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.
Family Bible
Willie Nelson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Each page is torn and hard to read
But the family Bible on the table
Will ever be my key to memories
At the end of day when work was over
And when the evening meal was done
Dad would read to us from the family Bible
And we'd count our many blessings, one by one
I can see us sitting round the table
When from the family Bible dad would read
I can hear my mother softly singing
Rock of ages
Rock of ages cleft for me
Now this old world
Of ours is full of trouble
And this old world would also better be
If we'd found more Bibles on the tables
And mothers singing rock of ages, cleft for me
I can see us sitting round the table
When from the family Bible dad would read
I can hear my mother softly singing
Rock of ages
Rock of ages cleft for me
Rock of ages
Rock of ages cleft for me
Willie Nelson's song "Family Bible" is a sentimental tribute to a childhood filled with the memories of family time, faith, and tradition. He talks about an old, worn-out family Bible on the table that each page is torn and hard to read showing its dear age, yet it is an essential key to memory, a collection of family stories and values that are passed down for generations to come. The Bible is a link to the past, as it holds the stories and memories that bring the family together.
In the second stanza, the songwriter reminisces about the warmth and comfort of his childhood home, where his father would read to them from the family Bible at the end of the day before they would count their blessings, one by one. He remembers the soft singing of his mother singing "Rock of Ages," a traditional hymn, creating the perfect home atmosphere.
In the final stanza, Nelson laments about the instability of the world around him and how much better it would be if every home had a family Bible on the table, and every mother singing "Rock of Ages" in their homes, bringing comfort and hope in uncertain times.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a family Bible on the table
The family owns a Bible that sits on their table as a symbol of their faith and tradition.
Each page is torn and hard to read
The Bible has been well-used over the years, with worn and illegible pages as a result.
But the family Bible on the table
Despite its worn condition, the family's Bible remains a treasured possession.
Will ever be my key to memories
The Bible is a reminder of past family memories and will always hold a special place in the singer's heart.
At the end of day when work was over
After a long day of work, the family would gather around the table.
And when the evening meal was done
Once everyone had finished eating dinner,
Dad would read to us from the family Bible
The father would read passages from the Bible to his family as a means of passing on his faith and values.
And we'd count our many blessings, one by one
The family would reflect on their blessings and express gratitude for them.
I can see us sitting round the table
The memories are vivid and the singer can easily picture the family gathered around the table.
When from the family Bible dad would read
The father would read from the Bible during these gatherings.
I can hear my mother softly singing
The singer recalls his mother's gentle singing during these moments.
Rock of ages
A hymn that was likely sung during these family gatherings.
Rock of ages cleft for me
A line from the hymn that speaks of finding refuge and salvation in God.
Now this old world
In current times,
Of ours is full of trouble
The world is full of problems and difficulties.
And this old world would also better be
The world would be a better place,
If we'd found more Bibles on the tables
If more families placed an emphasis on their faith by displaying Bibles on their tables.
And mothers singing rock of ages, cleft for me
It would also be beneficial if more mothers sang religious hymns like 'Rock of Ages.'
Rock of ages
A hymn that continues to hold importance for the singer and his family.
Rock of ages cleft for me
A line from the hymn that speaks of finding refuge and salvation in God.
Lyrics © GLAD MUSIC CO., Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Willie Nelson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
A S
Something is missing and this song has a message. " ✝ "
"There's a family Bible on the table
Each page is worn and hard to read
But the family Bible on the table
Will ever be my key to memories
At the end of day when work was over
And when the evenin' meal was done
Dad would read to us from the family Bible
And we'd count our many blessings, one by one
I can see us sittin' round the table
When from the family Bible dad would read
I can hear my mother softly singing
Rock of ages
Rock of ages cleft for me
Now this old world
Of ours is filled with troubles
This old world would also better be
If we'd found more Bibles on the tables
And mothers singin' rock of ages, cleft for me
I can see us sittin' round the table
When from the family Bible dad would read
And I can hear my mother softly singin'
Rock of ages
Rock of ages cleft for me
Rock of ages
Rock of ages cleft for me"
Caitlyn Shepherd
Thanks for this at 2 a.m.
I just survived a horrific car accident, broken nearly every bone in my body. My dad is laying here listening with me and this just lifted our spirits tonight. It makes the pain not seem to hurt as much. Also, my dad loves Paula 🤣
As for me and my house, we love the Nelson bunch.
Morrison James
Caitlyn how are you doing today ?
Caitlyn Shepherd
@Morrison James Much better than last week, thanks for asking. It's been rough but I'm getting there.
Morrison James
@Caitlyn Shepherd so where're you right now ?
John Jagemann
Feel better
Morrison James
@Caitlyn Shepherd that's great happy to hear that where're you from ?
Judiann Hasier Lesko
"..For such a time as this..." Thank you, Willie and Family, for blessing us with this very needed reminder of what is missing in today's world.
Fred.L.Honest🕊️
Hello Judiann..
Fred Durbin
I agree with you 100%, I grew up with Country Music, I love ❤️ the old music not this new Crap they call Country Music, Says RobbieJo my Rescue Piebald Doxie.
Sandy Shore
Love this song Willie. It really comes from the heart. Songs like this are so needed right now. We do need to look to the Bible and God. I look forward to hearing the album. So nice that your family did this together. Another thing more people need today. 💗