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.
Two Sides to Every Story
Willie Nelson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And whose to say whose right and who is wrong
And I'm tryin' to understand why you're not with me
How can we both be right when you're still gone
It's hard to believe that it's all over a love like ours is not supposed to die
And there must be two sides to every story
I just wish I had a chance to tell you mine
I miss you more than I could ever tell you
And there must be two sides to every story
Come on home and tell me yours I love you so
I miss you more than I could ever tell you
And we've hurt each other more than we could know
And there must be two sides to every story
Come on home and tell me yours I love you so
Willie Nelson's "Two Sides to Every Story" is a heartfelt song about love and the complexities that come with it. The opening line, "There must be two sides to every story," sets the stage for the rest of the song. It immediately brings to mind the idea that there are always two sides to any situation, and that it's difficult to discern who is right and who is wrong. The singer is struggling to understand why his love is no longer with him, and he acknowledges that there must be more to the story than what he knows.
The lines, "It's hard to believe that it's all over a love like ours is not supposed to die," convey a sense of bewilderment and disappointment. The singer believes that the love he shared with his partner was meant to last forever, and he cannot believe that it has come to an end. He is left wondering how this happened and what he could have done differently. The refrain, "I miss you more than I could ever tell you," is a poignant expression of the deep longing and pain that he feels.
In the last stanza, the singer is pleading with his partner to come back and share her side of the story. He loves her so much that he is willing to put aside his hurt and anger, and he wants to understand her perspective. The final line, "Come on home and tell me yours I love you so," is a heartfelt plea for reconciliation and a desire to find a way to heal the relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
There must be two sides to every story
It's possible that there are different perspectives on what has happened
And whose to say whose right and who is wrong
It's difficult to determine who is right or wrong
And I'm tryin' to understand why you're not with me
I'm struggling to comprehend why you're not here with me
How can we both be right when you're still gone
It's hard to reconcile our differing viewpoints when you're not present to share yours
It's hard to believe that it's all over a love like ours is not supposed to die
It's difficult to accept that our love has ended because we always believed it would last forever
And there must be two sides to every story
I still believe that there are different perspectives on what happened between us
I just wish I had a chance to tell you mine
I regret not having the opportunity to share my side of the story with you
I miss you more than I could ever tell you
I feel a deep sense of loss and longing for you
And we've hurt each other more than we could know
Our actions have caused pain and damage to both of us that we may not fully understand
Come on home and tell me yours I love you so
I want you to come back to me and share your perspective with me because I still love you deeply
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: WILLIE NELSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Walter Gonzo
Dyan Cannon's vocal range is tighter than a recently-wound clock, but her tone is surprisingly good when she can actually hit the notes. This clips contains one of the best scenes in the movie, as Buck (Willie) sneaks on-stage, plugs-in and nails the bridge. The little look he gives Dyan could charm the hiss off a snake. Thanks to dynocounter for posting the Honeysuckle Rose clips.
Nickinthefrozennorth
I remember taping this movie for my dad, he was totally enthralled. I got to see Willie playing with my dad one time. Every time I listen to Willie I think of my dad, and that's a good thing. Keep on going Willie, you're the man.
J.D. Peppmeier
I love this movie and this song ! Dyan Cannon nailed it !
Yamba Champion
i could watch this movie everyday of my life just a good story and great music i hate what country music has become now thank god we still have willie nelson and merle haggard and george jones around
Shannon Fisher
Only Willie and Kris Kris now. Jamey Johnson is pretty awesome
catherine tatar
loved this movie so much, caught my kitchen on fire while watching it in 1980's cause i forgot i was cooking. the good ole days miss them so much
Karl Palachuk
Best scene in the movie. Because even if you weren't a Willie fan before, you understand by this point in the movie that she KNOWS it's him by one note on the guitar. Awesome.
mark fuchs
And if you are a Willie fan like many of us.. you understand that they're using a part of him that is so ingrained in us which is the distinctive beautiful sound that comes out of Trigger
Ashley Bonanno
I grew up with Willie always in my life! I love this movie, that'll never change! This movie & The Redheaded Stranger are my 2 favorites ❤
Ken Bee
She is right, there is no mistakin' that old Martin as played by Willie. Nobody and I mean nobody can get that sound out of a guitar like Willie can.