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.
Mendocino County Line
Willie Nelson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wishing we were rockets bursting in the sky
Talking about redemption and leaving things behind
As the sun sank west of the Mendocino County line
As fierce as Monday morning feeling washed away
I orchestrated paradise, couldn't make you stay
You dance with the horses through the sands of time
I have these pictures and I keep these photographs
To remind me of a time
These pictures and these photographs
Let me know I'm doin' fine
I used to make you happy once upon a time
But the sun sank west of the Mendocino County line
The two of us together felt nothin' but right
Feeling near immortal every Friday night
Lost in our convictions, left stained with wine
As the sun sank west on the Mendocino County line
I have these pictures and I keep these photographs
To remind me of a time
These pictures and these photographs
Let me know I'm doin' fine
I used to make you happy once upon a time
But the sun sank west of the Mendocino County line
I don't talk to you too much these days
I just thank the lord pictures don't fade
I spent time with an angel just passing through
Now all that's left is this image of you
Counted the stars on the fourth of July
Wishing we were rockets bursting in the sky
Talking about redemption and leaving things behind
I have these pictures and I keep these photographs
To remind me of a time
These pictures and these photographs
Let me know I'm doin' fine
We used to be so happy once upon a time, once upon a time
But the sun sank west of the Mendocino County line
And the sun sank west of the Mendocino County line
"Mendocino County Line" is a beautiful song by Willie Nelson and Lee Ann Womack. The lyrics tell the story of a past relationship, reminiscing about a time when the two of them felt "near immortal every Friday night." They would count the stars on the Fourth of July and talk about redemption, but their love eventually dissolved, and now they can only hold onto memories through pictures and photographs.
The song uses beautiful imagery to convey the sense of loss and nostalgia, using the sunset over the Mendocino County line as a metaphor for the end of their relationship. The line "I orchestrated paradise but couldn't make you stay" is particularly poignant, highlighting the futility of trying to hold onto something that is slipping away.
Overall, the song is a poignant reflection on the beauty and brevity of love and the ways in which we hold onto memories of our past. It is a beautiful collaboration between two incredible musicians and captures the emotions of heartbreak and longing in a powerful way.
Line by Line Meaning
Counted the stars on the Fourth of July
Reflecting on the past while gazing at the stars.
Wishing we were rockets bursting in the sky
Longing for the exhilaration of youthful experiences.
Talking about redemption and leaving things behind
Discussing the possibility of starting anew and moving forward.
As the sun sank west of the Mendocino County line
Watching the sunset over the horizon, marking the end of another day.
I orchestrated paradise, couldn't make you stay
Despite my attempts, I couldn't keep you from leaving.
You dance with the horses through the sands of time
You live life with a free spirit, unbound by time's constraints.
As fierce as Monday morning feeling washed away
The rush and excitement of the weekend fades as the new work week begins.
I have these pictures and I keep these photographs
Preserving memories and moments to look back on in the future.
To remind me of a time
To remember what once was and how it felt.
Let me know I'm doin' fine
Serving as a comforting reminder that everything will be okay.
I used to make you happy once upon a time
There was a point when I brought you joy and happiness.
But the sun sank west of the Mendocino County line
That time has passed and gone, much like the setting sun.
The two of us together felt nothin' but right
Our love once felt perfect and unbreakable.
Feeling near immortal every Friday night
The weekend brought a sense of invincibility and endless possibility.
Lost in our convictions, left stained with wine
Drunk on love and life, with passion clouding our judgement.
I don't talk to you too much these days
Our relationship has faded and communication is infrequent.
I just thank the lord pictures don't fade
Grateful for the permanence of captured memories.
I spent time with an angel just passing through
A brief encounter with someone special and unforgettable.
Now all that's left is this image of you
Only memories and photographs remain of our time together.
We used to be so happy once upon a time, once upon a time
There was a time when we were truly happy and content.
And the sun sank west of the Mendocino County line
Another day has come to an end, marking the passage of time.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: MATT SERLETIC, MATT MICHAEL II SERLETIC, BERNIE TAUPIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@vellorem5487
Show of hands of how many people get stuck pressing the replay button! 💕
@laineydavis2497
Most definitely.
@johnnyd3037
My ❤ gets stuck on replay
@davidwiles7315
X3
@lhaynes6361
How many bring out mega speakers and crank it? And hit replay?
@sunnisanchez8698
Such a beautiful song!!!!!💗💗💗💗
@lawrencegarcia6819
That’s one sunset that should’ve never have gone down
@danielmills1899
February 2024 still listening to this beautiful song!!!!
@bornagainnerd1361
Because it's xless ...
@jameslevi1243
Me too!