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.
Silent Night Holy Night
Willie Nelson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon virgin Mother and Child
Holy Infant, so tender and mild
Sleep in Heavenly peace
Sleep in Heavenly peace
Shepherds quake at the sight
Glories stream from Heaven afar
Heavenly hosts sing Hallelujah
Christ the Savior is born
Christ the Savior is born
Sleep in Heavenly peace
Willie Nelson's rendition of Silent Night Holy Night is a poignant reminder of the birth of the Savior, Jesus Christ. This classic Christmas hymn takes the listener on a journey to the manger, where the Son of God was born. The opening line, "Silent night, Holy night," evokes an image of peace, tranquility, and reverence. The second line, "All is calm, all is bright," further reinforces the peacefulness of the scene.
The next two lines, "Round yon virgin Mother and Child/Holy Infant, so tender and mild," describe the central figures of the story: Mary and Jesus. In the manger, Mary cradles her newborn son, who is the Son of God. The terms "tender and mild" evoke a sense of love and protection, indicating the immense care with which Mary held her child. The final two lines of the first stanza, "Sleep in Heavenly peace," are both a prayer and a blessing, asking for the Christ Child to rest peacefully in his divine nature.
The second stanza of the song describes the reaction of the shepherds who witnessed the birth of Jesus, depicted in the line, "Shepherds quake at the sight." The shepherds, simple and humble individuals, receive a visit from the angels, as described in the line, "Glories stream from Heaven afar." The final phrase of the hymn, "Christ the Savior is born," is the ultimate message of hope for Christians around the world. The birth of Jesus represents a new beginning, a new hope, and a new dawn of salvation for humanity.
Line by Line Meaning
Silent night, Holy night
The night is peaceful and holy
All is calm, all is bright
There is no noise and the surroundings are bright
Round yon virgin Mother and Child
The virgin mother and her child are nearby
Holy Infant, so tender and mild
The infant is pure and innocent
Sleep in Heavenly peace
Rest in the peace of heaven
Sleep in Heavenly peace
Rest in the peace of heaven
Silent night, Holy night
The night is peaceful and holy
Shepherds quake at the sight
The shepherds are trembling at what they see
Glories stream from Heaven afar
Heavenly lights shine from a distance
Heavenly hosts sing Hallelujah
The angels in heaven are singing praises to God
Christ the Savior is born
Jesus Christ is born
Christ the Savior is born
Jesus Christ is born
Sleep in Heavenly peace
Rest in the peace of heaven
Writer(s): W. NELSON, MOHR, GRUBER
Contributed by Maya K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@Dee-ng8fq
Mr Nelson, thank you. No bells, no whistles. Your voice is enough. Peace to you and everyone.
@lornafraserwaterworth559
Thank You Willie! Beautifully sung Christmas Carol 💖💎
@lornafraserwaterworth559
🌹💖. Thank you very much my dear very best friend, Someone 💖, for my special lovely highlight, Very, very much appreciated. 🙏🧸🙏. Please always be extremely careful and stay safe and well always 💖🌹
@anthonyspears2347
Oh my goodness Thank you so very much for singing this song your VOICE ❤
@julianholland6164
Mr. Nelson, my Nana would be astounded. I wish she was still here to listen. Thank you for sending out the holiday songs. Of all the concerts I’ve attended, when asked which is my favourite; my answer is based on the pure joy of special times with family. Getting to be part that moment meant so much to her and to me. I was introduced to your songs, Crazy done by Patsy Cline was my first as a child and then on to your songs sung by you solo and with friends songs. You have written and written and sung so many beautiful songs, I truly have been a fan since just after being born, you remember the sounds around you and now, I enjoy your sons as well as you. We had such an incredible day that will always stay in my memories, That concert was You - Willie Nelson / Neil Young And The International Harvesters / Waylon Jennings / The Band / Jessie Colter / John Schneider and many friends that joined in that day. It was 1984 a Sullivan Stadium, through many name changes is Gillette Stadium,Foxborough, Massachusetts.
Sir, you left me with one of the best memories of my life. Have a Very Merry Christmas Mr. Nelson. Cheerful, Bright, Holiday Blessings to you and yours, Julian Patrick Holland.
@user-zs5fb3si9f
Beautiful.
I think Willie Nelson could sing his grocery list for the supermarket, and we would still love it.
@helencarson4680
This is such a sacred and beautiful Christmas song Willie❤. Your voice and guitar is all I need on such a magic Christmas song❤
@Pooh-ov1cv
Thanks Willy for your beautiful voice and all the past songs you have done for us that was beautiful ❤️❤️❤️🥰👵🐶
@evaludes4653
Wonderful❤
@robertdohar5248
Practically perfect in every way! Merry Christmas, Willie