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 albumādestined to the IRSāand 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 holeāthe 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.
Devil In A Sleepin' Bag
Willie Nelson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Caught pneumonia on the road
Taking it home to Connie and the kids
A wheel ran off and jumped a railroad
Then ran through a grocery store
If you want to buy a bus I'm taking bids
And the devil shivered in his sleeping bag
If we can make it home by Friday we can brag
And the devil shivered in his sleeping bag
Well I just got back from New York City
Kris and Rita done it all
Raw perfection there for all the world to see
Lord I heard an angel singing
In the Philharmonic Hall
Rita Coolidge, Rita Coolidge cleft for me
And the devil shivered in his sleeping bag
He said traveling on the road is such a drag
If we can make it home by Friday we can brag
And the devil shivered in his sleeping bag
And the devil shivered in his sleeping bag
In the song "Devil In A Sleepin" by Willie Nelson, he tells a story of traveling on the road with his band and the struggles they encounter. They are heading back home to Austin, Texas but he caught pneumonia on the way. He worries about taking it home to his wife Connie and the kids. The difficulties continue as they experience a wheel running off and jumping a railroad before running through a grocery store. Despite all of these issues, Willie remains optimistic and talks about selling the bus as he jokingly takes bids for it.
The title of the song "Devil In A Sleepin" is a reference to the devil being asleep and not causing trouble. However, he shivers in his sleeping bag because of the chaos and struggles the band is going through. The use of the devil in this song is a common theme in Willie Nelson's music as he often portrays the devil as a comical figure.
The second half of the song takes a different turn as Willie talks about his recent trip to New York City where he saw Kris Kristofferson and Rita Coolidge perform. He praises the "raw perfection" of the performance and mentions hearing an angel singing. He also makes a reference to Rita Coolidge "cleft for me", which is a play on words referencing her famous song "Delta Lady" where the lyrics say "she's my delta queen".
Overall, "Devil In A Sleepin" is a lighthearted and comedic song that tells the story of the struggles of life on the road for a touring musician. It also incorporates references to other musicians and their performances.
Line by Line Meaning
We were headed home to Austin
We were traveling to our home in Austin
Caught pneumonia on the road
We become infected with pneumonia during our journey
Taking it home to Connie and the kids
We are bringing the illness back to our family members, Connie and our children
A wheel ran off and jumped a railroad
One of the wheels of our vehicle became detached and hit a nearby railroad track
Then ran through a grocery store
The uncontrolled vehicle continued to travel and went through a nearby grocery store
If you want to buy a bus I'm taking bids
If someone is interested in purchasing our bus, they can make an offer
And the devil shivered in his sleeping bag
Even Satan was affected or worried by our chaotic situation
He said traveling on the road is such a drag
Satan expressed his distaste for travel on the road
If we can make it home by Friday we can brag
Satan suggested that if we can successfully reach home by Friday, we can boast about it
Well I just got back from New York City
I recently returned from a trip to New York City
Kris and Rita done it all
Kris Kristofferson and Rita Coolidge experienced everything New York City had to offer
Raw perfection there for all the world to see
The city offered an unrefined state of excellence visible to everyone
Lord I heard an angel singing
I listened to an exceptionally talented musician, described as an angel
In the Philharmonic Hall
The performance happened at the Philharmonic Hall
Rita Coolidge, Rita Coolidge cleft for me
I was captivated by Rita Coolidge's singing
And the devil shivered in his sleeping bag
Even Satan was impressed or moved by our experience
He said traveling on the road is such a drag
Satan reiterated his dislike for travel on the road
If we can make it home by Friday we can brag
Satan repeated his suggestion that we could celebrate if we make it back home by Friday
And the devil shivered in his sleeping bag
Satan is still impressed or moved by our experiences, repeating the same line again
Lyrics Ā© Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: WILLIE NELSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@itzsirpancake507
We were headed home to Austin
Caught pneumonia on the road
Taking it home to Connie and the kids
A wheel ran off and jumped a railroad
Then ran through a grocery store
If you want to buy a bus I'm taking bids
And the devil shivered in his sleeping bag
He said traveling on the road is such a drag
If we can make it home by Friday we can brag
And the devil shivered in his sleeping bag
Well I just got back from New York City
Kris and Rita done it all
Raw perfection there for all the world to see
Lord I heard an angel singing
In the Philharmonic Hall
Rita Coolidge, Rita Coolidge cleft for me
And the devil shivered in his sleeping bag
He said traveling on the road is such a drag
If we can make it home by Friday we can brag
And the devil shivered in his sleeping bag
And the devil shivered in his sleeping bag
@harvester0181
is it just me or is this one of Willie's most addictive songs?
@hangman9924
agreed
@slapthelip8260
the way that opening riff hits
@Cookiemusiconline
My thoughts exactly
@bentonscrivener
Just you!
And me!
@bentonscrivener
Rita Coolidge cleft for me! Wait what a biblical reference?
@petermorgan3744
It's Monday afternoon listening to this and drinkin' Coors beer....just because I can!!!! GOD BLESS AMERICA!
@markz5505
It's Wednesday here in Texas with a cold Lonestar in my hand.....
@monicaboskovitch4951
Merica
@brianwoodfill9663
WILLIE I MEAN SHOT GUN WILLIE'S BEST DANG SONG BY FAR HANDS DOWN!!! THE LERICS, AND THE GUITAR PICKIN IS UN MATCHED EVEN TODAY!!!!!! MAN WILLIE THIS SONG ALWAYS MAKES ME SMILE