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.

You'll Never Walk Alone
Lee Greenwood Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

When you walk through a storm
Keep your chin up high
And don't be afraid of the dark
At the end of a storm is a golden sky
And the sweet silver song of a lark

Walk on through the wind
Walk on through the rain

Tho' your dreams
Be tossed and blown
Walk on
Walk on
With hope in your heart
And you'll never walk alone
You'll never walk alone

When you walk through a storm
Hold your head up high
And don't be afraid of the dark
At the end of a storm is a golden sky
And the sweet silver song of a lark

Walk on through the wind
Walk on through the rain
Tho' your dreams
Be tossed and blown
Walk on
Walk on
With hope in your heart

And you'll never walk alone
You'll never walk alone

Overall Meaning

Lee Greenwood's song You'll Never Walk Alone is a powerful and uplifting ballad that encourages the listener to persevere through adversity with hope in their heart. The opening lines, "when you walk through a storm, keep your chin up high, and don't be afraid of the dark" set the tone for the entire song. The storm symbolizes difficult times in our lives, whether it be a physical or emotional storm. The lines following, "at the end of a storm is a golden sky, and the sweet silver song of a lark" offer a hopeful message that after the storm, better times are ahead.

The chorus, "walk on, walk on, with hope in your heart, and you'll never walk alone" is a reminder that with hope in our hearts, we will never be alone in our struggles. Even though we may feel like we are facing our troubles alone, there is always someone there to help us through the tough times. The verses repeat this message, encouraging the listener to walk through the wind and rain with hope in their hearts.

Overall, You'll Never Walk Alone is a message of hope and encouragement for those facing difficult times. The metaphor of the storm and the golden sky offer a visual reminder that tough times won't last forever and better days are ahead. The song is a testament to the strength of the human spirit and our ability to persevere through even the most difficult times.

Line by Line Meaning

When you walk through a storm
In times of trouble and turmoil, when everything seems difficult to navigate.

Keep your chin up high
Stay strong and don't let your troubles overwhelm your spirit.

And don't be afraid of the dark
In the midst of difficulty and uncertainty, don't let fear control you or paralyze you with worry.

At the end of a storm is a golden sky
After every trouble and uncertainty, there's a shining and bright light at the end that points towards good things to come.

And the sweet silver song of a lark
A symbol of hope and comfort, often in the form of nature, art, music, or other creative outlets.

Walk on through the wind
Even when the winds of change or misfortune are against you, keep moving forward.

Walk on through the rain
Even when you're faced with the difficulties and hardships of life, don't give up or lose hope. Keep persevering.

Tho' your dreams
Even if things don't go as planned, or if your hopes and aspirations are pushed aside temporarily, don't stop believing in yourself and your potential.

Be tossed and blown
Like a leaf caught in the wind, sometimes life can feel like it's out of your control. But you still have the power to choose how you respond and move forward.

Walk on
Keep moving forward with determination and purpose, even when things are difficult or uncertain.

With hope in your heart
Stay positive and never lose faith in the possibility of better things to come. Believe in yourself and your ability to overcome challenges.

And you'll never walk alone
You're never truly alone in life, even when it feels like it. There's always someone or something to turn to for support and encouragement.

Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Oscar Hammerstein II, Richard Rodgers

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS