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.
Within Your Crowd
Willie Nelson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They made it clear you weren't to see me anymore
Within your world of riches poor boys aren't allowed
And you must learn to love someone within your crowd
And though I love you more than I could ever say
The danger's much too great and you can't stay
You could never stand dishonor you're too proud
So you must learn to love someone within your crowd
Someday you'll find someone deserving of your love
Someone to kiss the lips that I'm not worthy of
And when I see you passing by I'll feel so proud
Although I stand outside my heart's within your crowd
The lyrics to Willie Nelson's song "Within Your Crowd" explore the theme of love and social status. The song tells the story of a couple who are deeply in love but are faced with the reality that their social classes will never allow them to be together. The first verse recalls a warning that the singer received about seeing their love interest because they were from different social backgrounds. The singer acknowledges that in the world of riches, poor boys like himself aren't allowed, and they must learn to love someone within their own social group.
The second verse reveals the singer's deep love for their partner but realizes that the dangers of being together are much too great, and they can't stay. The singer knows their partner could never stand dishonor because they're too proud and must learn to love someone within their crowd. The final verse speaks about the singer's acceptance of the situation, telling their partner that someday they will find someone deserving of their love, and when they pass by, the singer will feel proud, even though they stand outside, their heart is still within their crowd.
Overall, "Within Your Crowd" is a bittersweet love story about two people from different social classes who can't be together. It touches upon the societal pressures that dictate who we can love, ultimately highlighting the resilience and unconditional love that people are capable of.
Line by Line Meaning
Do you remember how they warned you once before
Do you recall the time when they cautioned you against being with me?
They made it clear you weren't to see me anymore
They explicitly stated that we were not supposed to meet again.
Within your world of riches poor boys aren't allowed
In the society where you belong, a boy lacking wealth has no place.
And you must learn to love someone within your crowd
You are required to find someone to love who is of your social class.
And though I love you more than I could ever say
Despite loving you deeply, I am unable to express it completely.
The danger's much too great and you can't stay
The peril associated with being with me is immense, and therefore, you cannot stay.
You could never stand dishonor you're too proud
You would never tolerate being humiliated, as you're too proud to accept it.
So you must learn to love someone within your crowd
It is imperative for you to love somebody who belongs to your social circle.
Someday you'll find someone deserving of your love
One day, you will come across someone who will be worthy of your love.
Someone to kiss the lips that I'm not worthy of
This new person will be able to kiss your lips adequately, which I cannot.
And when I see you passing by I'll feel so proud
Whenevver I see you walking by, I will feel an immense sense of pride.
Although I stand outside my heart's within your crowd
Even though I stand apart from your social circle, my heart beats for you and remains a part of it.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: NELSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
tx01cowboy
I could listen to his music all night
schnibsey
Me too. I love all these old country ballads just brilliant!
Jewel Dotson
Been a Willie fan since first hearing him back in the early 60 or maybe it was late 50s. all I know for sure is that it was a loooooong time ago.
MrFlatroofer
So beautiful.