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.
Satan Your Kingdom Must Come Down
Willie Nelson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Satan, your kingdom must come down
I heard the voice of Jesus say
Satan, your kingdom must come down
I'm gonna pray til they tear your kingdom down
I'm gonna pray til I tear your kingdom down
And I heard the voice of Jesus say
And I'm gonna shout til they tear your kingdom down
I'm gonna shout til they tear your kingdom down
And I heard the voice of Jesus say
Satan, your kingdom must come down
Satan, your kingdom must come down
Satan, your kingdom must come down
I heard the voice of Jesus say
Satan, your kingdom must come down
And I'm gonna shout til I tear your kingdom down
I'm gonna pray shout til I tear your kingdom down
And I heard the voice of Jesus say
Satan your kingdom must come down
Willie Nelson's song "Satan Your Kingdom Must Come Down" is a powerful and haunting hymn that speaks of the struggle between good and evil. The repeated line of "Satan, your kingdom must come down" is a call to arms against the forces of darkness that seek to undermine and corrupt our world. The song's lyrics describe a battle between the forces of light and dark, with the singer vowing to pray and shout until Satan's kingdom is destroyed.
The song's lyrics have deep roots in the African American spiritual tradition, with many variations of the lyrics and melody dating back to the early 1900s. The song is often associated with the civil rights movement, with its message of resistance and perseverance resonating with activists across the country. The lyrics are simple but powerful, emphasizing the need to stand up against oppression and injustice.
The repetition of the phrase "Satan, your kingdom must come down" throughout the song is a powerful proclamation of faith and resolve. The singer is declaring that they will not be swayed by the darkness of the world, but will instead fight valiantly against it. The use of the voice of Jesus in the lyrics adds an additional layer of spiritual meaning, suggesting that the power to defeat evil does not come from earthly sources, but from a higher power.
Overall, "Satan Your Kingdom Must Come Down" is a timeless hymn that continues to inspire and uplift people around the world. Its message of hope and resilience is just as relevant today as it was when it was first written, and its powerful lyrics and haunting melody continue to resonate with listeners of all ages and backgrounds.
Line by Line Meaning
Satan, your kingdom must come down
The reign of evil and darkness that you hold must be overthrown, Satan.
Satan, your kingdom must come down
You must be defeated, Satan and your power shattered into dust.
I heard the voice of Jesus say
I received a message from the one who holds power over everything, Jesus.
Satan, your kingdom must come down
You will not be allowed to retain your position of evil, Satan.
I'm gonna pray til they tear your kingdom down
I will pray persistently until your realm of darkness is destroyed beyond recognition.
I'm gonna pray til I tear your kingdom down
I will pray with such intense conviction that your sphere of influence crumbles under the weight of my fervent appeal.
And I'm gonna shout til they tear your kingdom down
Through shouting and vocalizing my rejection of your evil, your kingdom will fall into ruin.
I'm gonna shout til they tear your kingdom down
My shouting and condemnation will play a part in bringing your rule to an end.
I'm gonna shout til I tear your kingdom down
The combination of my prayers and my defiant shouting will destroy your wicked realm.
And I heard the voice of Jesus say
Again, the message from Jesus is repeated to me.
Satan your kingdom must come down
Your kingdom of darkness must come to an end, Satan.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., BMG Rights Management
Written by: ROBERT PLANT, BRIAN REITZELL, BUDDY MILLER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@connieshaneyfelt1218
I understand this battle, but, I can feel the Lord.
@codykoch7081
First time I heard this song I was shocked and amazed by the lyrics. The lyrics to this song are very powerful
@karenissimalovestrilogy75
This is the first time that I've ever heard this song (suggested by my best friend)---
And I LOVE IT!!!
I love Willie, and this song, while not the usual sound from Willie that I'm used to, has such a STRENGTH about it---
WELL DONE, WILLIE! 💖💖💖
@dalton7145
I've listened to many versions of this and Willie does it better than most
@TempLabortvorg
Love it! Powerful message
@VTownGregory
Puts me in the mood for Deadwood or Justified.
@MrMusicguyma
Nice banjo and fiddle on this, uncharacteristic of Willie. Great arrangement, gradually adding electric instruments .
@raulambrosregaliza9922
Esta version, con este estilo, pierde todo el encanto de TREMENDA FUERZA y ALEGRÍA propias de la canción. Esta versión, técnicamente, puede que sea maravillosa. Pero no tiene nada que ver con la original. Es un estropicio. Falta la fuerza y la alegría que dan a esta canción todo su valor.
@user-ii4fi5mc9k
1 dislike by a Satanist.
@GerardPerry
And his 3 friends.