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 Love The Life I Live
Willie Nelson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I don't mind the way you talk
But if you touch me somethings got to give
I live the life I love and I love the life I live
My diamond ring and my money too
Tomorrow night they could belong to you
The girl move me at their will
[Chorus:]
I may lay a hundred on a bet this time
Tomorrow night can't cover your dime
Next week I could be over the hill
I'm just tryin' to tell you people how I feel
You see me rockin' as I pass you by
Don't talk about me cause I could be high
Just forgive me if you will
I live the life I love and I love the life I live
[Chorus]
You see me rockin' as I pass you by
Don't talk about me cause I could be high
Just forgive me if you will
I live the life I love and I love the life I live
Willie Nelson's song "I Love The Life I Live" is an upbeat tune about living life on your own terms. The lyrics speak to a lifestyle of enjoyment and freedom, with a nod to the consequences that come with it. The opening line "I see you watchin' me just like a hawk" sets the tone, referring to the scrutiny that comes with living life in the public eye. However, the singer does not mind, and simply asserts that he loves his life and the way he lives it.
The lyrics, "My diamond ring and my money too, tomorrow night they could belong to you" reveals an element of risk-taking and uncertainty, with the acknowledgement that possessions and wealth could be lost at any moment. Despite this fact, the singer states that the girls can move him at their will, and he continues to live life on his own terms. He admits to gambling and the possibility of losing, but asserts that he is simply trying to express himself and how he feels about his life.
Overall, "I Love The Life I Live" is a celebration of individualism and free spirit. It is a declaration that the singer will continue to live life on his own terms, despite the scrutiny and risk that comes with the territory. The song is an anthem to all those who desire to live life to the fullest and enjoy every moment, taking risks and making the most of every opportunity.
Line by Line Meaning
I see you watchin' me just like a hawk
I am aware that you are observing me intently
I don't mind the way you talk
I am not bothered by the way you speak
But if you touch me somethings got to give
If you lay your hands on me, there will be consequences
I live the life I love and I love the life I live
I thoroughly enjoy the way I live and the things I do
My diamond ring and my money too
I possess valuable assets including an expensive ring and money
Tomorrow night they could belong to you
It's possible that my possessions could be someone else's in the future
The girl move me at their will
Women have the power to influence me
I may lay a hundred on a bet this time
I might wager one hundred dollars on a bet
Tomorrow night can't cover your dime
If you need financial assistance, I won't be able to help you tomorrow night
Next week I could be over the hill
It's possible that I will no longer be successful or popular next week
I'm just tryin' to tell you people how I feel
I'm simply expressing my emotions to others
You see me rockin' as I pass you by
As I walk past you, you see me moving to the rhythm of music
Don't talk about me cause I could be high
Please don't gossip about me because I might be under the influence of drugs
Just forgive me if you will
Please pardon any potential wrongdoing
I live the life I love and I love the life I live
I am content with the way I live and wouldn't want to live any other way
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: WILLIE DIXON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
clifford maxwell
How awesome was that ? Willie I hope you live forever your great music has brought me much joy over the years thank you so much. Not only is he an outstanding musician he is a genuine good person always caring about his fellow man.
Charlton Singleton
I remember this show! I actually have it on vhs. The other guest that was a barber that could cut hair using fire. He gave Jeff Watts (drummer) a haircut on the show!! It was awesome!
giantflyingturtles
go willie!
Cynykyl Videos 2.0
Written by the musical genius Willie Dixon.
Bob Aldo
Made popular by Muddy Waters, and later by Mose Allison.
William Bourke
some nice blues licks by Willie. The interview was a bit forced. With a laid-back guy like Willie you shouldn't need to do this.
Alex K
Willie sings Willie
Wotson de Assis
Willie Bluesman
Teddie Stayner
Oh yeah Baby