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Willie Nelson - Shotgun Willie

Willie Nelson - Shotgun Willie Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: Shotgun Willie
Released: 1973

Shotgun Willie Lyrics

Shotgun Willie sits around in his underwear
Bitin' on a bullet and pullin' out all of his hair
Shotgun Willie's got all his family there

Well you can't make a record if you ain't got nothing to say
You can't make a record if you ain't got nothing to say
You can't play music if you don't know nothing to play
Shotgun Willie sits around in his underwear
Bitin' on a bullet and pullin' out all of his hair
Shotgun Willie's got all his family there

Now John T. Floores was working for the Ku Klux Klan
The six foot five John T. was a hell of a man
Made a lotta money selling sheets on the family plan
Shotgun Willie sits around in his underwear
Bitin' on a bullet and pullin' out all of his hair
Shotgun Willie's got all his family there

Writer/s: WILLIE NELSON
Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Shotgun Willie

The tale behind the title of Willie Nelson's Shotgun Willie album is an interesting one. The story goes that Nelson's daughter, Susie, told him that her sister Lana was being abused by her husband, Paul Warren. Nelson drove to Lana's house, where he fought with Warren, and threatened to kill him if he ever hit his daughter again. Soon after Nelson arrived home, Warren arrived in his truck with his brothers and they started to shoot at his house. Nelson and his drummer, Paul English, retaliated with their own rifles, causing the aggressors to surrender and earning Nelson the nickname of 'Shotgun Willie.'

Nelson wrote the lyrics for the song that would become the title track whilst sat on the toilet in the bathroom of the hotel that he was staying at whilst recording the album. He scribbled them on the empty packaging of a sanitary napkin.

Willie Nelson - Always On My Mind

Willie Nelson - Always On My Mind Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: Always On My Mind
Released: 1982

Always On My Mind Lyrics

Maybe I didn't love you
Quite as often as I could have
Maybe I didn't treat you
Quite as good as I should have
If I made you feel second best
Girl I'm sorry I was blind

But you were Always On My Mind
You were always on my mind

Maybe I didn't hold you
All those lonely, lonely times
I guess I never told you
That I am so happy that you're mine
If I made you feel second best
Girl I'm sorry I was blind

But you were always on my mind
You were always on my mind

Tell me, tell me that your sweet love hasn't died
Give me, give me one more chance
To keep you satisfied
I'll keep you satisfied

Little things I should have said and done
I just never took the time
But you were always on my mind
You were always on my mind
You were always on my mind
You were always on my mind

Writer/s: CHRISTOPHER, JOHN JR. / THOMPSON, WAYNE / JAMES, MARK
Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Always On My Mind

This was written by the songwriting trio of Johnny Christopher, Mark James and Wayne Carson Thompson. It was originally recorded by Brenda Lee in 1971.

This song tells the story of a man who admits that he didn't always do the things he should have to show appreciation for his lady, but wants her to know he was always thinking about her.

The Country Music Association named this Single Of The Year in 1982. It also did very well at the Grammys, taking the awards for Song Of The Year, Best Male Country Vocal Performance, and Best Country Song. It was the first country song to take Song Of The Year, and it wasn't until the 2007 ceremonies when another country act got one: The Dixie Chicks for "Not Ready To Make Nice."

Elvis Presley recorded this in 1972. His version reached #9 in the UK. A cover version by The Pet Shop Boys made UK #1 in December 1987. They had released it after performing it on a BBC Elvis tribute show. (thanks, Adam - Dewsbury, England)

Levi's used this in a 2004 commercial where a guy goes to great lengths to retrieve his jeans. He brings his old girlfriend a flower as a peace offering, then grabs his jeans and leaves while she puts it in water.

In the January 2006 issue of Esquire magazine, B.B. King said that this was his favorite song.

In 1987, The Pet Shop Boys released a dance version on their album Introspective which was the Christmas #1 in the UK and reached #4 in the US. Neil Tennant explained to 1000 UK #1 Hits by Jon Kutner and Spencer Leigh, "We were approached by Central TV to be on a program called Love Me Tender, commemorating the 10th anniversary of the death of Elvis Presley, and for some reason, we agreed to do it. Rob Holden, who worked with our manager, Tony Watkins, got us a load of Elvis cassettes and the first track on the first one Chris picked up, Magic Moments With Elvis, was 'Always On My Mind.' We were originally going to do a house version of 'Baby Let's Play House' but there wasn't time. We wouldn't have done 'Always On My Mind' unless it was very different from the original, so we added an extra chord to it. There's a B flat at the end of each chorus that wasn't in the original. It makes it far more like a pop song."

As part of a series of re-releases of Elvis songs in the UK in 2007 his version re-entered the UK chart at #17.

The Pet Shop Boys rendition of this song was voted the top cover version of all time in a 2014 BBC Music vote. Johnny Cash's interpretation of Nine Inch Nails' "Hurt" came in second place, followed by The Stranglers' cover of Dionne Warwick's "Walk On By."

Wayne Carson wrote this song in ten minutes at his kitchen table in Missouri. He competed it in the studio with the help of Johnny Christopher and Mark James.

Willie Nelson - Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground

Willie Nelson - Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground Youtube Music Videos and Lyrics

Album: Honeysuckle Rose
Released: 1981

Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground Lyrics

If you had not have fallen
Then I would not have found you
Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground
And I patched up your broken wing and hung around a while
Trying to keep your spirits up and your fever down

I knew someday that you would fly away
For love's the greatest healer to be found
So leave me if you need to, I will still remember
Angel flying too close to the ground

Fly on, fly on past, the speed of sound
I'd rather see you up than see you down
So leave me if you need to, I will still remember
Angel flying too close to the ground.

So leave me if you need to, I will still remember
Angel flying too close to the ground.

Writer/s: Nelson, Willie
Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground

Nelson wrote and performed this song for his starring role as a Country singer in the movie Honeysuckle Rose (1981).

The origins of this song are a little murky. Some fans assume the title angel refers to the Hells Angels biker Charlie Magoo, a friend of Nelson's who was killed, though the singer won't confirm or deny it. He has hinted that it's about his former wife Connie Koepke. (thanks, Kyle - Sparta, NJ)

During live performances, Nelson sometimes dedicates this song to his son Billy, the third child from his first marriage to Martha Matthews, who committed suicide in 1991.

This was Nelson's seventh chart-topping solo hit on the US Billboard Hot Country Singles chart.

Bob Dylan covered this song while recording his 1983 album Infidels.

Nelson recorded a live version of this song with Patty Griffin for his 2005 album Songs for Tsunami Relief: Austin to South Asia to aid the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.

Willie Nelson - Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain

Willie Nelson - Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain Youtube Music Videos and Lyrics

Album: Red Headed Stranger
Released: 1975

Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain Lyrics

In the twilight glow I see her
Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain
When we kissed goodbye and parted
I knew we'd never meet again

Love is like a dying ember
And only memories remain
And through the ages I'll remember
Blue eyes crying in the rain

Some day when we meet up yonder
We'll stroll hand in hand again
In a land that knows no parting
Blue eyes crying in the rain

Writer/s: ROSE, FRED
Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain Song Chart

Even by the standards of sorrowful country songs, "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" is one somber tune. The singer kisses his love goodbye, knowing he'll never see her again. As he sings it, he's now an old man who never found true love again and looks forward to meeting her in heaven.

Singing the song night after night took an emotional toll on Nelson, and was a notorious drinker in the late '70s. He explained in a Hot Press interview: "It's really difficult to sing 'Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain' or 'Always On My Mind' without getting emotionally involved, especially when the audience gets emotionally involved and you feel their feelings. You can only wallow in your own misery for so long without saying, 'Wait a minute, I want a drink!'"

Nelson acclaimed as a songwriter, but he didn't write this one. It was composed by Fred Rose, whose country hits include "Crazy Heart," "Don't Bring Me Posies," "Take These Chains From My Heart" and "Kaw-Liga."

Roy Acuff, who was Rose' partner in the music publishing company Acuff-Rose Music, was the first to record the song, releasing it as a single in 1947 credited to Roy Acuff And His Smoky Mountain Boys. In ensuing years, many other artists recorded the song, including Roger Whittaker, Gene Vincent and Slim Whitman.

Willie Nelson recorded the song for his concept album Red Headed Stranger, which is based on a song of the same name written by Carl Stutz and Edith Lindeman and recorded by Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith. In that song, a mysterious rider comes through town leading a horse that belonged to his dead lover. Nelson revised the tale to make the stranger a preacher who killed his lover because she was cheating on him. "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" fit the concept of the album, as it finds the stranger thinking back to his lost love.

Willie Nelson first made the Hot 100 as a songwriter in 1961 with "Crazy" (#9, recorded by Patsy Cline) and "Hello Walls" (#12, recorded by Faron Young), but this was his first trip to the chart as an artist. It was also his first #1 country hit, and it earned him the Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance. Nelson's singing career took off, and he soon became a household name.

This was the last song Elvis Presley played before he died. In the early morning of August 16, 1977, he played it on his piano in Graceland. Later that day, he died from an overdose of prescription drugs. (thanks, Bertrand - Paris, France)

Red Headed Stranger was Nelson's first album with Columbia Records. As part of the deal, Nelson was allowed to choose who played on his albums, and he used his own band instead of session musicians. This bucked Nashville standards, but gave the album a distinctive sound that proved very successful. Nelson also tweaked his image after the album was released, positioning himself as more of an outlaw type.

The creative control Nelson was granted on this album didn't last long - a few years later he found himself at odds with the label when they rejected some of his work.

Nelson has performed this song with many esteemed singers. He played it with Vince Gill and Albert Lee at the 2007 Crossroads Guitar Festival; with Shania Twain for his Lost Highway album; and with Ashley Monroe for a CMT Crossroads special.