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 Movin On
Willie Nelson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Means your true-lovin' daddy ain't comin' back 'cause I'm movin'on
I'll soon be gone
You were flyin' too high, for my little old sky so I'm movin' on
That big loud whistle, as it blew and blew
Said hello to the southland, we're comin' to you and we're movin' on
Oh, hear my song
Mister fireman, won't you please listen to me
'Cause I got a pretty mama in Tennessee, so keep movin' me on
Keep rollin' on
Just shovel the coal, let this rattler roll and keep movin' me on
Mister Engineer, take that throttle in hand
The Rattler's the fastest in the southern land so keep movin' me on
Keep rollin' on
You gonna ease my mind, put me there on time and keep rollin' on
I warned you baby, from time to time
But you just wouldn't listen or pay me no mind, now I'm movin' on
I'll soon be gone
You've broken your vow, and it's all over now so I'm movin' on
You've swtched your engine, now I ain't got time
For a triflin' woman on my main line 'cause I'm movin on
I'm rolling on
I warned you twice, now you can settle the price 'cause I'm movin on
But someday baby, when you've had your play
You're gonna want your daddy, but your daddy will say "keep movin' on"
You stayed away too long
I'm through with you, too bad you're blue, keep movin' on
The song "I'm Movin' On" by Willie Nelson is about a man who has decided to leave his partner and move on. The lyrics reflect his emotions and thoughts as he takes the train out of town to start a new life. The reference to the "big eight-wheeler" represents the train as a symbol of his new journey.
The lyrics suggest that his partner had been unfaithful, and this was the reason for the breakup. He warns her several times about her behavior, but she didn't listen, and he had no choice but to move on. He acknowledges her infidelity in the lines, "You had the laugh on me, so I set you free" and "You've broken your vow, and it's all over now."
The song also includes a plea to the train's conductor and fireman to keep the train moving towards his new life. He mentions how he's leaving his partner behind in Tennessee as he moves on to the southland, referencing the Southern United States. He concludes that one day his ex-partner may want him back, but he assures her that it's too late.
Overall, the song represents the pain and anger of a broken relationship and the desire to move on to a new beginning.
Line by Line Meaning
That big eight-wheeler, rollin' down the track
The train that's leaving is a symbol of my leaving because I'm moving on.
Means your true-lovin' daddy ain't comin' back 'cause I'm movin' on
I'm leaving, and that means that your father figure or other man is leaving, and he won't be coming back.
I'll soon be gone
I will leave you soon enough because I need to keep moving on.
You were flyin' too high, for my little old sky so I'm movin' on
You were too far ahead of me, and I couldn't keep up, so I'm moving on to find someone who's at my speed.
That big loud whistle, as it blew and blew
The whistle was loud and almost deafening, serving as a reminder to me that it was time to get moving and hit the road.
Said hello to the southland, we're comin' to you and we're movin' on
The whistle signaled that we're entering a new territory, and we're showing no signs of slowing down and leaving this place behind as we're moving on.
Oh, hear my song
Listen to the music and the words that I'm singing because they tell the story of my departure and my need to keep moving on.
You had the laugh on me, so I set you free and I'm movin' on
You made fun of me, so I decided to end things because it's time for me to keep moving on.
Mister fireman, won't you please listen to me
Someone please listen to what I'm saying because I have a woman that I care for in Tennessee and I need to keep moving on to get to her.
'Cause I got a pretty mama in Tennessee, so keep movin' me on
I need to keep moving on the train to Tennessee so that I can reunite with the woman who I care for deeply.
Just shovel the coal, let this rattler roll and keep movin' me on
Let's keep the train moving along by using more coal and getting to our destination quicker, and letting me keep moving on to my next stop.
Mister Engineer, take that throttle in hand
Someone needs to take the controls of the train and push it to its full potential so that I can keep moving on.
The Rattler's the fastest in the southern land so keep movin' me on
The train is faster than other modes of transportation in the south, and I need to keep moving on this rattler to get to where I need to go quickly.
You gonna ease my mind, put me there on time and keep rollin' on
The train is going to take me exactly where I need to go at the right time and ease my mind, making my journey as smooth as possible so that I can keep moving on.
I warned you baby, from time to time
I cautioned you about this, but you didn't listen so I must keep moving on from you.
But you just wouldn't listen or pay me no mind, now I'm movin' on
You disregarded my advice, and now I'm leaving and moving on from you.
You've broken your vow, and it's all over now so I'm movin' on
You have failed to keep your promises, making our relationship untenable, and I'm moving on now.
You've swtched your engine, now I ain't got time
You've changed who you are, so there's no more time for you in my life, as I need to keep moving on.
For a triflin' woman on my main line 'cause I'm movin on
I don't have room in my life for a woman who causes trouble and drama, so I'm leaving and moving on without you.
I warned you twice, now you can settle the price 'cause I'm movin on
I cautioned you twice about the cost of not heeding my warnings, but you still didn't learn your lesson, and now you must pay the price alone because I'm moving on.
But someday baby, when you've had your play
Someday you will realize your mistake and miss me when your current situation of living it up comes to a close.
You're gonna want your daddy, but your daddy will say "keep movin' on"
When you come to seek my help or guidance, I will tell you to keep moving on and look for someone else.
You stayed away too long
You were away from me for too long because you didn't listen to what I was trying to tell you, and now I'm gone.
I'm through with you, too bad you're blue, keep movin' on
I'm completely done with you, even though it's too bad you're upset about it. But now you must move on, as I'm gone forever.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Hank Snow
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Maria Lucia
MY GOD!!!!!
ESSES TRÊS ME FAZ DELIRAR DE EMOÇÃO; FICO TÃO EMOCIONADA ,QUE ME DÁ VONTADE DE CHORAR DE ALEGRIA
Truth First
Love it! 💕
Brittinger Bergström
The band the last
Deborah Kennedy
Still Lovin' Willie... The Best Musician of My Days here on Earth. There are other good ones also, but He's THE BEST!!!!
Donna Marie Pszoniak
Loving this Song with Willie & his Son's Beautiful """🎸🎸🎸🎸🎶🎶🎶🎶💘
Deborah Blacoe
A little bit of feelgood music in a world that is not at its best just now.
Ronnie Nicolson
How about we change that...one person at a time x
E J
Ronnie Nicolson amen - just heard an interview that Willie’s family did with Rolling Stone - “the Mrs” said there were only three rules in their family: don’t be an ass don’t be an ass don’t be a f**king ass 😂🤣 perhaps a Saturday night way of saying the Sunday morning philosophy of “do unto others” 😂🤣 could all do with a little more of this kinda living
Mike Beard
Only Willie can pull this off...great track.
angel Irene Crim
Sing on Willie !!!!!! Love it Thanks