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.
Without a Song
Willie Nelson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Without a song the road would never bend
When things go wrong a man ain't got a friend
Without a song
That field of corn would never see a plow
That field of corn would be deserted now
A man is born but he's no good no how
Without a song
And I'll get along as long as a song, strong in my soul
I'll never know what makes the rain to fall
I'll never know what makes that grass so tall
I only know there ain't no love at all
Without a song
I've-a got my trouble and woe and, sure as I know, the Jordan will roll
And I'll get along as long as a song, strong in my soul
I'll-a never know what makes that rain to fall
I'll never know what makes the grass so tall
I only know there ain't no love at all
Without a song
The lyrics of Willie Nelson's "Without A Song" explore the vital significance of music in a person's life. Nelson delivers a thoughtful commentary on the importance of music using metaphors such as the day, road and the field of corn that remain incomplete without a song. The song suggests that music is much more than a mere form of entertainment, it is a companion that comforts a person in times of distress and hopelessness. In the midst of trouble and woe, music remains a constant refuge for Nelson, providing him with the strength to carry on.
The song highlights the idea that music is an integral part of life and symbolizes the ups and downs of a human mind. The repeated line "I got my trouble and woe but, sure as I know, the Jordan will roll, and I'll get along as long as a song, strong in my soul" suggests that music is a force that can bring people together, inspire hope and courage, and heal wounds that might seem too deep to recover from. The song ends on a poignant note, with Nelson acknowledging that he might never know what makes the rain fall or what makes the grass grow, but he knows that without music, there ain't no love at all.
Line by Line Meaning
Without a song the day would never end
Music is such an important part of life that without a song, the day seems incomplete and unending.
Without a song the road would never bend
Music has the power to change the course of a journey by lifting one's spirits and providing the motivation to move forward despite obstacles.
When things go wrong a man ain't got a friend
In difficult times, music can be a man's only solace and source of comfort, since friends may not always be around.
That field of corn would never see a plow
Just as a field needs a plow to become fruitful, a life without music is unfulfilled and barren.
That field of corn would be deserted now
Without music, everything around us feels empty and desolate, as if abandoned by the very spirit of life itself.
A man is born but he's no good no how
We may be born into this world, but without the joy and beauty of music, life itself can feel meaningless and worthless.
I got my trouble and woe but, sure as I know, the Jordan will roll
No matter how difficult life can be, music gives us hope that the world will continue to turn and things will get better.
And I'll get along as long as a song, strong in my soul
Music is a source of strength and inspiration that can help us get through even the toughest of times.
I'll never know what makes the rain to fall
There are many mysteries in life that we cannot explain, but we can still appreciate the beauty of the world around us, including the rain and other natural wonders.
I'll never know what makes that grass so tall
The mysteries of nature are many, but music can still help us appreciate the beauty and complexity of the world around us.
I only know there ain't no love at all
Love and music are intertwined, and without music, life can seem lacking in the very essence of what makes it worth living.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Edward Eliscu, Billy Rose, Vincent Youmans
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Donald Brenner
Nice version. Willie knows how to sing them - to put his heart and soul into them and get the most out of them. A true artist and icon.
Mary Anne Carson
I listened to this song every day for months and months. This was decades ago and I'm so glad I've rediscovered it. I'll listened to it every day again. It means the world to me.
billy durham
well spoken Mary
pappawheely
sing it yourself too...sunny side of the street also a fave of mine peace
Major Minor
Brilliant voice, fabulous interpretation of a gorgeous song
Major Minor
Wonderful song and this is the best version every done.
Kevin Harris
Willie is a great artist, thank you.
Debra Sadelson
Just absolutely love this song he sings it
Dave Wollenberg
Willie hit #11 in Billboard, 3-3-84. God bless you, Jack, for postin' it. Thanx! Have a blessed week!
J.W. Gauntt
Dave Wollenberg very welcome Dave, appreciate you listening