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.
Funny How Time Slips Away
Willie Nelson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My it's been a long, long time
How am I doin'?
Oh, I guess that I'm doin' fine
It's been so long now but it seems now
That it was only yesterday
Gee, ain't it funny how time slips away
How's your new love
I heard you told him
That you'd love him 'til the end of time
Now that's the same thing that you told me
Seems like just the other day
Gee, ain't funny how time slips away
I gotta go now
I guess I'll see you around
Don't never know, never know
When I'll be back in town
But remember what I tell you
In time, you're gonna pay
And it's surprising how time slips away
The lyrics to Willie Nelson's song, "Funny How Time Slips Away," describe two former lovers who meet again after a long separation. The song begins with one of them addressing the other and reflecting on how much time has passed since they were last together. The singer asks how their former lover is doing, to which they respond that they are fine. Despite the long period of separation, the two seem to have a lot to catch up on, and the singer marvels at how quickly time has gone by.
As they continue to exchange pleasantries, the singer asks how their former lover's new relationship is going. They reveal that the new love has been told the same things as they had been. The singer acknowledges that it seems like it was just the other day that they were in a relationship, and time has slipped away quickly. This may signify regret or sadness for the end of their relationship, as it hints at what could have been.
The song finishes off with one of them announcing that they must leave and saying goodbye. They state that they might return, but they're not sure when. However, they end on a warning note, implying that just as time has moved quickly, what goes around comes around. This final line adds a layer of complexity to the narrative, suggesting that there may be bitterness left over, despite the friendly conversation.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, hello there
The singer greets the person and acknowledges that they have not seen each other in a very long time.
My it's been a long, long time
The singer realizes that they haven't seen the person in a long time.
How am I doin'?
The singer is asking the person how they are doing.
Oh, I guess that I'm doin' fine
The artist is replying that they are doing fine.
It's been so long now but it seems now
That it was only yesterday
Gee, ain't it funny how time slips away
The artist is acknowledging that even though a lot of time has passed, it feels like it has only been a short while. They reflect on how strange it is that time can go by so quickly.
How's your new love
I hope that he's doin' fine
I heard you told him
That you'd love him 'til the end of time
The singer is inquiring about the person's new partner and expresses hopes that they are doing well. They mention that they heard the person telling their new partner the same thing they said to the singer in the past - promising everlasting love.
Now that's the same thing that you told me
Seems like just the other day
Gee, ain't funny how time slips away
The singer is recalling the time when the person made the same promise to them as they did to their new partner. They reflect on how time has flown by since then.
I gotta go now
I guess I'll see you around
Don't never know, never know
When I'll be back in town
The artist has to leave and says goodbye to the person. They mention that they are not sure when they will be back in town.
But remember what I tell you
In time, you're gonna pay
And it's surprising how time slips away
The artist warns the person that they will soon have to face the consequences of their actions. They reflect on how time can unexpectedly pass by so quickly.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Willie Nelson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind