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.
Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys
Willie Nelson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't let 'em pick guitars or drive them old trucks
Make 'em be doctors and lawyers and such
Mamas' don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys
They'll never stay home and they're always alone
Even with someone they love
Cowboys ain't easy to love and they're harder to hold
Lonestar belt buckles and old faded Levi's and each night begins a new day
And if you don't understand him and he don't die young
He'll probably just ride away
Mamas' don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys
Don't let 'em pick guitars or drive them old trucks
Make 'em be doctors and lawyers and such
Mamas' don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys
They'll never stay home and they're always alone
Even with someone they love
Cowboys like smokey old pool rooms and clear mountain mornin's
Little warm puppies and children and girls of the night
Them that don't know him won't like him
And them that do sometimes won't know how to take him
He ain't wrong he's just different
But his pride won't let him do things to make you think he's right
Mamas' don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys
Don't let 'em pick guitars and drive them old trucks
Make 'em be doctors and lawyers and such
Mamas' don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys
'They'll never stay home and they're always alone
Even with someone they love
Mamas' don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys
Don't let 'em pick guitars and drive them old trucks
Make 'em be doctors and lawyers and such
Mamas' don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys
The lyrics to Willie Nelson's "Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys" are a cautionary tale from a concerned parent to their child. The parent discourages their child from pursuing a cowboy lifestyle, urging them instead to become professionals like doctors or lawyers. The song implies that the cowboy lifestyle is a lonely one and suggests that cowboys are difficult to love and hold. The song goes on to describe cowboys as being different, with a unique pride that often gets in the way of doing what is right.
The first two stanzas of the song warn parents that if they allow their children to grow up to be cowboys, they will be difficult to keep close. Cowboys travel frequently, and their lifestyle can be a lonely one. The lyrics suggest that even when cowboys do find someone to love, they remain distant and disconnected. The song goes on to describe cowboys as men who prefer simple pleasures like playing pool or spending time in the mountains. The lyrics suggest that cowboys are not materialistic, but instead value the intangible things in life like the love of a good woman.
The overall message of the song is a warning to parents that the cowboy lifestyle is not for everyone. Although life as a cowboy may look exciting, the song suggests that it is a difficult and lonely path that is not for the faint of heart.
Line by Line Meaning
Mamas' don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys
Mothers, please don't allow your children to pursue a career as cowboys.
Don't let 'em pick guitars or drive them old trucks
Don't allow them to waste their time strumming guitars or driving old vehicles.
Make 'em be doctors and lawyers and such
Encourage them to become respectable professionals like doctors or lawyers.
They'll never stay home and they're always alone
Cowboys are known for their nomadic lifestyles, they won't settle down and will always be lonely.
Even with someone they love
Even if they find someone they love, they will still be prone to the life of loneliness.
Cowboys ain't easy to love and they're harder to hold
Cowboys are difficult to love and even harder to keep in a long-term relationship.
They'd rather give you a song than diamonds or gold
Cowboys don't value material possessions, instead they express their love through music.
Lonestar belt buckles and old faded Levi's, and each night begins a new day
Cowboys wear distinct accessories and clothing, and they believe in starting each day fresh.
And if you don't understand him and he don't die young, he'll probably just ride away
If you can't comprehend a cowboy's lifestyle, and he lives for long, he might leave you for someone else.
Cowboys like smokey old pool rooms and clear mountain mornin's, little warm puppies and children and girls of the night
Cowboys enjoy spending time in seedy places, tranquil mountain mornings, hanging out with pets and children, and having flings with women of ill-repute.
Them that don't know him won't like him
People who don't understand cowboys, won't appreciate their true nature.
And them that do sometimes won't know how to take him
Even someone who knows a cowboy on a deep level might not be able to comprehend them entirely.
He ain't wrong he's just different
Cowboys might not fit traditional societal norms, but that doesn't mean they're wrong in their choices.
But his pride won't let him do things to make you think he's right
Cowboys are proud people who won't compromise who they are, even if it makes others think they're in the wrong.
Mamas' don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys
End of song, please, once again, don't let your children become cowboys.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Ed Bruce, Patsy Bruce
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@UCqkdtMiE5ZquD_lF9prae4Q
Lyrics:
Cowboys ain't easy to love and they're harder to hold
They'd rather give you a song than diamonds or gold
Lonestar belt buckles and old faded Levis
And each night begins a new day
If you don't understand him, an' he don't die young
He'll prob'ly just ride away
Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys
Don't let 'em pick guitars or drive them old trucks
Let 'em be doctors and lawyers and such
Mamas don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys
'Cos they'll never stay home and they're always alone
Even with someone they love
Cowboys like smokey old pool rooms and clear mountain mornings
Little warm puppies and children and girls of the night
Them that don't know him won't like him and them that do
Sometimes won't know how to take him
He ain't wrong, he's just different but his pride won't let him
Do things to make you think he's right
Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys
Don't let 'em pick guitars or drive them old trucks
Let 'em be doctors and lawyers and such
Mamas don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys
'Cos they'll never stay home and they're always alone
Even with someone they love
@abothwell33
Willie & Waylon- belter of a tune. Have loved this all my life!❤
@keystonepirate2534
Thank you for the great music my good sir 🏴☠️🤠
@brendajeanproffitt6919
❤❤❤❤❤this song amazing Willie thank you for everything you do and done
@candidatarini8082
Eu amo ,❤❤❤❤ ele me encanta 💞
@IvanDal92ry2
I love this song ❤ the originale version are from Ed Bruce 🤠 that shocked me for some weeks ago . Its a awesome song 🥰 rest in peace Ed bruce and waylon Jennings 🙏
@allanmainz315
Love it all 🌹🌹👍👍
@leahharris5
❤. Rest in Peace 🕊️🕊️. Waylon Jennings ❤
@helencarson4680
Fantastic ❤as usual Willie❤
@MarcosBryant-gk1jv
What do you admire most about Willie
@helencarson4680
@@MarcosBryant-gk1jv Willie Nelson is full of love, kind, caring, gentle. He loves and helps people. His voice is full of love. His guitar playing is exceptionally good. He has worked hard all his life to maintain excellence in his music, giving love to all his fans. He is very special❤️