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.
My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys
Willie Nelson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And lovin' the cowboy ways
Pursuin' the life of my high ridin' heroes
I burned up my childhood days
I learned all the rules of a modern day drifter
Don't you hold on to nothin' too long
Just take what you need from the ladies, then leave them
My heroes have always been cowboys
And they still are, it seems
Sadly, in search of and one step in back of
Themselves and their slow movin' dreams
Cowboys are special with their own brand of misery
From being alone too long
You could die from the cold, in the arms of a nightmare
Knowin' well that your best days are gone
Pickin' up hookers instead of my pen
I let the words of my youth fade away
Old worn out saddles and old worn out memories
But no one and no place to stay
My heroes have always been cowboys
And they still are, it seems
Sadly, in search of and one step in back of
Themselves and their slow movin' dreams
Sadly, in search of and one step in back of
Themselves and their slow movin' dreams
Willie Nelson's "My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys" is a beautiful ode to the life and struggles of cowboys. The song conveys the idea of the cowboy as a loner, always searching for something better, yet being held back by their own internal demons. The singer grows up dreaming of the cowboy's way of life, admiring the hard-riding heroes who represent freedom and independence. However, as he grows older, he becomes a modern-day drifter, living his life following the rules of the cowboy. He takes what he needs from women, but ultimately leaves them with nothing, living a life that is filled with loneliness and pain.
The melancholic tone of the song conveys the idea that being a cowboy is a hard and lonely existence, with moments of joy and excitement, but ultimately devoid of true happiness. The image of the cowboy as a solitary figure, forever searching for something more but never finding it, is ultimately sad and tragic. The song suggests that the cowboy's lifestyle is a source of misery, but it is also their source of strength and identity.
Line by Line Meaning
I grew up a-dreamin' of bein' a cowboy
As a child, I fantasized about living a cowboy's life.
And lovin' the cowboy ways
I was enamored with the traditional cowboy lifestyle.
Pursuin' the life of my hard-ridin' heroes
I wanted to follow in the footsteps of my cowboy idols.
I burned up my childhood days
My obsession with being a cowboy consumed my early years.
I learned all the rules of a modern-day drifter
I came to understand the code of conduct for a cowboy in contemporary society.
Don't you hold on to nothin' too long
Cowboys avoid becoming attached to people or things for too long.
Take what you need from the ladies and then leave them
Cowboys engage in fleeting romantic or sexual relationships with women.
With the words of a sad country song
The aftermath of these relationships is often reflected in melancholic country music lyrics.
My heroes have always been cowboys
My admiration for cowboys persists.
And they still are, it seems
My fascination with this lifestyle endures.
Sadly, in search of, but one step in back of
Cowboys are constantly seeking something but always seem to be just shy of finding it.
Themselves and their slow-movin' dreams
The elusive goal they pursue is often rooted in their own personal goals and desires, which they pursue at a modest pace.
Cowboys are special with their own brand of misery
The cowboy lifestyle has its own unique form of sadness and pain.
From being alone too long
Cowboys often endure intense solitude.
You can die from the cold in the arms of a nightmare
Being alone can be so taxing it almost physically affects them, even in their sleep.
Knowin' well that your best days are gone
Cowboys acknowledge and accept that their prime years have passed.
Pickin' up hookers instead of my pen
I have made poor choices in how I spend my time, preferring brief sexual encounters over pursuing my art.
I let the words of my youth fade away
My former creative passion has dimmed over time.
Old worn-out saddles and old worn-out memories
All I have left are the remnants of my cowboy obsessions.
But no one and no place to stay
I am left with no meaningful people or places in my life to cling to.
My heroes have always been cowboys
I still hold cowboys in high esteem.
And they still are, it seems
My fascination with cowboys persists.
Sadly, in search of, and one step in back of
Cowboys are always searching for something, but it always seems to slightly elude them.
Themselves and their slow-movin' dreams
The goals they pursue are a product of their own aspirations and often realized at a slow pace.
Sadly, in search of, and one step in back of
Once again, the search for something greater continues, but that something remains elusive.
Themselves and their slow-movin' dreams
While they continue to pursue these goals, it is an effort that is a product of their own personal aspirations and is always realized slowly.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Sharon Vaughn
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Brigitte Franziska Vogl
Willie your songs give me peace in heart and mind,my health is getting worse every day, don't know why I am still fighting 😢❤❤
Roberta Gilbert
@Brigitte. Keep fighting dear. The Lord has a purpose for you, so don't give up. Trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and he'll help you. Keeping you in my prayers sweetie.
🙏💕🙏💕🙏💕🙏
B Murt
We fight on because of the hope it will get better, the promise of tomorrow. Take a cleansing breath. Music helps. Peace dear
Katherine Bosse
It’s so wonderful Willie can bring us such peace and grace, isn’t it
Brigitte? I pray your pain eases and your heart fills..bless you today
and always. ❤️🩹
Mark Norman
Hello Brigitte, how are you doing?
Eva Heiser
Bitte gib die Hoffnung nicht auf.Nur die Hoffnung auf bessere Zeiten hält das Leben aufrecht.❤❤❤❤❤
Alburn_Robert
I love this song thank you Willie Nelson for making it 🙏
joao antonio silva fraga
Campo Grande Capital De Mato Grosso do Sul 🇧🇷 🇧🇷 Brasil 🇧🇷 , Amo ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ as Músicas 🎶 🎶 🎶 🎶 🎶 desse Grande Cantor todas as Músicas são Tóp ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Catherine BEDUER
I love this balad/song so much as well as the harmonica !! 😍🙏❤️🎶🎙...🥁🎶❤️👌🤠🌟🤗 WON-DER-FUL, Willie !!! 🎩❤ Congratulations and thank you so much, Willie Nelson and Vevo. 😍🌹❤️😍🌹❤️🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🙋♀️🇨🇵🤗🤗🫶🫶
David Cooker
Hello,how are you doing, hope your staying safe?