Born during the Great Depression and raised by his grandparents, Nelson wrote his first song at age seven and joined his first band at ten. During high school, he toured locally with the Bohemian Polka as their lead singer and guitar player. After graduating from high school in 1950, he joined the U.S. Air Force but was later discharged due to back problems. After his return, Nelson attended Baylor University for two years but dropped out because he was succeeding in music. During this time, he worked as a disc jockey in Texas radio stations and a singer in honky-tonks. Nelson moved to Vancouver, Washington, where he wrote "Family Bible" and recorded the song "Lumberjack" in 1956. He also worked as a disc jockey at various radio stations in Vancouver and nearby Portland, Oregon. In 1958, he moved to Houston, Texas, after signing a contract with D Records. He sang at the Esquire Ballroom weekly and he worked as a disk jockey. During that time, he wrote songs that would become country standards, including "Funny How Time Slips Away", "Hello Walls", "Pretty Paper", and "Crazy". In 1960 he moved to Nashville, Tennessee, and later signed a publishing contract with Pamper Music which allowed him to join Ray Price's band as a bassist. In 1962, he recorded his first album, ...And Then I Wrote. Due to this success, Nelson signed in 1964 with RCA Victor and joined the Grand Ole Opry the following year. After mid-chart hits in the late 1960s and the early 1970s, Nelson retired in 1972 and moved to Austin, Texas. The ongoing music scene of Austin motivated Nelson to return from retirement, performing frequently at the Armadillo World Headquarters.
In 1973, after signing with Atlantic Records, Nelson turned to outlaw country, including albums such as Shotgun Willie and Phases and Stages. In 1975, he switched to Columbia Records, where he recorded the critically acclaimed album Red Headed Stranger. The same year, he recorded another outlaw country album, Wanted! The Outlaws, along with Waylon Jennings, Jessi Colter, and Tompall Glaser. During the mid-1980s, while creating hit albums like Honeysuckle Rose and recording hit songs like "On the Road Again", "To All the Girls I've Loved Before", and "Pancho and Lefty", he joined the country supergroup The Highwaymen, along with fellow singers Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, and Kris Kristofferson.
In 1990, Nelson's assets were seized by the Internal Revenue Service, which claimed that he owed $32 million. The difficulty of paying his outstanding debt was aggravated by weak investments he had made during the 1980s. In 1992, Nelson released The IRS Tapes: Who'll Buy My Memories?; the profits of the double album—destined to the IRS—and the auction of Nelson's assets cleared his debt. During the 1990s and 2000s, Nelson continued touring extensively, and released albums every year. Reviews ranged from positive to mixed. He explored genres such as reggae, blues, jazz, and folk.
Nelson made his first movie appearance in the 1979 film The Electric Horseman, followed by other appearances in movies and on television. Nelson is a major liberal activist and the co-chair of the advisory board of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), which is in favor of marijuana legalization. On the environmental front, Nelson owns the bio-diesel brand Willie Nelson Biodiesel, which is made from vegetable oil. Nelson is also the honorary chairman of the advisory board of the Texas Music Project, the official music charity of the state of Texas.
Nelson uses a variety of music styles to create his own distinctive blend of country music, a hybrid of jazz, pop, blues, rock and folk. His "unique sound", which uses a "relaxed, behind-the-beat singing style and gut-string guitar" and his "nasal voice and jazzy, off-center phrasing", has been responsible for his wide appeal, and has made him a "vital icon in country music", influencing the "new country, new traditionalist, and alternative country movements of the 1980s and 1990s".
In 1969, the Baldwin company gave Nelson an amplifier and guitar with their "Prismatone" pickup. During a show in Helotes, Texas, Nelson left the guitar on the floor of the stage, and it was later stepped on by a drunk man. He sent it to be repaired in Nashville by Shot Jackson, who told Nelson that the damage was too great. Jackson offered him a Martin N-20 Classical guitar, and, at Nelson's request, moved the pickup to the Martin. Nelson purchased the guitar unseen for $750 and named it after Roy Rogers' horse "Trigger". The next year Nelson rescued the guitar from his burning ranch.
Constant strumming with a guitar pick over the decades has worn a large sweeping hole into the guitar's body near the sound hole—the N-20 has no pick-guard since classical guitars are meant to be played fingerstyle instead of with picks. Its soundboard has been signed by over a hundred of Nelson's friends and associates, ranging from fellow musicians to lawyers and football coaches. The first signature on the guitar was Leon Russell's, who asked Nelson initially to sign his guitar. When Nelson was about to sign it with a marker, Russell requested him to scratch it instead, explaining that the guitar would be more valuable in the future. Interested in the concept, Nelson requested Russell to also sign his guitar. In 1991, during his process with the IRS, Nelson was worried that Trigger could be auctioned off, stating: "When Trigger goes, I'll quit". He asked his daughter, Lana, to take the guitar from the studio before any IRS agent arrived there, and then deliver it to him in Maui. Nelson then concealed the guitar in his manager's house until his debt was paid off in 1993.
Nelson is widely recognized as an American icon. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1993, and he received the Kennedy Center Honors in 1998. In 2011, Nelson was inducted to the National Agricultural Hall of Fame, for his labor in Farm Aid and other fund raisers to benefit farmers. In 2015 Nelson won the Gershwin Prize, the lifetime award of the Library of Congress. In 2018 The Texas Institute of Letters inducted him among its members for his songwriting. He was included by Rolling Stone on its 100 Greatest Singers and 100 Greatest Guitarists lists.
Dead Flowers
Willie Nelson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Talking to those rich folks that you know
Well I hope you won't see me in my ragged company
You know that I could never be alone
Take me down little Susie, take me down
I know you think you're the queen of the underground
And you can send me dead flowers every morning
Send me dead flowers to my wedding
And I won't forget to put roses on your grave
Well when you're sitting back in your pink rose Cadillac
Making bets on Kentucky Derby Days
I'll be in my basement room with a needle and a spoon
And another girl can take my pain away
Take me down little Susie, take me down
I know you think you're the queen of the underground
And you can send me dead flowers every morning
Send me dead flower by US mail
Send me dead flowers to my wedding
And I won't forget to put roses on your grave
Take me down little Susie, take me down
I know you think you're the queen of the underground
And you can send me dead flowers every morning
Send me dead flower by the US mail
Send me dead flowers at my wedding
And I won't forget to put roses on your grave
No I won't forget to put roses on your grave
The song "Dead Flowers" portrays the contrast of two different lifestyles. The first set of lyrics describe someone sitting in their luxurious home, surrounded by wealthy friends. In contrast, the singer sees himself as part of a "ragged company," someone who could never fit in with that type of crowd. The second set of lyrics describe the singer's own choices and lifestyle, which involve taking drugs in a basement room with another woman. However, despite their differences, the two parties are connected through the chorus where the singer asks to be sent dead flowers by mail, and promises to put roses on the other person's grave.
The lyrics may seem dark and melancholic, but they actually hint at an underlying sense of acceptance and understanding. The tone is not accusatory or resentful, but rather one of resignation. The singer acknowledges the differences between himself and the other person, but still seems to wish them well. There is a bittersweet juxtaposition between the luxury and pomp of high society and the gritty realism of the singer's basement existence.
Overall, "Dead Flowers" is a poignant commentary on the inevitable separation between different groups of people. Whether it be wealth or lifestyle, there will always be differences that set us apart. But even amidst those differences, there can be a sense of connection and respect.
Line by Line Meaning
When you're sitting there in your silk upholstered chair
When you're enjoying your luxurious life surrounded by wealth.
Talking to those rich folks that you know
Talking to the people who share your class and level of affluence.
Well I hope you won't see me in my ragged company
I hope you won't be embarrassed of me when you see me with people of lower social status.
You know that I could never be alone
I am always surrounded by people who accept me, despite my lack of wealth.
Take me down little Susie, take me down
I am willing to engage in drug use with you, especially if it helps me escape my reality.
I know you think you're the queen of the underground
You believe you are in control of the drug scene and can provide access to it.
And you can send me dead flowers every morning
You can send me drugs to fuel my addiction.
Send me dead flower by the mail
You can mail me drugs.
Send me dead flowers to my wedding
You can send me drugs to make my wedding day more enjoyable, despite my drug use.
And I won't forget to put roses on your grave
I will always remember your kindness and the support you gave me during my addiction.
Well when you're sitting back in your pink rose Cadillac
When you're relaxing in your luxury car, enjoying your wealth.
Making bets on Kentucky Derby Days
When you are participating in high-stakes gambling events.
I'll be in my basement room with a needle and a spoon
I will be dealing with my addiction in private, without the luxuries you have access to.
And another girl can take my pain away
And I will use drugs to mask my emotional and physical pain.
Send me dead flower by US mail
You can mail me drugs using the postal service.
Send me dead flowers at my wedding
You can send me drugs to make my wedding day more enjoyable despite my addiction.
And I won't forget to put roses on your grave
I will always remember and appreciate your help during my addiction, even after you are gone.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Abkco Music Inc.
Written by: Keith Richards, Mick Jaggers
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Satanthekid
This might be my favorite recording ever. Keith, Willie, Hank, and Ryan. What a badass group.
Adrian Smith
damnn!
William Scaff
Satanthekid we had The Highwayman not but two of them left Willie is an inspiration do all singers country and Rock. I hung out with Willy's cousin a couple of times and her some good stories about Willie. Never had a chance to meet Willie I hope I can see him in concert before he leaves us
Lisa-marie McLeod
Ditto !!
Jerry Thomas
Wow. Seeing hank 3 with these guys wearing a misfits shirt put a massive smile on my face. Amazing.
Kathy Gerulaitis
ME TOO! LOVE ME SOME HANK3!
Rodolfo Hernandez
One of the greatest songs ever!!
Bob Loblaw
Country and rock come together in such a beautiful way. Wow!
Vince H
You just don’t know what you’ll find when you trawl “Rolling Stones”. It’s awesome 😎
jenycegg
I love Rolling Stones but this is the best version of the song. Bass player really nailed it. He build this song to the top.