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.
I'm Alive
Willie Nelson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Everybody's got their share of battle scars
As for me, I'd like to thank my lucky stars
That I'm alive and well
And it'd be easy to add up all the pain
And all the dreams you sat and watched go up in flames
Dwell on the wreckage as it smolders in the rain
And today, you know that's good enough for me
Breathing in and out's a blessing, can't you see?
Today is the first day of the rest of my life
And I'm alive and well
Yeah, I'm alive and well
Stars are dancing on the water here tonight
It's good for the soul when there's not a soul in sight
This boat has caught its wind and brought me back to life
Now I'm alive and well
And today, you know that's good enough for me
Breathing in and out's a blessing, can't you see?
Today is the first day of the rest of my life
And I'm alive and well
Yeah, I'm alive and well
In Willie Nelson's song "I'm Alive," the singer reflects on the struggles and challenges of life, but ultimately expresses gratitude for being alive and well. The opening lines capture the paradox of life - how easy it is to complain about life being hard while acknowledging that everyone has their own battles to fight. The singer, however, takes a different approach - he thanks his lucky stars for being alive and well.
The second stanza delves into the idea of pain and loss. It would be easy to add up all the pain and dreams that have gone up in flames, but the singer refuses to succumb to the wreckage of the past. Instead, he declares that he is alive and thriving. He recognizes that breathing in and out is a blessing and that he is grateful for the gift of life.
In the final stanza, the imagery of stars dancing on water reflects the sense of peace and contentment that the singer feels. He describes being alone in a boat, but this solitude is a source of comfort rather than loneliness. The boat has caught its wind and brought him back to life, and he is grateful to be alive and well again.
Overall, the song is a celebration of life and a call to appreciate the beauty of the present moment.
Line by Line Meaning
It's so damn easy to say that life's so hard
Life often feels difficult, but it's easy for people to complain about their struggles.
Everybody's got their share of battle scars
Everyone has experienced hardships and carries emotional wounds.
As for me, I'd like to thank my lucky stars
Despite adversity, the singer is grateful for their good fortune.
That I'm alive and well
Being alive and healthy is reason enough to be grateful.
And it'd be easy to add up all the pain
Focusing on negative experiences can be tempting, but it's better to concentrate on positivity.
And all the dreams you sat and watched go up in flames
Watching one's goals and aspirations fail can be painful and discouraging.
You were on, on their wreckage as it smolders in the rain
The aftermath of shattered dreams can be a place to dwell, but it's best to move on.
But not me, I'm alive
The artist is grateful to be alive and chooses to focus on the positive things in life.
And today you know that's good enough for me
The artist values life and sees it as a gift to cherish.
Breathing in and outs a blessing, cant you see?
Even the simple act of breathing is something to be grateful for.
Today is the first day of the rest of my life
Every day presents the opportunity to start anew and enjoy life to the fullest.
And I'm alive and well, God, I'm alive and well
The artist rejoices in the fact that they are alive and healthy.
Stars are dancing on the water here tonight
The beauty of nature can bring peace and comfort to the soul.
It's good for the soul when there's not a soul in sight
Solitude can provide a sense of rejuvenation and renewal.
This boat has caught its wind and brought me back to life
The singer has found a source of inspiration to help them move forward in life.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Dean Dillon, Kenneth Chesney, Mark Tamburino
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind