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.
Pancho & Lefty
Willie Nelson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Now you wear your skin like iron
Your breath as hard as kerosene
You weren't your momma's only boy, but her favorite one it seems
She began to cry when you said goodbye
And sank into your dreams
Pancho was a bandit boy, his horse was fast as polished steel
He wore his gun outside his pants
Pancho met his match you know on the deserts down in Mexico
Nobody heard his dyin words, ah but that's the way it goes
All the Federales say, they could've had him any day
They only let him slip away, out of kindness I suppose
Lefty he can't sing the blues all night long like he used to
The dust that Pancho bit down south ended up in Lefty's mouth
The day they laid poor Pancho low, Lefty split for Ohio
Where he got the bread to go, there ain't nobody knows
All the Federales say, they could've had him any day
They only let him slip away out of kindness I suppose
The boys tell how old Pancho fell, and Lefty's livin in cheap hotels
The desert's quiet, Cleveland's cold
And so the story ends we're told
Pancho needs your prayers it's true, but save a few for Lefty too
He only did what he had to do, and now he's growing old
All the Federales say, they could've had him any day
They only let him go so long, out of kindness I suppose
A few gray Federales say, they could've had him any day
They only let him go so long, out of kindness I suppose
The song "Pancho & Lefty" by Willie Nelson tells the story of two men, Pancho and Lefty, who lived a life of banditry in the deserts of Mexico. The song opens with the lines “Livin on the road my friend, is gonna keep you free and clean, Now you wear your skin like iron, Your breath as hard as kerosene”. The singer acknowledges the freedom that comes with living on the road, but also acknowledges the toughness it brings. The next verse introduces the character of Pancho, a bandit boy whose horse was fast as polished steel. He was known for wearing his gun outside his pants for all the honest world to feel. He eventually meets his match on the deserts of Mexico and dies without anyone hearing his last words. The Federales could have had him any day but they only let him slip away, possibly out of kindness.
The second half of the song introduces Lefty, who is unable to sing the blues all night long like he used to. The dust that Pancho bit down south ended up in Lefty's mouth, and he eventually skips town for Ohio. When Pancho dies, Lefty disappears with the money, and though he seems to have escaped, the song implies he is haunted by what he's done. “Pancho needs your prayers it's true, but save a few for Lefty too, He only did what he had to do, and now he's growing old”. The song ends with the Federales saying they could have had Pancho and Lefty any day but they only let them go so long, out of kindness.
Overall, "Pancho & Lefty" is a story about the consequences of a life of crime and the toll it takes on those who try to escape it. It also explores themes of loyalty, betrayal, and the harsh realities of living on the run in a world that is constantly judging and punishing you.
Line by Line Meaning
Livin on the road my friend, is gonna keep you free and clean
Being a traveler will make you independent and unattached
Now you wear your skin like iron
You have become tough and resilient
Your breath as hard as kerosene
You are a heavy drinker
You weren't your momma's only boy, but her favorite one it seems
Your mother loved you very much, despite having other sons as well
She began to cry when you said goodbye
Your departure from home made your mother very emotional
And sank into your dreams
She felt a deep sadness and loneliness after you left
Pancho was a bandit boy, his horse was fast as polished steel
Pancho was a notorious outlaw with a swift horse
He wore his gun outside his pants
He carried his weapon in plain sight
For all the honest world to feel
To intimidate and show off his power to others
Pancho met his match you know on the deserts down in Mexico
Pancho eventually encountered someone who was his equal and could stand up to him
Nobody heard his dyin words, ah but that's the way it goes
No one was there to hear Pancho's last words before he died
All the Federales say, they could've had him any day
The authorities claim that they could have captured Pancho at any time
They only let him slip away, out of kindness I suppose
Perhaps they allowed him to escape as a form of mercy
Lefty he can't sing the blues all night long like he used to
Lefty has lost his ability to perform and entertain
The dust that Pancho bit down south ended up in Lefty's mouth
Lefty ended up with the same fate as Pancho, despite being in a different location
The day they laid poor Pancho low, Lefty split for Ohio
After Pancho's death, Lefty fled to another state
Where he got the bread to go, there ain't nobody knows
It's unclear how Lefty was able to finance his escape
The boys tell how old Pancho fell, and Lefty's livin in cheap hotels
People talk about Pancho's demise and how Lefty is now living a poor and humble life
The desert's quiet, Cleveland's cold
The two locations have vastly different environments and moods
And so the story ends we're told
This is the end of the story
Pancho needs your prayers it's true, but save a few for Lefty too
Pancho deserves sympathy but Lefty is also a victim of circumstance
He only did what he had to do, and now he's growing old
Lefty had to escape and protect himself, and now he is getting old
A few gray Federales say, they could've had him any day
Even years later, the authorities claim they could have caught Lefty at any time
They only let him go so long, out of kindness I suppose
The authorities allowed Lefty to live his life in peace, despite knowing his past
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@cinnamongirl7877
This kind of music has saved me during this pandemic. Whoever reads this.....I hope you are safe and well. This too shall pass.
@wbrobinson1
I'm here brother. Semper Fi!
@citytaxi1082
👍👍👍👍
@calvinsharp3346
@@wbrobinson1 wp
@stanleyweingart6361
And I advere to this day; The best song ever written. Thank you,
Towns van Zant for sharing your genius.
@stanleyweingart6361
@@wbrobinson1 I got your back, devil!
@jimmycollette9209
Willie, Merle, and Towns all in one video. Three of the worlds greatest singer songwriters ever in the same video. Don't get any better. Miss you Towns and Merle. Hang in there Willie.
@charlesbrowngodhelpmeimiss4907
Page from my life
@regdavies5737
This song was also recorded by Emmy Lou Harris, and it was her version that Willie Nelson first heard.
@clemep
I think very few people know that Townes Van Zandt wrote this...