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.
Too Sick To Pray
Willie Nelson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That's why we ain't talked in a while
It's been some of them days, Lord
I thought I was on my last mile
But I'm feelin' okay, Lord
And I'm glad that I called You today
Never needed You more
But I've been to sick to pray
Remember the family, Lord?
I know they will remember You
And all of their prayers, Lord
They talk to You just like I do
Well, I reckon that's all, Lord
That's all I can think of to say
And thank You, my friend
We'll be talkin' again
If I'm not too sick to pray
Willie Nelson's song Too Sick To Pray is a poignant reflection on the struggles of life and the role of spirituality during difficult times. The singer speaks directly to the Lord, admitting that he has been too ill to pray and that he has not talked to God in a long time. The lyrics convey a sense of desperation, with the singer feeling that he is on his last mile and that he needs God's help more than ever before. In spite of this, the singer is also hopeful and grateful, expressing his gladness at being able to call upon God again.
The song's central theme is the power of prayer and how it can provide comfort and strength during trying times. The singer acknowledges that his family and friends are praying for him, and he himself is praying too, despite his illness. The song seems to suggest that prayer is a necessary part of life, whether one is experiencing suffering or not, and that even in the most difficult of circumstances, it is important to maintain a connection with the divine.
Overall, Too Sick To Pray is a moving testament to the human spirit and the role that faith can play in helping us navigate life's challenges. It is a reminder that even in our darkest moments, we are not alone, and that we can always turn to a higher power for guidance and support.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been too sick to pray, Lord
I have been too unwell to communicate with you through prayer, God.
That's why we ain't talked in a while
This explains our lack of recent interaction.
It's been some of them days, Lord
I have been struggling for some time now.
I thought I was on my last mile
I believed I was reaching the end of my endurance.
But I'm feelin' okay, Lord
Thankfully, I am presently feeling better.
And I'm glad that I called You today
I am grateful to have reached out to you just now.
Never needed You more
I have never been in greater need of your presence, God.
I woulda called You before
I would have contacted you earlier if I had been able.
But I've been too sick to pray
Unfortunately, my poor health has made prayer impossible.
Remember the family, Lord?
Please keep my loved ones in your thoughts, God.
I know they will remember You
I am confident that my family will also turn to you in times of need.
And all of their prayers, Lord
Like me, they will pray to you as well.
They talk to You just like I do
I am not the only one who comes to you for guidance.
Well, I reckon that's all, Lord
I believe that is everything, God.
That's all I can think of to say
I cannot think of anything else to add at this time.
And thank You, my friend
Thank you for always being there for me, God.
We'll be talkin' again
I look forward to speaking with you again soon.
If I'm not too sick to pray
As long as my health permits me to pray, we will converse again.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Willie Nelson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind