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.
Totally Devoted To You
Lee Greenwood Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's no way to hide
All the miracles You've made
May we question not the way we came to be
'Cause the proof is in the very life we live
We give alibis
And we compromise
Still through faith and love we know
That the Father still forgives
And in Jesus Christ a brand new life begins
Totally devoted to You
I want to do the things that You say to do
Please show me the way
To be like You everyday
And be totally devoted to You
After all we've learned
We don't seemed concerned
For the thing that seemed to be Your Word (questionable)
How can we endure the lessons that You gave
Because they're written down for all of us to see
Totally devoted to You
I want to do the things that You say to do
Show me the way
To be like You everyday
And be totally devoted to You
'Cause in Your hands I know I find salvation
'Cause when I ask You for Your help
You're always there
Totally devoted to You
I want to do the things that You say to do
Please Show me the way
To be like You everyday
And be totally devoted to You
Totally devoted to You
To You
"Totally Devoted To You" is a heartfelt devotion of Lee Greenwood to God. The song centers on the artist's complete surrender and dedication to God. The opening lines recount the wonders of creation, and how it testifies to God's existence. Greenwood recognizes that as humans, we often justify ourselves by giving excuses and compromising, but through faith and love, it is possible to receive forgiveness and a new life in Jesus Christ. He desires to follow God's commands and to be obedient to His word, a sentiment echoed in the chorus of the song, "Totally devoted to You, I want to do the things that You say to do, Please show me the way To be like You every day, And be totally devoted to You."
The song's message is all about commitment to God and seeking His guidance in everything. The lyrics suggest that despite humans' imperfections, we can strive to be better and live in total devotion to God. The song's most powerful lines are found in the chorus, which highlights Greenwood's desire to be like God in every way.
Line by Line Meaning
In this world so wide
The world is vast and there are countless wonders that have been created by You.
There's no way to hide
We cannot hide from the fact that everything around us, including ourselves, is a testament to Your existence.
All the miracles You've made
All the amazing phenomena we see in nature and in ourselves is evidence of Your handiwork.
May we question not the way we came to be
We should not doubt or question how we came to exist, but instead have faith that it was through Your divine intervention.
'Cause the proof is in the very life we live
The evidence of Your existence is present in our very existence and in the way we live our lives.
We give alibis
We often make excuses for our behavior.
And we compromise
We sometimes settle for less than we know is right.
Just to justify ourselves
We try to make ourselves feel better about our choices by justifying them.
Still through faith and love we know
Despite our shortcomings, we can still have faith in You and know that You love us.
That the Father still forgives
We can be forgiven for our mistakes by You, our Heavenly Father.
And in Jesus Christ a brand new life begins
When we come to accept and have faith in Jesus Christ, we are given a new life and a fresh start.
Totally devoted to You
We want to give ourselves completely to You.
I want to do the things that You say to do
We want to live our lives according to Your teachings and guidance.
Please show me the way
We ask You to guide us and show us the path we should take.
To be like You everyday
We want to emulate Your example and be more like You every day.
After all we've learned
Despite all the knowledge we have gained, we still struggle to fully comprehend Your Word.
We don't seemed concerned
We often fail to show the appropriate sense of urgency when it comes to following Your teachings.
For the thing that seemed to be Your Word (questionable)
We sometimes question the validity of Your Word.
How can we endure the lessons that You gave
We wonder how we can make it through the trials and lessons You have given us.
Because they're written down for all of us to see
Your lessons are recorded for us to learn from, even if we struggle to understand them fully.
'Cause in Your hands I know I find salvation
We trust that salvation can be found in You and turn to You when we need help the most.
'Cause when I ask You for Your help
We know that You are always there to help us when we ask.
Totally devoted to You
We want to give everything we have to You.
To You
We offer ourselves completely to You.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Lee Melvin Greenwood
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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on Ring On Her Finger, Time On Her Hands
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