Waylon Arnold Jennings (June 15, 1937 – February 13, 2002) was an American … Read Full Bio ↴Waylon Arnold Jennings (June 15, 1937 – February 13, 2002) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. Jennings began playing guitar at eight and began performing at 14 on KVOW radio. His first band was The Texas Longhorns. Jennings worked as a DJ on KVOW, KDAV, KYTI, and KLLL. In 1958, Buddy Holly arranged Jennings's first recording session, of "Jole Blon" and "When Sin Stops (Love Begins)". Holly hired him to play bass. In Clear Lake, Iowa, the story is told that Jennings gave up his seat on the ill-fated flight in 1959 that crashed and killed Holly, J. P. Richardson, Ritchie Valens, and pilot Roger Peterson.

Jennings then worked as a DJ in Coolidge, Arizona, and Phoenix. He formed a rockabilly club band, The Waylors. He recorded for independent label Trend Records and A&M Records before succeeding with RCA Victor after achieving creative control.

During the 1970s, Jennings was instrumental in the inception of Outlaw country movement. He released critically acclaimed albums Lonesome, On'ry and Mean and Honky Tonk Heroes followed by hit albums Dreaming My Dreams as well as Are You Ready for the Country. In 1976, he released the album Wanted! The Outlaws with Willie Nelson, Tompall Glaser, and Jessi Colter, the first platinum country music album. That success was followed by Ol' Waylon and the hit song "Luckenbach, Texas". Jennings was featured in the 1978 album White Mansions performed by various artists documenting the lives of people in the Confederacy during the Civil War. The songs on the album were written by Paul Kennerley. By the early 1980s, Jennings was struggling with a cocaine addiction, which he quit in 1984. Later, he joined the country supergroup The Highwaymen with Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, and Johnny Cash, which released three albums between 1985 and 1995. During that period, Jennings released the successful album Will the Wolf Survive. He toured less after 1997 to spend more time with his family. Between 1999 and 2001, his appearances were limited by health problems. On February 13, 2002, Jennings died from complications of diabetes.

Jennings also appeared in films and television series. He was the balladeer for The Dukes of Hazzard, composing and singing the show's theme song and providing narration for the show. In 2001, he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, which he chose not to attend. In 2007, he was posthumously awarded the Cliffie Stone Pioneer Award by the Academy of Country Music.

Jennings's music was characterized by his "powerful" singing voice, noted by his "rough-edged quality", as well as his phrasing and texture. He was also recognized for his "spanky-twang" guitar style. To create his sound, he used a pronounced 'phaser' effect' plus a mixture of thumb and fingers during the rhythmic parts, while using picks for the lead runs. He combined hammer-on and pull-off riffs, with eventual upper-fret double stops and modulation effects. Jennings played a 1953 Fender Telecaster, a used guitar that was a gift from The Waylors. Jennings's bandmates adorned his guitar with a distinctive leather cover that featured a black background with a white floral work. Jennings further customized it by filing down the frets to lower the strings on the neck to obtain the slapping sound. Among his other guitars, Jennings used a 1950 Fender Broadcaster from the mid-1970s, until he gave it to guitarist Reggie Young in 1993. The leather covers of his guitars were carved by leather artist Terry Lankford.

His signature image was characterized by his long hair and beard, as well as his black hat and the black leather vest he wore during his appearances.

Jennings's music had a major influence on several neotraditionalist and alternative country artists, including Hank Williams Jr., The Marshall Tucker Band,[124] Travis Tritt, Steve Earle, Jamey Johnson, John Anderson, his son, Shooter Jennings, Sturgill Simpson, and Hank Williams III.

In 2008, his first posthumous album, Waylon Forever, was released. The album consisted of songs recorded with his son Shooter when he was 16. In 2012, Waylon: The Music Inside a three-volume project, consisting of covers of Jennings's songs by different artists, was released. The same year, it was announced for September the release of Goin' Down Rockin': The Last Recordings, a set of 12 songs recorded by Jennings and bassist Robby Turner before his death in 2002. Jennings's family was reluctant to release any new material because they did not feel comfortable at the time. The songs only featured Jennings and Turner on the bass, while further accompaniment would be added later. Ten years after, Turner completed the recordings with the help of former Waylors. The Jennings family approved the release despite the launch of a new business focused on his estate. Shooter Jennings arranged deals for a clothing line, while also launching a renewed website, and started talks with different producers about the making of a biographical film.

Away In a Manger
Waylon Jennings Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Away in a manger
No crib for His bed
The little Lord Jesus
Laid down His sweet head

The stars in the bright sky
Looked down where He lay
The little Lord Jesus

Asleep on the hay

The cattle are lowing
The poor Baby wakes
But little Lord Jesus
No crying He makes

I love Thee, Lord Jesus
Look down from the sky
And stay by my side
'Til morning is nigh

Be near me, Lord Jesus
I ask Thee to stay
Close by me forever
And love me I pray

Bless all the dear children
In Thy tender care

And take us to heaven
To live with Thee there

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Waylon Jennings's song "Away in a Manger" describe the scene of Jesus Christ's humble birth in a stable, where there was no crib, and the newborn baby slept on a bed of hay. The stars shining brightly overhead as cattle low and awaken the baby Jesus; however, he does not cry. The lyrics express the love and adoration of the singer towards Lord Jesus, and he asks him to watch over him until morning. He prays for Lord Jesus to stay beside him and love him forever. The song ends with the blessing of dear children and the wish to be taken to heaven to live with Lord Jesus.

Line by Line Meaning

Away in a manger
The first line of the song signifies the place where the Lord was born.

No crib for His bed
This line depicts the poverty of the Lord's family who couldn't afford a proper crib for their newborn.

The little Lord Jesus
The song mentions the Lord and refers to him as a little baby.

Laid down His sweet head
This line describes the Lord sleeping peacefully after being placed in a manger.

The stars in the bright sky
This line emphasizes the divine nature of the Lord's birth and the glory of the occasion.

Looked down where He lay
This line shows how the stars gazed upon the newborn Lord with awe and reverence.

Asleep on the hay
The Lord lay asleep on the hay that was placed in the manger.

The cattle are lowing
The cattle in the manger were making noise, which woke the baby Jesus.

The poor Baby wakes
The Lord, being a human baby, woke up when the cattle were making noise.

But little Lord Jesus
Despite being a human baby, the Lord did not cry when he woke up.

No crying He makes
The Lord did not cry when he woke up as he is considered to be calm and peaceful.

I love Thee, Lord Jesus
This line signifies a person's love and devotion towards the Lord.

Look down from the sky
The person singing this line requests the Lord to look down upon them from heaven.

And stay by my side
This line shows the person's desire to have the Lord by their side at all times.

'Til morning is nigh
The person singing this line wishes for the Lord's presence until the morning comes.

Be near me, Lord Jesus
This line is another request to the Lord to be near the person singing the song.

I ask Thee to stay
The person singing this line pleads with the Lord to stay by their side.

Close by me forever
This line signifies the singer's wish for the Lord's constant presence and love.

And love me I pray
The singer requests the Lord to love and care for them always.

Bless all the dear children
This line asks the Lord to bless all the children in the world.

In Thy tender care
The line shows the singer's faith in the Lord's caring nature and power.

And take us to heaven
The line signifies the ultimate desire to reach heaven by being with the Lord.

To live with Thee there
The final line of the song signifies the greatest desire: to live with the Lord in heaven.

Contributed by Elena R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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Lyrics: ↓

Away in a manger. no crib for a bed
The little Lord Jesus laid down His sweet head
The stars in the sky looked down where He lay
The little Lord Jesus, asleep on the hay

The cattle are lowing, the Baby awakes
But the little Lord Jesus no crying He makes
I love Thee, Lord Jesus, look down from the sky
And stay by my cradle till morning is nigh

Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask Thee to stay
Close by me forever, and love me, I pray
Bless all the dear children in Thy tender care
And fit us for heaven, to live with Thee there

Away in a manger. no crib for a bed
The little Lord Jesus laid down His sweet head
The stars in the sky looked down where He lay
The little Lord Jesus, asleep on the hay

The little Lord Jesus, asleep on the hay...