Sometimes I don't
And I just lay there instead
I'm going down to the store today
And hope my cold sores all go away
Sometimes I just put on my socks
I'm ramblin' in my shoes
I'm a-ramblin' in my shoes
'Cause I got a hole in my socks
Sometimes I wet the bed
And lie in my own filth
Sometimes I don't
I get up and go to the bathroom
I'm going down to the store today
And hope my cold sores all go away
Sometimes I just go barefooted
Well, I'm Ramblin' in my shoes
I'm ramblin' in my shoes
I'm a-ramblin in my shoes
'Cause I got a hole in my socks
Sometimes I wet the bed
And lie in my own filth
Sometimes I don't
I get up and go to the bathroom
I'm going down to the store today
And hope my cold sores all go away
Sometimes I just go barefooted
Sometimes I wet the bed
And lie in my own filth
Sometimes I don't
I get up and go to the bathroom
I'm going down to the store today
And hope my cold sores all go away
Sometimes I just go barefooted
Sometimes I wet the bed
And lie in my own filth
Sometimes I don't
I get up and go to the bathroom
I'm going down to the store today
And hope my cold sores all go away
Sometimes I just go barefooted
The lyrics to "Ramblin' in My Shoes" by Hank Williams Jr. portray a stark and raw picture of the life of the singer. He describes his daily routine, including days where he forces himself out of bed and others when he chooses to stay in bed. He speaks candidly about personal hygiene issues, mentioning his cold sores and even wetting the bed. Through it all, the singer is accepting of his situation and life as it is.
The repeated line "I'm Ramblin' in my shoes, 'cause I got a hole in my socks" appears to be a metaphor for the singer's life. The holes in his socks symbolize the imperfections in his life and his soul, which lead him to just wander aimlessly. His life is filled with struggles and pain, and he seems to be just getting by.
This song is a powerful commentary on the struggles that many people face every day, especially those who are less fortunate. It is a reminder that despite everything, people still have to keep going, even when life is tough. The song provides a human and empathetic view of a life that is often overlooked or marginalized.
Line by Line Meaning
Sometimes I wake up
Occasionally, I rise from my slumber
And drag my sorry ass out of bed
And reluctantly begin my day
Sometimes I don't
At times, I choose to stay in bed
And I just lay there instead
And remain in a state of restfulness
I'm going down to the store today
I plan on going to the market today
And hope my cold sores all go away
And aspire for my oral lesions to dissipate
Sometimes I just put on my socks
On occasion, I only wear my foot coverings
Well, I'm Ramblin' in my shoes
I am wandering aimlessly, wearing my footwear
I'm ramblin' in my shoes
I am roaming without a specific direction, donning my shoes
I'm a-ramblin' in my shoes
I am aimlessly walking, wearing my footwear
'Cause I got a hole in my socks
Due to the fact that my socks have a puncture, precipitating discomfort
Sometimes I wet the bed
Sometimes, I soil my bed with urine
And lie in my own filth
And remain lying down in my waste
I get up and go to the bathroom
I stand up and proceed to the lavatory
Sometimes I just go barefooted
From time to time, I travel without any shoes
Sometimes I wet the bed
In certain instances, I urinate involuntarily in my sleeping quarters
And lie in my own filth
And remain lying down in my excrement
Sometimes I don't
Occasionally, I am able to prevent this from happening
I'm going down to the store today
Today, I plan on journeying towards the market
And hope my cold sores all go away
And desire for my oral sores to dissipate entirely
Sometimes I just go barefooted
Infrequently, I travel without my shoes
Sometimes I wet the bed
From time to time, I lose urinary control during my sleep
And lie in my own filth
And allow myself to remain laying in my own waste
Sometimes I don't
Intermittently, I am able to suppress this bodily function
I'm going down to the store today
Today, I intend on wandering to the market
And hope my cold sores all go away
And yearn for my oral lesions to disappear completely
Sometimes I just go barefooted
Occasionally, I traverse without any shoes
Contributed by Allison M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.