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.
Overtime
Willie Nelson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That's what they all tell me
That's what they say to me
Over time
Your blue eyes and your black eyelashes
The way you looked at life in your funny way
I guess out of the blue you won't cross my mind
Your pale skin and your sexy crooked teeth
The trouble you get in in your clumsy way
I guess one afternoon you won't cross my mind
And I'll get over you over time
I guess out of the blue you won't cross my mind
And I'll get over you over time
Willie Nelson's song "Overtime" is a tender ballad about trying to overcome heartbreak. The singer acknowledges that getting over someone may take time – "over time, that's what they all tell me." He describes memories of his former love, in particular the way she looked and the funny quirks that made her unique. Despite this, he hopes that eventually, with enough time, she won't cross his mind and he'll be able to move on.
The lyrics are simple but heartfelt, describing the universal experience of healing after heartbreak. The repetition of "over time" is a powerful reminder that the pain will eventually fade, giving hope to anyone who has been hurt before. The specific details of the former lover's appearance and character make the song feel personal and nostalgic, emphasizing the difficulty of letting go of someone who was once so important.
Overall, "Overtime" is a moving and relatable song about the process of healing after a breakup. It offers a message of hope and resilience, encouraging listeners to hold on and trust that time will bring healing.
Line by Line Meaning
Over time
As time goes on
That's what they all tell me
I hear it often from others
That's what they say to me
I'm constantly reminded of it
Over time
As more time passes
Your blue eyes and your black eyelashes
I remember the small details of you
The way you looked at life in your funny way
Your unique perspective on life still resonates with me
I guess out of the blue you won't cross my mind
One day I won't think of you unexpectedly
And I'll get over you over time
Eventually, the pain of losing you will fade
Your pale skin and your sexy crooked teeth
Even the imperfections about you were beautiful to me
The trouble you get in in your clumsy way
Your endearing quirks and mishaps were a part of who you were
I guess one afternoon you won't cross my mind
There will come a time when I don't think of you for a whole day
And I'll get over you over time
Slowly but surely, I will move on from you
I guess out of the blue you won't cross my mind
One day, I will have control over my thoughts of you
And I'll get over you over time
It will take time, but I will get through this pain
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: LUCINDA WILLIAMS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@RonjasCCQ
Lyrics:
Over time
That's what they all tell me
That's what they say to me
Over time
Your blue eyes and your black eyelashes
The way you looked at life in your funny way
I guess out of the blue you won't cross my mind
And I'll get over you over time
Your pale skin and your sexy crooked teeth
The trouble you get in in your clumsy way
I guess one afternoon you won't cross my mind
And I'll get over you over time
I guess out of the blue you won't cross my mind
And I'll get over you over time
@RonjasCCQ
Lyrics:
Over time
That's what they all tell me
That's what they say to me
Over time
Your blue eyes and your black eyelashes
The way you looked at life in your funny way
I guess out of the blue you won't cross my mind
And I'll get over you over time
Your pale skin and your sexy crooked teeth
The trouble you get in in your clumsy way
I guess one afternoon you won't cross my mind
And I'll get over you over time
I guess out of the blue you won't cross my mind
And I'll get over you over time
@jimmycollette9209
Good thing Willie sings on this song.
@nightingaleofsorrow9349
Just found this video/song. What a beautiful duet! My blood pressure went down 15 points just listening! Love it…💕
@robertbowles5156
Drove 315 miles to Allentown PA from Rochester NY to see Lucinda first time. Well worth the time great show
@anelladambrosio2513
Bellissimo duetto!quanta dolcezza nella voce di Willie...😊🤗😍😘🎶🎸🎶💘💓💋💯💋💯🌅
@thomasziemann8107
Willie&Lucinda 💪
@georgereed3293
There are so many great things about this performance. WIllie's guitar and vocals, an amazing band, and Lucinda's vocals and timing that are like nobody else's. What a great piece of art.
@kariskjerseth8818
well said
@jimw.4161
A great song...
Two great singers...
Two great song writers...
Two wonderful people...
Love you, Willie & Lucinda
@rachaeldaveslater3181
That wa so bad ass