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.
If There's Any Justice
Lee Greenwood Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The very first moment that I wake each day
Your ghost just dances straight across my memory
I reach for the phone & I hear your voice
& against my will, my feelings run away with me
'Cause I want you here right now
But you're lying there in someone else's arms
CHORUS:
If there's a God up in the sky
& if there's any justice in this world
I should be with you, oh I should be you
Say you'll run away with me
If there's any justice in this world
I should be with you
Say you'll always stay with me
I wait all day long for the sun to fall
For you to slip away & run back to my arms again
I look into your eyes & see the passion grow
& we lose control & swear we'll never part again
I know paradise ain't lost
& there is still a chance that we'll survive
(chorus)
To live my life without you, kill a love like mine
Would kill my heart forever, & that would be a crime, so...
(x2):
If there's any justice in this world
I should be with you
Say you'll run away with me
Oh if there's any justice in this world
I should be with you
Say you'll always stay with me
The opening lyrics of Lee Greenwood's "If There's Any Justice" describe the constant presence of the memory of a past lover, a "ghost" that "dances straight across" the singer's memory every morning upon waking up. The memories come flooding back even when the singer tries to distract himself by reaching for the phone and hearing the lover's voice. Despite the lover being in someone else's arms, the singer desperately wants them back and hopes for some cosmic justice that will bring them back together. The chorus expresses this hope for justice - a plea to the divine that the singer and lover should be together. The second verse highlights the singer's wait for their lover's return and the passion that exists between them, leading to a promise of never separating again. The final statement is a declaration that to live without this love would be a crime, so the singer begs for the lover to stay with him always.
Overall, "If There's Any Justice" is a classic love song with a tinge of desperation and hope for something beyond human control. The lyrics suggest the singer is willing to do anything to be with the person they love, and they believe that some higher power will make it happen if it's meant to be.
Line by Line Meaning
The very first moment that I wake each day
Right from the start of my day, I am reminded of you.
Your ghost just dances straight across my memory
Your memory is still vivid and present in my mind.
I reach for the phone & I hear your voice
Hearing your voice on the phone makes me feel connected to you.
& against my will, my feelings run away with me
Even though I try to control my emotions, they take over me when I think of you.
'Cause I want you here right now
I long for your presence in my life immediately.
But you're lying there in someone else's arms
You are physically with someone else, not me, and it hurts.
If there's a God up in the sky
Referring to a higher power that may control fate and destiny.
& if there's any justice in this world
Hoping that life is fair and moral principles will work in their favor.
I should be with you, oh I should be you
They strongly believe they should be together.
Say you'll run away with me
Asking the other person to escape with them and start a new life together.
I wait all day long for the sun to fall
Looking forward to the end of the day when they can be reunited.
For you to slip away & run back to my arms again
Yearning for the other person to leave their current situation and return to them.
I look into your eyes & see the passion grow
Feeling a strong connection when looking into the other person's eyes.
& we lose control & swear we'll never part again
They become carried away in the moment, promising to never separate again.
I know paradise ain't lost
Maintaining hope that they can still achieve happiness and contentment together.
& there is still a chance that we'll survive
Believing they can overcome any obstacle and remain together.
To live my life without you, kill a love like mine
The idea of living without the other person is unbearable, it would be like losing a part of themselves.
Would kill my heart forever, & that would be a crime, so...
Not being with them would cause significant emotional damage that would never heal.
Say you'll always stay with me
Requesting a commitment from the other person to remain together forever.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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on Ring On Her Finger, Time On Her Hands
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