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.
How Long Have You Been There
Willie Nelson Lyrics
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I've turned away from everyone and everything that wanted to be mine
Somehow I always shot my eyes and heart to everything that I could share
Now I'm standing still and I'm wondering just how long have you been there
And every path I've taken I have turned around and quickly closed the door
It seems as though I knew if I ever stop to feel I want more
I kept a steady run so my eyes could never focus anywhere
How long have you been standing there protecting me from love that shouldn't be
Knowing all alone that I could realize that you were meant for me
Now I've got to mend every broken fence and bridge that I have burned
I've got to clear away the cobwebs in my heart so I can start to learn
For I realize that you've been waiting just to teach me how to care
Now I'm standing still and I'm wondering just how long have you been there
And now I'm standing still and I'm wondering just how long have you been there
Willie Nelson's song "How Long Have You Been There" is a melancholic reflection on the themes of missed opportunities, regret, and hope. The song follows the story of a person who has been walking in the shadows for so long that they forgot the sun can shine. This person has been avoiding everyone and everything that they could share in their life with. They've always turned around quickly before they could feel like they want more.
The singer of the song has been running so fast that they could never focus their eyes anywhere. However, with the help of the person who has been patiently waiting for them, they can finally see and mend everything that they have burnt down. The song's narrative traces a journey towards self-realization to care, led by the person who has been waiting to teach them how to start to learn.
The song's lyrics evoke a sense of longing, a desire to be loved and accepted, and the regret of missed opportunities. It's an emotional and introspective song, full of tender sentiments and heartfelt confessions. The melody is slow and mellow, creating a pensive and reflective mood.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been walking in the shadows for so long that I forgot the sun can shine
I've been living in darkness for so long that I forgot what it feels like to be happy
I've turned away from everyone and everything that wanted to be mine
I've rejected love and opportunities that could have made my life better
Somehow I always shot my eyes and heart to everything that I could share
I always avoided opening up and sharing my life with others
Now I'm standing still and I'm wondering just how long have you been there
I've finally stopped running and I'm realizing that someone has been there for me all along
And every path I've taken I have turned around and quickly closed the door
Every time I tried to move forward, I ended up backing away and giving up
It seems as though I knew if I ever stop to feel I want more
I always knew that if I allowed myself to feel, I would want more than what I had
I kept a steady run so my eyes could never focus anywhere
I kept myself busy and distracted so I wouldn't have to face my problems
How long have you been standing there protecting me from love that shouldn't be
How long have you been looking out for me and protecting me from making bad choices in love?
Knowing all alone that I could realize that you were meant for me
You knew all along that I would eventually see that we were meant to be together
Now I've got to mend every broken fence and bridge that I have burned
I have to repair all the relationships and connections that I let fall apart
I've got to clear away the cobwebs in my heart so I can start to learn
I have to deal with my emotional baggage and past hurts so I can move forward
For I realize that you've been waiting just to teach me how to care
I finally understand that you've been waiting for me to open up and learn how to love and care for someone else
And now I'm standing still and I'm wondering just how long have you been there
I'm finally taking a moment to stop and appreciate the person who has been by my side all along
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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