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 albumโdestined to the IRSโand 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 holeโthe 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.
Someone to Watch Over Me
Willie Nelson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I hope that she turns out to be
Someone who'll watch over me
I'm a little lamb who's lost in the wood
I know I could always be good
To one who'll watch over me
The girl some men think of
As pretty, to my heart
She carries the key
Won't you tell her please
To put on some speed follow my lead
Oh how I need someone to watch over me
Although she may not be
The girl some men think of
As pretty, to my heart
She carries the key
Won't you tell her please
To put on some speed follow my lead
Oh how I need someone to watch over me
Someone to watch over me
Willie Nelson's rendition of "Someone to Watch Over Me" is a touching tribute to the ways in which we all long for companionship and care. In this song, Nelson expresses his desire to find someone who will be a source of comfort and protection for him, much like a guardian angel. The opening lines, "There is somebody I'm longing to see, I hope that she turns out to be someone who will watch over me," set the tone for the rest of the song. Nelson is not looking for someone to solve all his problems, but rather someone who will offer him the simple gift of their presence.
Nelson's use of the image of a "little lamb who's lost in the wood" evokes a sense of vulnerability and innocence that is at the heart of the song. He acknowledges that he is not perfect, but he is willing to be good to the person who watches over him. The lines "Although she may not be the girl some men think of as pretty, to my heart she carries the key" show that Nelson is not looking for someone who fits a particular mold. He values inner beauty and connection over external appearance.
The final lines of the song, "Won't you tell her please to put on some speed, follow my lead, oh how I need someone to watch over me," convey a sense of urgency and longing that adds to the emotional impact of the song. Nelson is not just hoping for someone to watch over him, he is pleading for it. The song leaves us with a sense that we are all looking for someone to watch over us, and that this need is a universal human experience.
Line by Line Meaning
There is somebody I'm longing to see
I'm yearning to meet someone special.
I hope that she turns out to be
I wish that she turns out to be the one I am looking for.
Someone who'll watch over me
Someone who will take care of me and protect me.
I'm a little lamb who's lost in the wood
I'm a lost and helpless person in need of guidance.
I know I could always be good
I'm confident that I can be dependable and trustworthy.
To one who'll watch over me
To someone who will be my guardian angel.
Although she may not be
Even if she's not perceived as such.
The girl some men think of
The ideal woman that some men seek.
As pretty, to my heart
To me, she's beautiful inside and out.
She carries the key
She has the ability to unlock my heart.
Won't you tell her please
Can you do me a favor and convey a message?
To put on some speed follow my lead
To hurry and follow my instructions.
Oh how I need someone to watch over me
I'm desperately seeking someone to take care of me and guide me.
Someone to watch over me
The guardian angel that I am seeking.
Lyrics ยฉ DistroKid, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Royalty Network, Broma 16, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Ira Gershwin, George Gershwin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Margaret Gaskell
"Someone To Watch Over Me"๐๐๐๐๐ฆ ๐ฆ ๐ฆ ๐น๐น๐น๐โค
There is somebody
I'm longing to see
I hope that she
Turns out to be
Someone who'll watch over me
I'm a little lamb
Who's lost in the wood
I know I could
Always be good
To one who'll watch over me
Although she may not be the girl
Some men think of
As pretty
To my heart
She carries the key
Won't you tell her please
To put on some speed
Follow my lead
Oh, how I need
Someone to watch over me
Although she may not be the girl
Some men think of
As pretty
To my heart
She carries the key
Won't you tell her please
To put on some speed
Follow my lead
Oh how I need
Someone to watch
Over me
Someone to watch
Over me
kornfreak78
I may be a metal head, but music like this transcends genre... This is beautiful. Willie Nelson is one of the greatest singers of all time. There is absolutely no denying his talent.
Bill Ridge
Are you listening Rayssa?This man
Knows.
SamDaFam
Agreed 100% I love metal and all that but Willie Nelson is amazing and is one of the most talented people in music
Brendan John
Love Willie's version!ย ย Always a pure and honest interpretation.
Jeff DeBoer
This is amazing. That's really all I can say. Simply perfect.
Donna L. Carl Kuchinski
He sings this song so perfectly...goosebumps for sure! Wish I could give Willie a hug for making us all so happy!
Brian Hastings
Amazing as always. The one and only Willie, one of a kind.
Angie Siddall
What a beautiful rendition you've done Willie, of this Gershwin song. "someone to watch over me" . Outstanding!
Luca Murer
Another beautiful masterpiece from a legendary master of the best musical genre.
Jon Myers
Sing it Willie! The man could sing any song in existence and turn it into gold.