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.

I Don't Want To Wake You
Lee Greenwood Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

While you're lying asleep
You're painting a picture
That I'll always keep in my mind
Stay with that dream
Good ones are hard to find

The warmth of your hand
Your breath on my skin

And the rise and the fall of your breast
Takes me away
It puts all my troubles to rest

There are so many things I should tell you
But a man doesn't know how
There's an ache and it's breakin' me open
But I don't wanna wake you right now

I don't want to wake you right now
For what I'm feeling no words would be any good anyhow
You just might be dreaming of me
And since that's just where I want to be
I don't want to wake you
I don't want to wake you right now

If I had my way I'd gather my wishes
And whisper them all in your ear
I never knew heaven could be so near

There are so many things I should tell you
But a man doesn't know how
There's an ache and it's breakin' me open
But I don't wanna wake you right now

I don't want to wake you right now
For what I'm feeling no words would be any good anyhow
You just might be dreaming of me
And since that's just where I want to be

I don't want to wake you
I don't want to wake you right now

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to "I Don't Want to Wake You" by Lee Greenwood depict a man in love with his partner who is fast asleep next to him. The first two lines of the song illustrate how the man is paying close attention to his partner while she is sleeping and trying to capture the moment in his mind as a precious memory. The next four lines describe how being close to his partner, feeling her body warmth and breath, brings him peace and comfort that allows him to forget all his worries.

The following lines portray the man's dilemma where he feels like there are numerous things he could tell his partner but cannot find the right words to express them. Although he is struggling with emotions that are breaking him open, he chooses to keep silent and not wake his partner, as the moment is too perfect to be interrupted. The chorus emphasizes the importance of this moment as the man acknowledges that there are no words that can describe how he feels and since being in his partner's dream is where he wants to be, he chooses not to interrupt it.

The last two verses describe how the man would whisper his wishes to his partner if he could, and acknowledges that he never knew heaven could be so near until he met his partner. The song ends with a repetition of the chorus, where the man chooses to stay silent and cherish the moment with his partner.

Overall, the song highlights the power of love and how it can make one feel complete and peaceful. It also demonstrates the importance of being present in the moment and cherishing the people we love.

Line by Line Meaning

While you're lying asleep
This is the moment when all my worries and fears cease because you are right beside me, and it fills me with such comfort every time.

You're painting a picture
You're giving me a vision of what true beauty looks like, and my heart is forever grateful.

That I'll always keep in my mind
I will cherish this amazing image that you're creating while you're sleeping, and it will be with me forever.

Stay with that dream
Don't wake up from what you're dreaming about because it's probably us together, and it's where I want to be right now.

Good ones are hard to find
Dreams like this don't come around often, so it's important to hold onto them when we can.

The warmth of your hand
The physical touch from you puts me at ease and reassures me that everything is going to be alright.

Your breath on my skin
This sensation brings me a sense of calm and peace, and it's another moment that I will hold near and dear to my heart.

And the rise and the fall of your breast
This is a simple yet mesmerizing aspect of you that I could watch for hours and never get tired of.

Takes me away
You have the power to whisk me away from reality and take me to a place where everything is perfect and serene.

It puts all my troubles to rest
When I am with you, all of my worries and concerns disappear, and I can just be in the moment with you.

There are so many things I should tell you
There are countless emotions and thoughts that I have for you, but sometimes it's hard to put them into words.

But a man doesn't know how
Even though I may not know how to express my feelings in words, my actions and presence will always speak volumes.

There's an ache and it's breakin' me open
The love that I have for you is so strong that it is literally overwhelming and takes over my entire being.

But I don't wanna wake you right now
I don't want to disturb this perfect moment that I am having with you because it feels like a dream come true.

For what I'm feeling no words would be any good anyhow
Trying to explain my emotions to you wouldn't do them justice because they are so powerful and indescribable.

You just might be dreaming of me
I hope that you are envisioning a future with us together because that is all I can think about when I look at you.

And since that's just where I want to be
I want to be with you in every possible way, both in your dreams and in your reality, because you are all I need.

I don't want to wake you
I want to hold onto this moment for as long as possible because it is a true reflection of how much you mean to me.

I don't want to wake you right now
I want to stay in this moment with you for as long as possible because it brings me a sense of peace and happiness that can't be replicated.

If I had my way I'd gather my wishes
If I could, I would spend all my time with you and make all my dreams come true because being with you is my greatest wish.

And whisper them all in your ear
I would whisper sweet nothings in your ear and let you know just how much you mean to me because you deserve to know.

I never knew heaven could be so near
Being with you feels like I am in heaven because of how much love and comfort you bring into my life.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: PETER MC CANN, WAYLAND HOLYFIELD

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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