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.
Yesterday When I Was Young
Willie Nelson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The taste of life was sweet as rain upon my tongue
I teased at life as if it were a foolish game
The way an evening breeze may tease a candle flame
The thousand dreams I dreamed, the splendid things I planned
I always built to last on weak and shifting sand
I lived by night and shunned the naked light of day
And only now I see how the years have run away
Yesterday, when I was young
So many happy songs were waiting to be sung
So many wild pleasures lay in store for me
And so much pain my dazzled eyes refused to see
I ran so fast that time and youth at last ran out
I never stopped to think what life was all about
Every conversation that I can now recall
Concerned itself with me, and nothing else at all
Yesterday, the moon was blue
And every crazy day brought something new to do
I used my magic age as if it were a wand
And never saw the waste and emptiness beyond
The game of love I played with arrogance and pride
And every flame I lit too quickly, quickly died
The friends I made all seemed, somehow, to drift away
And only I am left on stage to end the play
There are so many songs in me that won't be sung
I feel the bitter taste of tears upon my tongue
The time has come for me to pay for yesterday
When I was young
In Willie Nelson's song "Yesterday When I Was Young", he reflects on his youth and the mistakes he made. He begins by mentioning how life was once sweet and he treated it as a fool's game. He talks about the dreams he had and the things he worked towards but did not always last. He lived a life of wild pleasures and ran so fast that time and youth eventually caught up with him. He never took the time to think about life and its purpose. His conversations were all self-focused and he never considered the plight of others. He played with love as if it were a game, and as a result, every flame he lit burned out too quickly.
The moon was blue yesterday, which symbolizes something unusual, and he reminisces that every crazy day brought something new to do. He spoke about his magic age as if it were a wand and never saw the waste and emptiness beyond the fun and games he played. His arrogance and pride got in the way of love, causing him to lose friends who went drift away while he is left as the only one left on stage to end the play, causing so many songs in him to remain unsung. There is a bitter taste of tears on his tongue as he realizes that it's time for him to pay for the mistakes he made when he was young.
Line by Line Meaning
Yesterday, when I was young
In the past, when I was young
The taste of life was sweet as rain upon my tongue
Life was enjoyable and pleasurable
I teased at life as if it were a foolish game
I didn't take life seriously
The way an evening breeze may tease a candle flame
I was easily influenced
The thousand dreams I dreamed, the splendid things I planned
I had many dreams and aspirations
I always built to last on weak and shifting sand
My plans were not grounded in reality
I lived by night and shunned the naked light of day
I preferred the darkness and avoided responsibility
And only now I see how the years have run away
I regret not making better use of my time
So many happy songs were waiting to be sung
I had many opportunities for happiness
So many wild pleasures lay in store for me
I had many opportunities for pleasure and excitement
And so much pain my dazzled eyes refused to see
I ignored the potential consequences of my actions
I ran so fast that time and youth at last ran out
I was reckless with my time and energy
I never stopped to think what life was all about
I didn't reflect on the meaning of life
Every conversation that I can now recall
I only thought about myself in past conversations
Concerned itself with me, and nothing else at all
I was self-centered in my conversations
Yesterday, the moon was blue
In the past, the moon seemed magical and special
And every crazy day brought something new to do
My life was filled with excitement and variety
I used my magic age as if it were a wand
I thought I was invincible and could do anything
And never saw the waste and emptiness beyond
I was blind to the negative aspects of my life
The game of love I played with arrogance and pride
I was arrogant and egotistical in my love life
And every flame I lit too quickly, quickly died
My relationships didn't last because of my actions
The friends I made all seemed, somehow, to drift away
My friendships were not strong or meaningful
And only I am left on stage to end the play
I am alone and responsible for my own life
There are so many songs in me that won't be sung
I have regrets and missed opportunities
I feel the bitter taste of tears upon my tongue
I am sad and regretful
The time has come for me to pay for yesterday
I must face the consequences of my past actions
When I was young
In my youth
Lyrics © EDITIONS MUSICALES DJANIK
Written by: Charles Aznavour, Herbert Kretzmer
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Susan
[Verse 1]
Yesterday/ when I was young
The taste of life was sweet/ as rain upon my tongue
I teased at life as if / it were a foolish game
The way the evening breeze /may tease a candle flame
The thousand dreams I dreamed, /the splendid things I planned/
I always built last,/ on weak and shifting sand
I lived by night and shunned
/the naked light of day/
And only now I see /how the years ran away
[Verse 2]
Yesterday, /when I was young
So many happy songs /were waiting to be sung
So many wild pleasures /lay in store for me
And so much pain my dazzled eyes refused to see
I ran so fast that time/ and youth at last ran out
I never stopped to think /what life was all about
And every conversation /I can now recall
Concerned itself with me,/and nothing else at all
[Verse 3]
Yesterday the moon was blue
And every crazy day brought something new to do
I used my magic age/ as if it were a wand
And never saw the waste /and emptiness beyond
The game of love I played /with arrogance and pride
And every flame I lit /too quickly, quickly died
The friends I made all seemed somehow to drift away
And only I am left on stage to end the play
[Outro]
There are so many songs/ in me that won't be sung
I feel the bitter taste /of tears upon my tongue
The time has come for me /to pay for yesterday
When I was young
Young, young...
Zion
Oh wow.. I am perplexed, I never though anyone could ever cover this song, it was so beautiful 😍 love you Willie, well done ❤
Gregoryphilip221
Hello 👋 Evelyne
Orville Stoeber
it's a beautiful emotion...that can always be covered,,,,
James Jerome
I love Willie but listen to Roy Clark and you will appreciate it
Pauline Dixon
Evelyn’s Robinson. Nobody sings this like Willie Nelson. ❤
Tony Jeff
ROY CLARK COVERED IT OR MAYBE HE WROTE IT
Christina Mccheyne
Willie’s magic is that with age his interpretations of songs hit your heart and you feel what is meant.
Frank Mayorga
I have heard this song sung so many times by many Great Artists, but Willi's rendition and voice has brought the real picture out what this great artist, writer Charles Aznavour was expressing either of himself or someone he knew. Certainly made me stop and reflect. It brought tears like rain to my eyes. There are many great songs , but Yesterday is a song of not just a moment or event, but of a whole life. All walks of life. This song will be sung and heard till the end of time. Thanks to Seda for the presentation in this video and for Willie's Great Rendition. Very powerful. I don't know what else to say. This writer said it all. Tears and Love
Chch woman
Agree, Willie's version is pure and believable
john harper
Nice take!!