Lee Greenwood (born October 27, 1942 in South Gate, California) is an Ameri… Read Full Bio ↴Lee Greenwood (born October 27, 1942 in South Gate, California) is an American country pop singer and songwriter. He is best known for a string of Countrypolitan hits throughout the 1980s, as well as for his hit "God Bless the USA".

Early life

After the separation of his parents, Lee grew up in Sacramento on the poultry farm of his grandparents. At the age of seven, he began playing the saxophone, and at the age of nine became a member of a dance ensemble. In 1969, he joined the Chester Smith Band and had his first television appearance. A short time later, he worked with the country musician Del Reeves.

He founded his first band, Apollo, in 1962. He briefly battled a cocaine addiction and moved to Iceland to go to rehab. The band, which changed its name later to Lee Greenwood Affair, played mostly pop music and appeared mostly in casinos in Las Vegas. A few records were recorded in Los Angeles with the Paramount label. After the band broke up in the 1970s, Greenwood moved back to Las Vegas, where he worked as a black jack dealer during the day, and as a singer at night.

Career

In 1979, he was discovered in Reno, Nev., by Larry McFaden, the bandleader and bassist of Mel Tillis. After making some demo tapes, Greenwood was signed in 1981 by the Nashville-based MCA label, and McFaden became his manager.

The first single, "It Turns Me Inside Out", made it to a spot in the top 20 of the country charts. Greenwood had written this song for Kenny Rogers, but Rogers turned it down due to the sheer volume of songs he had been offered at the time. "Ring On Her Finger and Time on her Hands" landed him in the country top 10.

He is best known for writing and recording the patriotic song "God Bless the USA" in the early 1980s. "God Bless the USA" gained renewed popularity following the launch of Operation: Desert Storm in 1991, and again, ten years later, following the September 11, 2001 attacks; in fact, the song even re-entered the Top 20 of the country charts in late 2001. Since then, Greenwood has played at many public events and commemorations of the attacks. He supports the United States Republican Party.

Theater

In 1995, Greenwood took a break from his touring schedule to spend time with his wife and newborn son. In his time off, he elected to build a theater in Sevierville, Tenn., and in April 1996, the "Lee Greenwood Theater" opened its doors. This gave Greenwood the opportunity to still perform daily shows, in addition to being with his family. The theater operated for five seasons, and closed for Greenwood to continue touring. The theater was not located in the heavily entertainment and tourist oriented areas of Pigeon Forge, Tenn., and Gatlinburg, Tenn., which contributed to the theater closing. The former theater building is now host to a church.

Didn't We?
Lee Greenwood Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I think of all the times I needed you
And you would come to me 'cause you wanted to
Oh when we built a fire that would last through the night
It'd still be burnin' in the mornin' light
Oh we must've had a thousand ways
Oh love taken & wrapped away
We took a chance or two, didn't we?
And made some mountains move, didn't we?

& from out of the blue, the storm clouds came
It started rainin', we just let it rain
Oh careless love, oh careless love
Sadness, yes, but no regrets
When we had a baby, oh we had the best
Didn't we? I'm askin' you, didn't we? Oh didn't we?
And every now & then I'm feeling sure
And it takes me a while to let you go
You were more than a lover, more than a friend
Never before, never again
Oh will it be you & me?
We had, had it good, didn't we?
I want to say, oh we must've had a thousand ways
Oh takin' our roadway

Oh will it be, will it be you & me?
Oh we had, we had it good, didn't we?

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Lee Greenwood's song "Didn't We?" describe a bittersweet reflection on a past relationship that had its ups and downs. The singer reminisces on all the times he and his partner shared and the countless ways they expressed their love for each other. They built a fire that lasted through the night and still burned in the morning light. They took chances and made mountains move. They also weathered a storm as it started raining, but they let it rain without regrets. When they had a baby, they had the best. The singer asks if they had it good and concludes that they did.

Despite having a strong connection, the relationship ended, and the singer is left wondering if it will ever be just him and his partner again. He sometimes feels sure that it will be, but it takes him a while to let go. The partner was not just a lover but also a friend, someone who was irreplaceable. The singer concludes that they had it good and must have had a thousand ways of expressing their love, even if it did not ultimately last.

This song conveys a wistful and reflective mood, evoking memories and regrets of past relationships. It speaks to the complexity of love and how even relationships that end can still be cherished for their beauty and moments of happiness.

Line by Line Meaning

I think of all the times I needed you
I reflect on all the occasions where I required your presence and assistance.

And you would come to me 'cause you wanted to
You always came to me because you genuinely desired to be with me and help me out.

Oh when we built a fire that would last through the night
We created a bond or relationship that was strong enough to endure and last a long period of time.

It'd still be burnin' in the mornin' light
Our connection or relationship would still be intact and strong in the morning after spending the night together.

Oh we must've had a thousand ways
We likely experienced numerous methods or approaches to expressing our love for each other.

Oh love taken & wrapped away
Our love was swept away, taken from us unexpectedly.

We took a chance or two, didn't we?
We embraced certain risks or opportunities that presented themselves to us.

And made some mountains move, didn't we?
We succeeded in overcoming some monumental obstacles or challenges that we faced together.

& from out of the blue, the storm clouds came
Suddenly and unexpectedly, we faced immense difficulties or turmoil.

It started rainin', we just let it rain
We didn't try to change or stop the challenging circumstances that we were facing.

Oh careless love, oh careless love
Our love was free-spirited and uninhibited.

Sadness, yes, but no regrets
While we may have experienced sadness, we don't regret the time that we spent together and the love that we shared.

When we had a baby, oh we had the best
When we welcomed our child into the world, it was the greatest and most memorable moment for us.

Didn't we? I'm askin' you, didn't we? Oh didn't we?
Amidst these reflections, I am asking you to remember and acknowledge the wonderful experiences that we shared together.

And every now & then I'm feeling sure
Occasionally, I feel confident and certain about our connection and love for each other.

And it takes me a while to let you go
It's difficult for me to move on or let go of our relationship and the wonderful memories that we created together.

You were more than a lover, more than a friend
You were more than just a romantic partner to me; you were also my closest friend and confidant.

Never before, never again
Our love was unique and unparalleled; it can never be replicated in the same way with anyone else.

Oh will it be you & me?
I wonder if we have the chance to rekindle our love and be together again.

We had, had it good, didn't we?
We had a great relationship, full of love, joy, and cherished memories; do you remember that?

I want to say, oh we must've had a thousand ways
I'm certain that we experienced countless ways of expressing love and affection towards each other.

Oh takin' our roadway
We took our own path or direction in life, together.

Oh will it be, will it be you & me?
I am still contemplating whether or not there is a chance for us to be together again.

Oh we had, we had it good, didn't we?
We enjoyed a wonderful relationship, filled with love and special moments that I will always cherish and hold dear.

Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: GRAHAM HAMILTON LYLE, TROY HAROLD SEALS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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