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.
Minstrel Man
Willie Nelson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
How many times have you been busted for showing signs of life
Oh, singing minstrel man sometimes you get the blues
When people try to stop you from singing your songs of truth
And you sing that you're tired of seeing your brother killing one another
And that silver in the hall, but that's no silver in the dove
Nobody wants to hear your songs of love
Oh, singing minstrel man trying to do your part
Telling everyone that they're blind till they can see with their hearts
Oh, wondring minstrel man you get your clothes from good will
And your soul will never be owned by a worthless dollar bill
And you sing that you're tired of seeing your brother killing one another
And the silver in the hall, but that's no silver in the dove
Nobody wants to hear your songs of love
Nobody wants to hear your songs of love
Nobody wants to hear your songs of love
Nobody wants to hear your songs of love
Nobody wants to hear your songs of love
Nobody wants to hear your songs of love
Nobody wants to hear your songs of love
Nobody wants to hear your songs of love
Willie Nelson's "Minstrel Man" is a poignant tribute to the societal role of the troubadour. The singer addresses this wandering musician, who is singing songs of strife and truth, and often receives pushback from those who do not want to hear his message. The lyrics begin with the question of how many times he has been "busted for showing signs of life," implying that those in power feel threatened by his message and wish to silence him. The minstrel man, however, persists in singing his songs, even when they make him feel blue because of the backlash he receives.
The minstrel man's message consists of calling out societal ills such as brother killing brother, and calling for love and understanding rather than violence. He also speaks to the materialism rampant in the world, referencing the silver in the hall, which contrasts with the lack of silver in the dove. The singer acknowledges the minstrel man's difficulty in getting people to listen to his songs of love but stands in solidarity with him, stressing that his message is necessary for the world to see with their hearts. Lastly, the song repeats the line "Nobody wants to hear your songs of love," emphasizing the reality of the minstrel man's plight of being ignored or silenced by those who do not want to hear the truth.
Overall, "Minstrel Man" honors the vital work that troubadours and poets do in calling for change in the world. It recognizes the difficult task of speaking truth to power while also acknowledging the strain that this puts on artists themselves. It stands as an important commentary on the state of society's willingness to address its own shortcomings.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, wondring minstrel man singing songs of strife
A performer who travels around performing his music, often singing about conflict and struggle.
How many times have you been busted for showing signs of life
How often have you been punished or criticized for expressing yourself?
Oh, singing minstrel man sometimes you get the blues
Even someone who seems so carefree can sometimes feel sad or discouraged.
When people try to stop you from singing your songs of truth
When others try to silence you or prevent you from sharing what you believe to be true.
And you sing that you're tired of seeing your brother killing one another
You express your frustration and sadness over the violence and conflict you witness in the world.
And that silver in the hall, but that's no silver in the dove
There may be wealth and possessions on display, but that doesn't bring peace or harmony.
Nobody wants to hear your songs of love
Despite your good intentions and positive message, there are some who are not interested in hearing it.
Oh, singing minstrel man trying to do your part
You are doing what you can to make a difference and share your message.
Telling everyone that they're blind till they can see with their hearts
You believe that people need to look beyond their eyes and learn to understand with empathy and compassion.
Oh, wondring minstrel man you get your clothes from good will
You don't care about material possessions and are content with what you have.
And your soul will never be owned by a worthless dollar bill
Your values cannot be bought or compromised by money.
Nobody wants to hear your songs of love
Despite your good intentions and positive message, there are some who are not interested in hearing it.
Nobody wants to hear your songs of love
Despite your good intentions and positive message, there are some who are not interested in hearing it.
Nobody wants to hear your songs of love
Despite your good intentions and positive message, there are some who are not interested in hearing it.
Nobody wants to hear your songs of love
Despite your good intentions and positive message, there are some who are not interested in hearing it.
Nobody wants to hear your songs of love
Despite your good intentions and positive message, there are some who are not interested in hearing it.
Contributed by Avery J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.