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 albumโdestined to the IRSโand 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 holeโthe 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.
I'll Be There
Willie Nelson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ain't no breeze big enough to slow me
I'll never have seen a river that's too wide
There ain't no jail tight enough to lock me
Ain't no man big enough to stop me
I'll be there if you ever want me by your side
So love me if you ever gonna love me
I never have seen a road to ruff to ride
There ain't no breeze big enough to slow me
I'll be there if you ever want me by your side
Now there ain't no rope tight enough to bind me
Look for me honey you will find me
Any old time your ready with your charm
I'll be there ready and a waitin'
There won't be any hesitation
I'll be right here if you ever want me in your arms
So love me if you ever gonna love me
I never have seen a road to ruff to ride
There ain't no chains strong enough to hold me
There ain't no breeze big enough to slow me
I'll be there if you ever want me by your side
I'll be there if you ever want me by your side
The lyrics to Willie Nelson's song "I'll Be There" are about a man who is telling a lover that he will always be there for them. The man is confident in his ability to be with the lover no matter what obstacles arise. He says that no chains are strong enough to hold him, no breeze is big enough to slow him down, and no river is too wide for him to cross. He also says that no jail is tight enough to lock him up and no man is big enough to stop him from being there for his lover. He promises to be there whenever they need him and that there won't be any hesitation.
The song is a declaration of love and commitment, and the man is assuring his lover that he will always be there for them. He tells them to love him if they're going to love him because he's always ready to be by their side no matter how rough the road may be.
Overall, the lyrics speak to the strength of love and how it can overcome any obstacle. It is a testament to the power of commitment and the willingness to be there for someone no matter what.
Line by Line Meaning
There ain't no chains strong enough to hold me
I am a free spirit without any limitations or boundaries.
Ain't no breeze big enough to slow me
Nothing can deter me or lessen my determination.
I'll never have seen a river that's too wide
No challenge is too big or too immense for me.
There ain't no jail tight enough to lock me
I cannot be imprisoned or held captive.
Ain't no man big enough to stop me
No person has the power or authority to hinder me.
I'll be there if you ever want me by your side
I am always available to be your support and companion.
So love me if you ever gonna love me
If you plan to love me, do it now with all your heart.
I never have seen a road too rough to ride
I can handle any rough or challenging path that comes my way.
Now there ain't no rope tight enough to bind me
No restraints or limitations can restrict or confine me.
Look for me honey you will find me
If you need me, I will always be there for you.
Any old time your ready with your charm
Whenever you are ready, I will be waiting for you with open arms.
I'll be there ready and a waitin'
I am always prepared and waiting for you.
There won't be any hesitation
I will never hesitate to be there for you.
I'll be right here if you ever want me in your arms
I am available to hold you and offer you comfort at any time.
I'll be there if you ever want me by your side
I am always here, ready and willing to be your support and companion.
Lyrics ยฉ ERNEST TUBB MUSIC, INC.
Written by: RAY PRICE, RUSTY GABBARD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Marewa Upu
Greatest singer/entertainer in Country. Lukas and Micah love and respect their father. Beautiful to see.
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themindoftwister
Willie Nelson is the epitome of talent!!!!!!!!
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Sacrificial Lamb
Its amazing how Willie's voice never changed despite his age.
Richard Carew
it's changed... it's better now ๐ค
Willie Nelson official fan inbox
Thanks for your love and support that has brought me this far, I wouldnโt be where I am today without your loyalty and support. How long have you been a fan๐ต๐ถ๐ผ๐
Hannah Delzingo
Ray price was one of my grandpa's favorite singers, growing up staying at my grandparents house i always heard him singing it, it's nice to hear this song again
G S
Amazed by his voice it's soothing,musically magical
oleeta hays
I've wanted you all my life. Perfect pitch, perfect rhythm,perfect enunciation, pure soul moving out to embrace us all. I love you!