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.
It's Not Supposed to Be That Way
Willie Nelson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You're supposed to know I love you
But it don't matter anyway
If I can't be there to control you
Like the other little children why
You're gonna dream a dream or two
But be careful what you're dreamin'
Or soon your dreams'll be dreamin' you
You're supposed to know I love you
But it don't matter anyway
If I can't be there to console you
When you go out to play this evenin'
Play with fire flies till they're gone
Then you rush to meet your lover
And play with real fire till the dawn
But it's not supposed to be that way
You're supposed to know I love you
But it don't matter anyway
If I can't be there to console you
When you go out to play this evenin'
Play with fire flies till they're gone
Then you rush to meet your lover
And play with real fire till the dawn
But it's not supposed to be that way
You're supposed to know I love you
But it don't matter anyway
If I can't be there to console you
In this song, Willie Nelson seems to be expressing his frustration and a sense of helplessness over a relationship where he cannot control or console his partner. The first verse emphasizes the lack of control he has over his partner's dreams or actions. The second verse paints a picture of his partner going out to play and engage in risky behavior with another person, while Nelson is left behind. The repeated chorus of "It's not supposed to be that way, you're supposed to know I love you, but it don't matter anyway if I can't be there to console you," highlights the longing for a deeper connection with his partner, one based on love and trust.
The lyrics suggest that there may be an underlying issue in the relationship, perhaps a lack of communication or trust. Despite his love for his partner, Nelson feels helpless in the situation, and his partner's actions are causing him pain. He wishes he could be there to control or console them, but instead, he's left alone with his thoughts.
Overall, "It's Not Supposed to Be That Way" is a bittersweet song about the challenges of love and relationships. It's a reminder that despite our best intentions, sometimes we cannot control the actions or emotions of the people we love.
Line by Line Meaning
It's not supposed to be that way
Things aren't meant to be like this
You're supposed to know I love you
You should already know that I love you
But it don't matter anyway
But it doesn't make a difference
If I can't be there to control you
If I can't be there to guide you
Like the other little children why
Just like all the other kids, why
You're gonna dream a dream or two
You'll dream a few dreams
But be careful what you're dreamin'
But be cautious of what you're dreaming
Or soon your dreams'll be dreamin' you
Or else your dreams will start controlling you
When you go out to play this evenin'
When you go out to have fun tonight
Play with fireflies till they're gone
Chase after fireflies until they disappear
Then you rush to meet your lover
Then you hurry to meet your significant other
And play with real fire till the dawn
And engage in risky behavior until the morning
But it's not supposed to be that way
But things should not be like this
You're supposed to know I love you
You're expected to know that I love you
But it don't matter anyway
But it still doesn't make a difference
If I can't be there to console you
If I am unable to comfort you
Lyrics ยฉ Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Willie Nelson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ruby Moorman
BeaUtifUl & heart touching Marianne Menon, thank you deeply as our Will/ie Nelson will always be # 1... You have exquisite taste on this song. Sweet funluvn hugs coming your way... A special gift "below & to our Willie Nelson. ๐ต ๐ท ๐บ ๐ธ ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ซ ๐ ๐
~โฅ~ ~โฅ~ ~โฅ~ ~โฅ~ ~โฅ~ ~โฅ~ ~โฅ~ ~โฅ~ ~โฅ~ ~โฅ~ ~โฅ~ ~โฅ~ ~โฅ~ ~โฅ~ ~โฅ~ ~โฅ~ ~โฅ~
~"Happy 420 Willie"~ I give this day of 4/20 celebration in 2018 just for you my friend... I hope life is treating you well all around bud, love ya & your always on my mind & how I wish I
could celebrate with ya, but always know, "I'm thinking of ya", always have & always Will/ie...
I'm also enjoying my medicinal medicines in my Willie's Reserve Vape Pen & I deeply thank you & I will always remember you are the best & I/So many appreciate & love you & thank you for being you, caring & sharing with so many people while living in such a fast paced world that we all reside in... ~"Big Smiles"~
Sweet funluvn hugs always bud! ๐ ๐ต ๐ท ๐บ ๐ธ ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ซ ๐ ๐
~"Happy Fri'day & any other days ahead, enjoy your funluvn day to the fullest & many more ahead bud. ~"CHEERS"~
~โฅ~ "Love, Hope, Peace, Joy, Laugh, Sing, Give, Live & Let Live" ~โฅ~
~โฅ~ ~โฅ~ ~โฅ~ ~โฅ~ ~โฅ~ ~โฅ~ ~โฅ~ ~โฅ~ ~โฅ~ ~โฅ~ ~โฅ~ ~โฅ~ ~โฅ~ ~โฅ~ ~โฅ~ ~โฅ~ ~โฅ~
nigerian house plans
Willie's voice is too bad ass.
ccryderz43
Love Willie!!! No one will ever replace him!!!
Angie Siddall
I love Willie Nelson's lyrics and music. One of the best musicians and still around entertaining us.
Frank glen
Merry Christmas
Frank glen
๐โโ๏ธ
Juan Martinez
I can't stop listening this wonderful song!!!
Mara Karetsos
Excellent!!!
The best country MUSIC EVER!!!!
๐ถ๐ถ๐ถ๐ถ๐ผโญ๏ธ
Price Pittsburgh
"Like the other little children, You're gonna dream a dream or two. But be careful what you're dreamin', Or soon your dreams'll be dreamin' you". Best line ever
spider moth
Forever thanks Marianne for posting this song. Love it
๐น๐พ๐น๐ป๐ท โ๐ฐ
Jack Adams
Such a beautiful song by Willie.. for so long I never really had much desire to listen to Willie but once one gets to know him or his singing it is so easy to really enjoy his singing and personality Thank you for the share.. Jack