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 Own Peculiar Way
Willie Nelson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Even though I give you cause most every day
Sometimes I think that you'd be better off without me
Although I love you in my own peculiar way
And don't doubt my love if sometimes my mind should wonder
To a suddenly remembered yesterday
'Cause my mind could never stay too long away from you
I'll always love you in my own peculiar way
And though my faults may grow in number day by day
Let no one ever say that I've ever been untrue
I'll always love you in my own peculiar way
And though I may not always be the way you'd have me be
And though my faults may grow in number day by day
Let no one ever say that I've ever been untrue
I'll always love you in my own peculiar way
I'll always love you in my own peculiar way
In Willie Nelson's song "My Own Peculiar Way," the singer expresses their love for their significant other in a unique and unconventional manner. They acknowledge that they may not always be the perfect partner, admitting that they often give their partner "cause most every day". However, despite their flaws, they love their significant other wholeheartedly and cannot imagine being without them.
The singer's mind often wanders to memories of the past, but they make it clear that their thoughts always come back to their beloved. They promise to remain true to their partner, even though they know they may not always live up to their expectations. The lyrics convey a deep sense of loyalty and devotion, even if it's not always expressed in the most conventional or expected way.
Overall, the song is a testament to the singer's love for their partner, even if that love is expressed in a unique and peculiar way.
Line by Line Meaning
It would be a comfort just to know you never doubt me
I wish you had complete trust in me
Even though I give you cause most every day
Even though I often make mistakes that shake your trust in me
Sometimes I think that you'd be better off without me
At times, I feel I'm a burden on you and it would be better if I'm not around
Although I love you in my own peculiar way
Despite my unconventional way of showing affection, I truly love you
And don't doubt my love if sometimes my mind should wonder
Please don't question my love even when my thoughts drift away from you
To a suddenly remembered yesterday
To a sudden memory of the past that distracts me momentarily
'Cause my mind could never stay too long away from you
Because my mind always gravitates towards thoughts of you
I'll always love you in my own peculiar way
I'll never stop loving you, despite my unconventional ways
And though I may not always be the way you'd have me be
I might not live up to your expectations all the time
And though my faults may grow in number day by day
I might have more flaws as time passes
Let no one ever say that I've ever been untrue
But, I promise you that I'll never be unfaithful
I'll always love you in my own peculiar way
Irrespective of my flaws and peculiar ways, I'll always love you
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: WILLIE NELSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@christinemarie713
Hello official fan inbox person! Of all Willie’s admirers, I am tickled that you messaged ME too! Lmao! I’m not sure if it’s alright for me to reply this way but when I click on the reply link, I cannot find where you messaged me, sorry.
Oh geez, I figured it out!!
Anyway, I thoroughly WISH I had been to one of his concerts! I always wanted to but when I was younger I was a single Mom of four and simply couldn’t do it and now that I my children are grown and I’m alone, iI simply can not afford it on my fixed income BUT.. I watch him every time he is on television and could listen to him sing his songs all day! Thank you kindly for the message. It was thoughtful and kind. 😃. I’m sorry I wasn’t one who helped financially support Willie by attending his concerts but I have always and will continue to love and listen to his songs! Take care, stay healthy and many Blessings to you all💕👋🏻
Sincerely,
Christine
Sent from my iPhone
@lauriesilva4901
Willie Nelson and Emmy Lou together, it doesn't get any better.
@PCPCRB
This man has touched my soul with his music, he has helped me get through some of my very tough times. Thank you sir.
@PCPCRB
@Willie Nelson official fan inbox a lifetime, as long as I can remember. About 50 years or a bit more.
@Roxxstargran
Me too. He is like the grandfather I never had.
@fredacollisoncollison4673
@willienelsonofficialfaninb2888 3:14 Willie Nelson has been my go to music for as long as I can remember.He simply melts my soul and his songs resonate through my good and bad times.
@HDINTRUDER
Can't say enough about the Great Willie Nelson. Love his music and love him for what he stands for.
@stevebator2349
Always impressed by the delicate harmony and sensitvity of a great back up vocalist. Emmy Lou you rock. Willie you're a legend! What a cut!
@cmichaelhoover8432
Willie deserves the Nobel Prize for poetry and his ability to turn a phrase into light from the stars. Truly an American hero.
@jmack619
i don't even know what that means, but YES!!
@moniapinto9650
Bellissimo e bellissima voce e x tutto