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.
Love In Time
Lee Greenwood Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
IT'S A WONDER I SURVIVED
THOSE RECKLESS NIGHTS
NOT LONG AGO
TRYING TO KEEP MY DREAMS ALIVE
THERE WAS NO TOMORROW YESTERDAY
GETTING NOWHERE FAST
BURNING MY BRIDGES
AND BULIDING DEFENCES
AROUND MY HERAT
I WAS ALONE IN THE DARK BUT
CHORUS
I FOUND LOVE IN TIME
YOU REACHED MY HEART
AND CHANGED MY MIND
JUST BEFORE I CROSSED THE LINE
I FOUND LOVE IN TIME
EVEN THOUGH I'D GIVIN' UP
YOU CAME TO ME
AND GENTLY TOUCHED MY LIFE
YOU TOOK MY SONG AND MADE IT RHYME
OH I FOUND LOVE IN TIME
DRIVING DOWN A TEXAS HIGHWAY
AS THE SUN ROSE IN MY EYES
I DIDN'T SEE THE NEED FOR ANYONE
NOW IT'S CLEAR THAT I WAS BLIND
AND I KNOW HOW MUCH I HURT MYSELF
BUT I FELT NO PAIN
I NEEDED SOMEONE
BUT I JUST KEPT RUNNING
SO FAR AWAY
IT WAS ALMOST TOO LATE, BUT
REPEAT CHORUS
NOW THAT YOU'RE HERE WITH ME
I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT I EVER FOUGHT IT
YOU MAKE IT SO EASY TO BE WITH YOU
YOU BROKE THROUGH, OH
REPEAT CHORUS
The lyrics of "Love in Time" by Lee Greenwood speaks about the journey of a person who looks back at their past full of reckless nights that they survived all to keep their dreams alive. The person acknowledges the fact that they had no regard for tomorrow and were getting nowhere fast but burning bridges and building defenses around their heart. In their journey, they felt alone in the dark with no hope. However, just before they crossed the line of no return, they found love in time. Love reached their heart, changed their mind, and touched their life gently, making their song rhyme.
The second verse explicates that the person was driving down a Texas highway with no need for anyone as the sun rose in their eyes. They were blind and could not see how much they were hurting themselves. They needed someone, but they kept running away so far that it was almost too late to find love. The chorus repeats that the person found love in time, and even though they had given up, someone came to them and touched their life.
The song ends on a positive note, stating that the person can't believe they ever fought love, and it makes it easy to be with the person that they found love with. Love broke through every defense and made a difference in their life. The song essentially conveys that finding love has the potential to change a person's life for the better, and it is never too late for it.
Line by Line Meaning
WHEN I LOOK BACK ON WHERE I'VE BEEN
Reflecting on my past experiences
IT'S A WONDER I SURVIVED
I am amazed I made it through
THOSE RECKLESS NIGHTS
The wild times that were filled with risk and danger
NOT LONG AGO
Prior memories
TRYING TO KEEP MY DREAMS ALIVE
Striving to maintain the hope and aspirations I held
THERE WAS NO TOMORROW YESTERDAY
The past had no promise or future possibility
GETTING NOWHERE FAST
Making no progress quickly
BURNING MY BRIDGES
Destroying opportunities in my past and present
AND BUILDING DEFENCES AROUND MY HEART
Forming protective barriers around my emotions
I WAS ALONE IN THE DARK BUT
Describing a state of isolation and feeling lost
I FOUND LOVE IN TIME
I discovered love before it was too late
YOU REACHED MY HEART
Your affection touched me deeply
AND CHANGED MY MIND
Transforming the way I thought
JUST BEFORE I CROSSED THE LINE
Finding love just when I was about to give up or go too far
EVEN THOUGH I'D GIVIN' UP
Even when I had lost hope or given up on finding a meaningful connection
YOU CAME TO ME
You came into my life unexpectedly
AND GENTLY TOUCHED MY LIFE
Your compassionate presence impacted me in a profound way
YOU TOOK MY SONG AND MADE IT RHYME
Took me from a place of chaos and disarray and made my life purposeful
DRIVING DOWN A TEXAS HIGHWAY
Recounting a specific moment where I was on a Texan highway
AS THE SUN ROSE IN MY EYES
The sun was rising and shining directly into my eyes
I DIDN'T SEE THE NEED FOR ANYONE
Feeling self-sufficient and trying to isolate myself from others
NOW IT'S CLEAR THAT I WAS BLIND
I now understand how I blinded myself to the importance of human connections
AND I KNOW HOW MUCH I HURT MYSELF
Realizing the ways in which I damaged myself in the past
BUT I FELT NO PAIN
Despite the harm I inflicted on myself, I felt numb or oblivious to it
I NEEDED SOMEONE
Feeling a desire for companionship
BUT I JUST KEPT RUNNING
Avoiding commitment and fleeing from situations that could offer connection
SO FAR AWAY
Describing a sense of disconnection and emotional distance
IT WAS ALMOST TOO LATE, BUT
Realizing that I was close to missing out on finding love
NOW THAT YOU'RE HERE WITH ME
In the current moment, being grateful for a partner's presence
I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT I EVER FOUGHT IT
Expressing disbelief that I turned away from love in the past
YOU MAKE IT SO EASY TO BE WITH YOU
Finding it effortless to connect and share life with a partner
YOU BROKE THROUGH, OH
Breaking through the barriers that I constructed around myself to access a deeper level of connection
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CLIF MAGNESS, GLEN BALLARD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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on Ring On Her Finger, Time On Her Hands
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