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.
Jimmy's Road
Willie Nelson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
This is Jimmy's grass where Jimmy liked to lay around
This is Jimmy's tree where Jimmy liked to climb
But Jimmy went to war and something changed his mind
This is the battle ground where Jimmy learned to kill
Now Jimmy has a trade and Jimmy knows it well too well
This is Jimmy's grave where Jimmy's body lies
When a soldier falls Jimmy's body dies and dies
Well this is Jimmy's road where Jimmy likes to play
This is Jimmy's grass where Jimmy likes to lay around
The lyrics to Willie Nelson's song "Jimmy's Road" is a poetic tribute to a soldier who has passed away. The song is an emotional commentary on the consequences of war on the lives of soldiers, and the impact it has on their families and loved ones. The song starts by describing Jimmy's road, where he used to play, and the grass where he used to lay around. However, everything changed when Jimmy went to war, and something happened that changed his mind. The listener is then transported to the battlefield where Jimmy learned to kill, and how he became well-versed in it, which is something no one should have to deal with. The song then ends with the acknowledgement that Jimmy's grave is where his body lies, and that when a soldier falls, their body dies and dies.
"Jimmy's Road" is a poignant reflection on the nature of war, and how it has devastating effects on the lives of soldiers and their loved ones. The song highlights the trauma that soldiers face, and how it changes them irrevocably. It serves as a reminder of the importance of acknowledging the sacrifices of the men and women who serve in the armed forces.
Line by Line Meaning
This is Jimmy's road where Jimmy liked to play
The road where Jimmy enjoyed playing is now referred to as Jimmy's road.
This is Jimmy's grass where Jimmy liked to lay around
The grass where Jimmy used to lounge is now termed as Jimmy's grass.
This is Jimmy's tree where Jimmy liked to climb
The tree that Jimmy used to climb fondly is now called Jimmy's tree.
But Jimmy went to war and something changed his mind
Jimmy's mind was altered in some way when he participated in the war.
This is the battle ground where Jimmy learned to kill
The place where Jimmy was trained to kill is referred to as a battleground.
Now Jimmy has a trade and Jimmy knows it well too well
Jimmy has professional knowledge in the art of killing, and he is very experienced at doing so.
This is Jimmy's grave where Jimmy's body lies
The place where Jimmy's physical remains are interred is now known as Jimmy's grave.
When a soldier falls Jimmy's body dies and dies
Not only does a soldier's physical body die, but also the memory and essence behind it is lost.
Well this is Jimmy's road where Jimmy likes to play
This line reiterates the first line of the song, which emphasized that the road was Jimmy's preferred spot for playtime.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: WILLIE NELSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
bonchidude
Willie Nelson is a genius. He can convey volumes with his songs!
75freeman
Such a touching song. If things keep going the way they are the next generation of Jimmy's will be fighting in the roads they learned to play in. God bless all the Jimmy's past, present and future.
coolio diablo
Yep that’s exactly what’s going down now. Sad to say it didn’t take long. Everyone saw it coming though lol.
Michael Smith
thank you Jimmy...!!!
thank you Willie...!!!
thank you ALL veterans...!!!
Will G
willythewave Jimmy is a symbol for all the veterans already and he wrote the song around the Korean War
willythewave
Quote from Willie: “I wrote ‘Jimmy’s Song’ when my friend and bass player, David Zettner,
was drafted into the army during the Viet Nam War. I could have called
it ‘David’s Song,’ but ‘Jimmy’s Road’ sounded more euphonious."
JW
Done with perfection as only Willie can . Thanks Jim
Kevin Douglas
Great song Willie! That's why ill always be your fan.
Jimmy Compton
First time I have ever heard this song. Speechless........
Holly Svehla
Respect To All Our Jimmy's Who Lost Their Lives For Our Freedom🇺🇸❤️🇺🇸Love Peace & Blessings To All...Love You Willie❤️