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.
Living in the Promiseland
Willie Nelson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And we will make them strong
Bring us your foreign songs
And we will sing along
Leave us your broken dreams
We'll give them time to mend
There's still a lot of love
Living in the promiseland
Living in the promiseland
Our dreams are made of steel
The prayer of every man
Is to know how freedom feels
There is a winding road
'Cross the shifting sands
And room for everyone
Living in the promiseland
So they came from a distant isle
Aimless woman, faithless child
Like a bad dream
Until there was no room at all
No place to run and no place to fall
Give us your daily bread
We have no shoes to wear
No place to call our own
Only this cross to bear
We are the multitudes
Lend us a helping hand
Is there no love anymore?
Living in the promiseland
Living in the promiseland
Our dreams are made of steel
The prayer of every man
Is to know how freedom feels
There is a winding road
'Cross the shifting sands
And room for everyone
Living in the promiseland
And room for everyone
Living in the promiseland
The first verse of Willie Nelson's song 'Living in the Promiseland' shows his belief in the American dream, where anyone can come to America, and if they work hard, they can succeed. The song is about America's promise of freedom and success, and how people from any background can achieve their dreams in America. He sings about the diversity of people from different cultures and backgrounds that have come to America, and how they all have a place in the land of the free and the home of the brave. Nelson sings about how America is willing to take in the tired, weak, and broken, and give them a chance to make a better life for themselves.
The chorus of the song expresses the hope and optimism that many Americans feel about their country. The lyrics suggest that America is a place where dreams come true, where there is "room for everyone" to achieve their goals. The song also acknowledges the difficult journey that many people must go through to succeed in the land of the free, with the winding road and shifting sands symbolizing the obstacles that people face in their quest for success. The final lines reveal the longing of the American people for love, compassion, and community, as they navigate the challenges of living in the land of endless possibilities.
Line by Line Meaning
Give us your tired and weak
We are inviting those who have given up hope in their homeland, and we will provide them with renewed strength and vigor.
And we will make them strong
Our community will help these individuals regain their confidence and thrive once again.
Bring us your foreign songs
We celebrate and embrace the cultural richness that our new neighbors bring with them.
And we will sing along
We will join together in unity and harmony, appreciating the unique sounds and rhythms from across the globe.
Leave us your broken dreams
Even those whose aspirations have been shattered can find solace and support in our welcoming community.
We'll give them time to mend
We understand that the road to recovery may be long and difficult, but we are committed to helping our fellow human beings heal and grow.
There's still a lot of love
Despite the challenges we face, we remain optimistic and focused on the many positive experiences and relationships that await us in our new home.
Living in the promiseland
Our community is a place of hope and potential, where anyone can find meaning and fulfillment in their lives.
Our dreams are made of steel
Our aspirations are unbreakable and resilient, forged by the trials and tribulations we have overcome.
The prayer of every man
The universal desire for freedom and self-determination transcends cultural and geographic boundaries.
Is to know how freedom feels
The experience of living without oppression or unjust restrictions is a fundamental human right that we cherish and protect.
There is a winding road
Our journey is unpredictable and filled with twists and turns, but we remain steadfast in our commitment to our community and ourselves.
'Cross the shifting sands
Our environment may change, but our values and beliefs remain constant.
And room for everyone
Our community is inclusive and welcoming, where everyone can find a place to belong and contribute.
Lyrics © Bluewater Music Corp.
Written by: David Lynn Jones
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@user-zz2hu2ng1b
This is one of the most American songs I have ever heard. Bring us your foreign songs and we will sing along.
@SparkleBC
Willie is very Patriotic...how many of you guys are as Patriotic as Willie?? Never give up...America is NOT DIVIDED....got to fight that STIGMA (I am Born here in Canada...does not matter....I am as Patriotic as my Irish Scots ancestors were....got to make the most of it...work hard Love one another and be Loved!
@michaelosolosax
It is never too late for truth and love. And may we forgive those who do not know what they are doing. Thank you Willie for your voice and your message❤️!
@excellentmassagecare
I think some people have chosen to, agree to disagree and that's alright for me🎤🎼🎹🎶
@bobbazer7183
Amazing song with everything that is going on in todays world!!!
@lg4003
So true my friend!!
@lexyswope
And today our hearts are with Ukraine.
@DavidWilliams-mo6dj
When it comes to the world and it's entirety I could give a damn. The world has shown their and moral and they're inhumane action. What I'm worried about is right here in this country the world has proven that is going to hell and a handbasket in these other countries did the United States is supposed to be part of from this kind of corruption but every day every week every month every year this country seems to be slipping into the condition of these third world countries ran by I'm moral and inhumane forces. Where people in power are being run by the lust of power over the people and the lust of money from the American people.
@mercomania
We can all have hope, hate has no place in this world.
@jbncnow
So many people in this country have forgotten about what this country is all about