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.
Just Breathe
Willie Nelson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
As we sit alone, I know someday we must go, aw-huh,
Oh I'm a lucky man, to count on both hands
The ones I love,
Some folks just have one,
Yeah, others, they've got none, huh-uh
Let's just breathe.
Practiced are my sins,
Never gonna let me win, aw-huh,
Under everything, just another human being, aw-huh,
Yeah, I don't wanna hurt her, there's so much in this world
To make me believe.
Stay with me,
You're all I see.
Did I say that I need you?
Did I say that I want you?
Oh, if I didn't I'm a fool you see,
No one knows this more than me.
As I come clean.
I wonder everyday
As I look upon your face, aw-huh,
Everything you gave
And nothing you would take, aw huh
Nothing you would take
Everything you gave
Did I say that I need you?
Oh, did I say that I want you?
Or if I didn't I'm a fool you see,
No one knows this more than me.
As I come clean, ah
Nothing you would take,
Everything you gave.
Love you till I die,
Meet you on the other side.
"Just Breathe" by Lukas Nelson is a heartfelt song that acknowledges the finite nature of human life. The song starts with the understanding that every life must end someday, and therefore, we must cherish our time with our loved ones. The lyrics suggest that the singer is a lucky man because he has several people in his life whom he loves, but some people only have one, and some have none. As the song progresses, the singer reflects on his past mistakes and the weight of his sins. He feels ashamed that his actions may have hurt the person he loves but wishes to make things right.
The singer asks his partner to stay with him and just breathe. He admits that he needs them and wants them in his life. He acknowledges that he is a fool for not expressing his feelings sooner. In the end, he expresses his gratitude for the love that his partner gives him and promises to love them until he dies and meet them on the other side. As a whole, the song is about the importance of love, forgiveness, and living in the present moment.
Line by Line Meaning
Yes, I understand that every life must end, aw-huh,
I am aware that death is inevitable
As we sit alone, I know someday we must go, aw-huh,
Eventually, we must all face death
Oh I'm a lucky man, to count on both hands
The ones I love,
I am grateful to have so many people in my life that I care for
Some folks just have one,
Yeah, others, they've got none, huh-uh
Some people have very few loved ones or none at all
Stay with me,
Let's just breathe.
Let's enjoy the moment and be in each other's company
Practiced are my sins,
Never gonna let me win, aw-huh,
My past mistakes continue to haunt me and prevent me from succeeding
Under everything, just another human being, aw-huh,
Despite my faults, I am just like everyone else
Yeah, I don't wanna hurt her, there's so much in this world
To make me believe.
I value my relationship and find comfort in this world
Stay with me,
You're all I see.
I am completely focused on you and want to be with you
Did I say that I need you?
Did I say that I want you?
Oh, if I didn't I'm a fool you see,
No one knows this more than me.
As I come clean.
I love you and I'm sorry for not expressing it enough
I wonder everyday
As I look upon your face, aw-huh,
Everything you gave
And nothing you would take, aw huh
Nothing you would take
Everything you gave
I am constantly amazed by your selflessness and generosity
Love you till I die,
Meet you on the other side.
I will always love you, even beyond death
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Eddie Vedder
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@PanzerOpossum
Watched him perform this last night with Lukas and everyone cried the whole time. Willie has still got it even at 90.
@teresa8793
He was here over the Summer at Alpine Valley ❤
@BobbyA-rj6px
Worth an autographed 20
@user-ms6wn3fg1n
Alpine Valley Wisconsin?
I Love That Venue!!
@Code3Indiana
saw him in Fort Wayne with Lukas, loved every moment of it.
@SewFromTheSoul
He’s the same age as my grandmother, and they both look younger than their age!
He has a beautiful and wonderful voice!!!
@AGROBABEUK
I buried my Dad today.
Tonight I play this, for a long time Willie Nelson fan.
He would sing Always on my mind for his Dad's memory.
Thank You Willie, for a heartfelt song I can remember my Daddy too. xx
@jimf1421
I'll pry for you and your dad tonight
@reneegray6263
Lovely 😍
@shellyowens9439
I did the same thing.