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 albumβdestined to the IRSβand 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 holeβthe 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.
The Harder They Come
Willie Nelson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Waiting for me when I die
But between the day you're born and when you die
They never even seem to hear you cry
So as sure as the sun will shine
I'm gonna get my share now of what's mine
The harder they come, the harder they'll fall, one and all
Well the officers are trying to keep me down
Trying to drive me underground
And they think that they have got the battle won
I say forgive them Lord, they know not what they've done
'Cause as sure as the sun will shine
I'm gonna get my share now of what's mine
The harder they come, the harder they'll fall, one and all
The harder they come, the harder they'll fall, one and all
Oh, oh, oh
And I keep on fighting for the things I want
Though I know that when you're dead you can't
But I'd rather be a free man in my grave
Than living as a puppet or a slave
So as sure as the sun will shine
I'm gonna get my share now of what's mine
And then the harder they come, the harder they'll fall, one and all
The harder they come the harder they'll fall, one and all
Harder they come, harder they'll fall one and all
In Willie Nelson's song "The Harder They Come," the singer discusses the struggles and injustices of life that he faces. He starts by referencing the idea of heaven and the afterlife, conveying a sense of hopelessness and disillusionment about the promises of an afterlife. He speaks about the lack of acknowledgment that people receive during their lifetime, with cries remaining unheard. Although he sees no hope in the afterlife, yet he believes that he still can attain what rightfully belongs to him while he's alive.
Nelson then illustrates his struggles against the authority, who he believes is trying to bring him down and push him underground. Despite this, he forgives them since he understands that they don't know what they're doing. He makes it clear that while alive, he's going to fight for his rights, even though he understands that when he's dead, he can't. He would rather be free and dead than being a slave and alive. Nelson believes that the harder the struggle, the harder they fall, leading to a sense of justice.
The overall message of the song promotes the idea of never giving up one's fight for what they believe in, even if it means fighting against the authority. Nelson insists on standing and fighting for his rights before it's too late. The song is motivational, empowering the listener to let their voice be heard and claim what they believe belongs to them.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, they tell me of a pie up in the sky
People talk about a reward waiting for you in heaven, but that doesn't help you in the present
Waiting for me when I die
The reward is only available in the afterlife
But between the day you're born and when you die
During your time on earth, there's no guarantee of anything
They never even seem to hear you cry
The powers that be don't always listen to those in need
So as sure as the sun will shine
Without a doubt
I'm gonna get my share now of what's mine
I'm going to take what belongs to me while I can
The harder they come, the harder they'll fall, one and all
The greater someone's power, the heavier they will fall when defeated
Well the officers are trying to keep me down
Law enforcement is attempting to defeat me
Trying to drive me underground
Attempting to hide me from the public
And they think that they have got the battle won
They believe they're in control
I say forgive them Lord, they know not what they've done
I understand that they're only human and may not realize the harm they're causing
Oh, oh, oh
an expression of disappointment
And I keep on fighting for the things I want
I continue to struggle for what I believe in
Though I know that when you're dead you can't
Even though death is an inevitability
But I'd rather be a free man in my grave
I value my independence even in death
Than living as a puppet or a slave
I don't want to be controlled by someone else
And then the harder they come, the harder they'll fall, one and all
The more power someone has, the greater their downfall will be
Lyrics Β© Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Jimmy Cliff
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Buck Turgidson
The coolest old dude on the planet! They sure as hell broke the mould when they made him. Never will be another Willie Nelson...
vince mcdevitt
lol
Jack Dempsey
Willie is a national treasure
beach cat
I love Willie--no one on earth like him! β₯
Edmund Smith
A beautiful and righteous rendition
Karen Richard
I love when music breaks into different genres, epecially when it is Willie Nelson...
James Malcolm
Karen Richard Amen Karen
Vanesa Sallego
Willie is a musician/music that helps me get through life. My goal is to see him live before either of us move on to the afterlife. His music is epic.
John Wilson
You could not have said that better Vanessa. I'm hoping to see him live myself before he or I is unalived πΆπ―βοΈπππ
Original Donovan
One of my favourite vocalist's covering one of my favourite Reggae tracks.. Respect Mr. Nelson...