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.
Red Headed Stranger
Willie Nelson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Rode into town one day
And under his knees was a ragin' black stallion
And walkin' behind was a bay
The red headed stranger had eyes like the thunder
And his lips, they were sad and tight
His little lost love lay asleep on the hillside
Don't cross him, don't boss him
He's wild in his sorrow
He's ridin' an' hidin' his pain
Don't fight him, don't spite him
Just wait till tomorrow
Maybe he'll ride on again
A yellow haired lady leaned out of her window
An' watched as he passed her way
She drew back in fear at the sight of the stallion
But cast greedy eyes on the bay
But how could she know that this dancin' bay pony
Meant more to him than life
For this was the horse that his little lost darlin'
Had ridden when she was his wife
Don't cross him, don't boss him
He's wild in his sorrow
He's ridin' an' hidin' his pain
Don't fight him, don't spite him
Just wait till tomorrow
Maybe he'll ride on again
The yellow haired lady came down to the tavern
An' looked up the stranger there
He bought her a drink, an' he gave her some money
He just didn't seem to care
She followed him out as he saddled his stallion
An' laughed as she grabbed at the bay
He shot her so quick, they had no time to warn her
She never heard anyone say
Don't cross him, don't boss him
He's wild in his sorrow
He's ridin' an' hidin' his pain
Don't fight him, don't spite him
Just wait till tomorrow
Maybe he'll ride on again
The yellow haired lady was buried at sunset
The stranger went free, of course
For you can't hang a man for killin' a woman
Who's tryin' to steal your horse
This is the tale of the red headed stranger
And if he should pass your way
Stay out of the path of the ragin' black stallion
And don't lay a hand on the bay
Don't cross him, don't boss him
He's wild in his sorrow
He's ridin' an' hidin' his pain
Don't fight him, don't spite him
Just wait till tomorrow
Maybe he'll ride on again
"Red Headed Stranger" by Willie Nelson is a haunting tale about a man who takes the law into his own hands. The song tells the story of a red-headed stranger from Blue Rock, Montana, who rode into town one day with a black stallion and a bay mare. The stranger's eyes were like thunder, and his lips were sad and tight. His little lost love lay asleep on the hillside, and his heart was heavy as night.
The stranger is a man who is wild in his sorrow and has a pain that he is riding and hiding. He is a man who has suffered great loss and is seeking revenge. The yellow-haired lady in the story is a greed-driven opportunist who tries to steal the stranger's prized possession, the bay mare. However, the horse meant more to him than life as it was the horse his little lost darlin' had ridden when she was his wife.
The climax of the story happens when the yellow-haired lady tries to grab the bay mare, and the stranger shoots her, and she dies instantly. The song ends with the stranger burying the lady at sunset and going free because one can't hang a man for killing a woman who's trying to steal his horse. The song's moral talks about how one should stay away from the path of the raging black stallion and never lay a hand on the bay, as both symbolize the stranger's pain and sorrow.
Line by Line Meaning
The red headed stranger from Blue Rock, Montana
A man with red hair from Blue Rock, Montana
Rode into town one day
He arrived in a particular town at a particular time
And under his knees was a ragin' black stallion
He was riding a black horse
And walkin' behind was a bay
Another horse was walking behind him
The red headed stranger had eyes like the thunder
His eyes were powerful and intense, like a thunderstorm
And his lips, they were sad and tight
His lips were drawn together in a sad expression
His little lost love lay asleep on the hillside
His love had died and was buried on a hill
And his heart was heavy as night
He was in a state of great sadness
Don't cross him, don't boss him
Don't argue with him or try to control him
He's wild in his sorrow
His sadness makes him unpredictable and dangerous
He's ridin' an' hidin' his pain
He's traveling and trying to escape his emotional pain
Don't fight him, don't spite him
Don't try to fight him or be malicious toward him
Just wait till tomorrow
Be patient and wait for him to move on
Maybe he'll ride on again
He may leave and continue traveling
A yellow haired lady leaned out of her window
A woman with yellow hair looked out of her window
An' watched as he passed her way
She observed him as he rode by
She drew back in fear at the sight of the stallion
She was scared when she saw the black horse
But cast greedy eyes on the bay
She looked at the other horse with desire
But how could she know that this dancin' bay pony
She was unaware that the bay horse meant a lot to him
Meant more to him than life
The horse was extremely important to him
For this was the horse that his little lost darlin'
The bay horse was the one his lost love rode
Had ridden when she was his wife
She rode that horse when she was still married to him
The yellow haired lady came down to the tavern
The woman went to the tavern to meet him
An' looked up the stranger there
She searched for him when she arrived
He bought her a drink, an' he gave her some money
He offered her a drink and gave her some money
He just didn't seem to care
He appeared indifferent to her
She followed him out as he saddled his stallion
She followed him as he prepared to leave on his horse
An' laughed as she grabbed at the bay
She laughed as she tried to take the bay horse
He shot her so quick, they had no time to warn her
He killed her immediately and without warning
She never heard anyone say
She never had a chance to hear anyone warn her
The yellow haired lady was buried at sunset
The woman was buried in the evening
The stranger went free, of course
The man was not punished for what he did
For you can't hang a man for killin' a woman
At the time, a man could not be executed for killing a woman
Who's tryin' to steal your horse
Especially if she was attempting to take his beloved horse
This is the tale of the red headed stranger
This is the story of the man with red hair
And if he should pass your way
If he happens to come through your town
Stay out of the path of the ragin' black stallion
Avoid getting in the way of the angry black horse
And don't lay a hand on the bay
Don't touch the other horse, which is very important to him
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CARL STUTZ, EDITH L CALISCH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Josh Husted
One of the best songs ever by one of the last living outlaws. I pray for Willie regularly. Life is rolling downhill like a snowball headed for Hell. So grateful I'm old enough to remember a more pure freedom than the younger generation will ever realize.
Jose Manuel Vicuña
Y AM agree
Carl balgaard
I third ,3' that and God bless willie nelson.
Sissy Walton
🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲👏🏻👏🏻👊🏻
Robert Craig
I bought the red headed stranger album on an 8 track back in the early seventies. Now i have a cd of it. One of my favorites back then ,and still is today. There isn't another guitar on the planet that sounds like trigger. Or another Willie, He is a true Treasure to music..
Frog Price
I've been a fan since my cradle. Never a bad show or song. The nicest guy in the business.
I truly appreciate this song about us, red headed strangers.
Daniel Hancock
Willie makes me proud to be a Texan
Water life.
Make me proud to be a human. He saved humanity with his music. Otherwise we are crap to the aliens. They are like " what is this lame computer generated crap. The computer is like our 1000 year old calculator.". Thank God for Willie. And Waylon. Keith Whitley, Neil Diamond (I mean c'mon man) Autograph (for the neighbors) you know.... real music.
Frank Tonnemaker
Pure, classic Willie.
davesusi914
Pure Gold !