Randall Hank Williams (born May 26, 1949), known professionally as Hank Wil… Read Full Bio ↴Randall Hank Williams (born May 26, 1949), known professionally as Hank Williams Jr. or alternatively as Hank Jr. or Bocephus, is an American singer-songwriter and musician. His musical style is often considered a blend of Southern rock, blues, and country. He is the son of country music singer Hank Williams; the half-brother of Jett Williams; and the father of Hank Williams III, Holly Williams, Hilary Williams, Sam Williams, and the late Katherine Williams-Dunning.

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.

Takin' Back The Country
Hank Williams Jr. Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I'll go find a network wall
To treat me right
Y'all can take the change and
Stick it out of sight

Don't tread on me don't you tread on me
Hey, are you ready for some good news?
We're going to take back our country

Where it will be easy to get a place
Build a house now that he PA said no that's
The home of the blue mounts

Don't tread on me don't you tread on me
Hey, are you ready for some good news?
We're going to take back our country

Well, they've beaten to death
That poor race horse
The politically correct thing
Is grunted force

Don't tread on me don't you tread on me
Hey, are you ready for some good news?
We're going to take back our country

Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and bing
Lots of good voices from few of them things
Why don't you find your own business
That's good advice mind your own business
They got it right
But if you mind your business then
You won't be mind in mind
Every sign says for self release
Price reduced, make an offer please

Don't tread on me don't you tread on me
Hey, are you ready for some good news?
We're going to take back our country

There's no way today we could
Build both the dams there'd be way too many
Government permit scams

Don't tread on me don't you tread on me
Hey, are you ready for some good news?
We're going to take back our country

Hey Barack pack your bags, head to Chicago
Take a trailer parking with you so
You'll know where to go
Don't move it on over (move it on over)
Move it on over (move it on over)
Move it little dog, the big dog's moving me

Move it on over (move it on over)
Slide it on over (move it on over)

Overall Meaning

In "Taking Back the Country," Hank Williams Jr. expresses his desire to take America back to what it used to be. He is fed up with the government and big companies, who he feels have ruined the country. The lyrics highlight his frustration with big corporations who don't treat their employees right, with the E-P-A for denying people the right to build homes, and with the politically correct culture that has gone too far. He is also critical of social media and the way it has exposed too much personal information, leading to divorces, and advises people to mind their own business.

Overall, Williams Jr. encourages people to take back the country and use common sense. He wants to return to a time when people were in control of their own lives and could rely on themselves, rather than the government or big corporations. He wants America to be great again.

Line by Line Meaning

I will find a network, want to treat me right
I am going to align myself with a group that shares my values and treats me fairly.

Y’all can take the change, and stick it out of sight
I reject the changes that are being forced upon me and will not tolerate them any longer.

Don’t tread on me, don’t you tread on me
I demand that my rights and beliefs be respected and that no one tries to oppress me.

Hey are you ready for some good news? We’re gonna take back our country!
Are you ready to stand up for your beliefs and join me in reclaiming our country from those who seek to impose their will upon us?

Well it used to be easy, get a place, build a house Now the E-P-A said no, that’s the home of the blue mouse
Building a home was once a simple process, but now government regulations make it difficult or impossible to do so in certain areas.

We’re gonna use some common sense And we’re gonna take back our country!
We will apply logic and reason to the problems we face and take back our country from those who enact nonsensical policies.

Well we’ve beaten to death that poor race horse This politically correct thing has run its course
The overuse of political correctness has become tiresome and ineffective, and we need to move beyond it to address real issues.

Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Bing Lots of divorces, from showing them things Why don't you mind your own business That’s good advice Mind your own business Dad got it right 'Cause if you mind your own business Then you won’t be minding mine
Social media platforms have contributed to many divorces, and people should refrain from interfering in the personal affairs of others.

Everything says for sale or for lease, Price reduced, make an offer please Don’t tread on me, don’t you tread on me Hey are you ready for some good news? We’re gonna take back our country!
The economy is struggling, and we need to take back our country and make it great again by creating jobs and opportunities.

There’s no way today we could build Mover Dam There’s be way too many government permit scams Don’t tread on me, don’t you tread on me Hey are you ready for the good news? We’re gonna take back this country!
Bureaucratic red tape and corruption make it difficult or impossible to undertake large-scale public works projects today.

Hey Barack, pack your bags, head to Chicago Take your teleprompter with you so you’ll know where to go Moving on over, moving on over, moving on over, Oh, moving to the dark house Oh move on over little 'cause the big dog's moving in Moving on over, sliding on over, moving on over, Hey are you ready for some good news? Are you ready for some good news? We’re gonna take back our country! That’s what I’m talking about baby!
It is time for Barack Obama to leave the presidency and for someone new, someone who will take our country back, to step in and lead us into a brighter future.

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS

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