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.
How Great Thou Art
Lee Greenwood Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder
Thy power throughout the universe displayed
When Christ shall come
With shout of acclamation
To take me home
Then I shall bow in humble adoration
And there proclaim my God how great Thou art
Then sings my soul my savior God to Thee
How great Thou art
How great Thou art
Then sings my soul my savior God to Thee
How great Thou art how great Thou art.
The lyrics to Lee Greenwood's "How Great Thou Art" express a deep sense of wonder and awe at the power and majesty of God. The singer acknowledges the majesty of God's creation and all the worlds that his hands have made. The imagery of stars and rolling thunder reinforce this sense of grandeur and vastness. The singer recognizes the power of God's presence throughout the universe and in every living thing.
The second stanza imagines the arrival of Christ with joyous acclamation to take the singer home. The anticipation of this moment fills the singer's heart with a sense of profound joy. In the presence of God, the singer is humbled and filled with adoration. The song closes with a repetition of the phrase "How great Thou art," emphasizing the singer's reverence and the endless greatness of God.
Overall, the lyrics to "How Great Thou Art" serve as a heartfelt expression of worship and adoration for God's power and majesty.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh Lord my God when I in awesome wonder
Oh Almighty God, whenever I am filled with awe and wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made
I think about all the planets and stars that You have created with Your mighty hands,
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder
I am amazed by the stars shining so bright in the sky and the sound of rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed
which are a testament to Your immense power that is displayed throughout the vast universe.
When Christ shall come
When Lord Jesus comes down to earth again,
With shout of acclamation
accompanied by a loud cheer of praise,
To take me home
to take me to my heavenly home above with Him,
What joy shall fill my heart
what an incredible joy and happiness will fill my heart,
Then I shall bow in humble adoration
at that moment, I will humbly bow down to worship my Lord with complete adoration,
And there proclaim my God how great Thou art
and declare how great You truly are, O God.
Then sings my soul my savior God to Thee
My soul soars with emotions and sings to offer praises to my savior God above,
How great Thou art
as I realize how great You are, Lord,
How great Thou art
and how wonderfully You have created everything around us.
Then sings my soul my savior God to Thee
Again, my soul sings with love and devotion to my savior God above,
How great Thou art how great Thou art.
as I constantly realize how magnificent You truly are, O Lord.
Lyrics © Capitol CMG Publishing
Written by: Stuart Keene Hine
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@dicklong750
My dad was born in 1912 in Sweden. He came to Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.A. in 1929. He passed on July 28th, 2005.
This was his favorite song. We played it at his funeral.
By mere coincidence, his son-in-law accidentally met Lee Greenwood in California in the 1990's.
@earonowenz7679
I found It!!! Over 4 years I'm searching this version!
@larrywiseman2
This is the most beautiful rendition of the song I have ever heard.
@Cball13
This is the best version that I ever heard.
@emilymcbride4525
My grandfather's favorite song.. we had it on repeat until he took his last breath. Then we had someone sing it at his funeral. I learned to play it on piano so whenever I think of him, I sing it to him hoping he's listening. I love you grandpa. 1929-2015 ❤️
@fred5455
Inspirational and heart lifting! Really very nice & clearly piercing. Thanks God for having you in this world.
@markherron1407
Happy Birthday to Lee Greenwood his Birth Card is Eight 🎱 of Hearts! Blessings and Hugs 💖💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕!
@retlaw810
i am so glad i came across this song it is always on my mind how great thou art praise god
@andrewmullett6943
I wish lee had more gospel songs we could be blessed with his lovely voice singing Gods praises please pass this comment on to him
@annieoaktree8349
It's just so beautiful.