Willie Nelson's Letters to America

by Willie Nelson, Turk Pipkin (With)

Overview

An intimate collection of fond memories, personal letters, good songs, and bad jokes from a true American legend.

"This is your old friend, Willie, sending a note to see how you're doing and to say I'm doing fine."

In this series of short letters straight from the heart, Willie sends his thanks and his thoughts to everyone from his family, his fellow musicians, his heroes, and his guitar "Trigger."

These letters, written in the straight-shooting, heart-rending, and profound style of his songs are a lyrical homage to all Americans—past, present, and future. From his opening letter "Dear America" to his epilogue, Willie digs deep into his heart and soul—and his music—to lift us up in difficult times, and to remind us of the endless promise and continuous obligations to ourselves, to one another, and to our nation.

These pages are also filled with the moving lyrics to some of his most famous and insightful songs, including "Let Me Be a Man," "Family Bible," "Summer of Roses," "Me and Paul," "A Horse called Music," "Healing Hands of Time," and "Yesterday's Wine."

Willie Nelson's Letters to America is perfect for:

• Musicians and fans of country, bluegrass, and folk music.
• Fans of Willie’s bestselling memoir, It’s A Long Story.
• Anyone looking for some simple and timeless wisdom and tasteful humor.

All Americans: who need to be reminded that "when the going gets tough, the tough needs a little inspiration to get going."

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780785241553
Publisher:	Harper Horizon
Publication date:	06/29/2021
Sold by:	HarperCollins Publishing
Format:	eBook
Pages:	272
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Country singer and songwriter Willie Nelson rose to prominence at the end of the 1960s and contributed to the "outlaw country" subgenre, which challenged the conservatism of Nashville's music industry. During his lengthy, award-winning career, he has written some of the most popular and memorable country songs of all time, many of which have been covered by a wide range of artists over the last half-century. Now in his 80s, Nelson continues to record, tour, and devote time to charitable and political causes.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

"Who'll Buy My Memories?" 4

Dear America 5

"Three Days" 8

Dear Mama and Daddy 11

"Family Bible" 14

Dear Sister 15

"Healing Hands of Time" 18

Booger Red Gets with It 19

Dear Abbott 25

The Willie Hustle 27

Dear Zeke 31

Booger Red Gets Going 33

Dear Texas 39

"Texas" 41

To All the Young Songwriters 43

"The Songwriters" 47

Dear Music Executive 49

"Write Your Own Songs" 52

The Hungry Years 55

Dear Trigger 59

"Funny How Time Slips Away" 61

Dear Pocket 63

"Night Life" 65

The Red Headed Stranger 67

Dear Paul 71

"Me and Paul" 74

Yesterday's Wine 77

"Yesterday's Wine" 78

A Family Band 81

Dear Family Band 83

Dear Audience 85

"Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground" 88

Shotgun Willie 89

"Shotgun Willie" 91

It's Not Supposed to Be That Way 93

"It's Not Supposed to Be That Way" 95

A Letter from the Road 97

My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys 99

Dear Lord 103

"Red Headed Stranger" 104

Back in the Saddle Again 107

Dear Gene Autry 109

Dear Will Rogers 111

Dear Booger Red 113

"Heaven and Hell" 114

High on a Hill 115

Dear Luck 117

"Lady Luck" 119

Dear Readers 121

Dear COVID-19 123

"These Are Difficult Times" 126

Blue Skies 127

"December Day" 131

Dear Roger Miller 133

I'd Have to Be Crazy 135

To All the Girls I've Loved Before 137

"Love Just Laughed" 139

Bad Boys and Bad Girls 141

"You Don't Think I'm Funny Anymore" 143

String of Pars 145

Dear Golf Gods 149

Thirty-Five Years of Farm Aid 151

Dear Family Farmers 155

"Heartland" 156

The Road Goes on Forever 159

"The Highwayman" 161

Whiskey River 163

Dear Cannabis 167

"Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die" 169

Happy Birthday, Woody! 171

Marriage Is a Four-Letter Word 175

"There Are Worse Things Than Being Alone" 178

Dear Kids 179

"Valentine" 181

Dear Santa 183

"Pretty Paper" 185

Band of Brothers 187

Hey Mark 189

"We Don't Run" 191

America the Beautiful 193

Dear Founding Fathers 195

"America the Beautiful" 197

Dear Fourth of July 199

"Uncloudy Day" 201

To My Fellow Native Americans 203

"A Horse Called Music" 206

Mama, Don't Let Them Babies Grow Up to Be Presidents 209

"Vote 'Em Out" 211

Dear Jimmy Carter 213

"Georgia on My Mind" 215

Dear Mother Earth 217

"American Tune" 219

The Power of Positive Thinking 221

The Healing Powers of Music 225

"When Willie Went Up to Heaven" 228

Live Every Day 231

"Still Not Dead" 234

Dear Time 235

"Come On Time" 237

Bring It All Home 239

Dear Willie Nelson's Songbook 241

"One More Song to Write" 244

God Is a Four-Letter Word 247

Dear God 249

"In God's Eyes" 251

To Young Booger Red 253

"Goin' Home" 255

Dear Road 257

"On the Road Again" 259

Permissions 261

About the Authors 266

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

'If you've never read a book by or about Nelson, this one—characteristically conversational, inspirational, wise, funny, and meandering—is a good place to start — Kirkus Reviews

Editorial Reviews

'In Willie Nelson's recent memoir Willie Nelson's' Letters to America, the country music icon bares his most personal epistles to the country he loves, his heroes and influences, stories behind the songs and the creative (and life) lessons he's learned along the way.'

American Songwriter Magazine

'Partly autobiographical, often funny, and entirely insightful from a cannabis-loving man who's fully experienced every one of his 88 years, Willie Nelson's Letters to America is a beautiful read for all.'

New York Journal of Books

2021-04-14
An epistolary grab bag of memories, lyrics, jokes, and homespun philosophy from the legendary musician.

As an indefatigable touring artist, Nelson (b. 1933) has had a lot of time on his hands during the pandemic. Following his collaboration with his sister, Me and Sister Bobbie, the road warrior offers a loose collection of lessons from a full life. If you’ve never read a book by or about Nelson, this one—characteristically conversational, inspirational, wise, funny, and meandering—is a good place to start. The book is filled with lyrics to many of his best-known songs, most of which he wrote but others that he has made his own as well. For those steeped in The Tao of Willie (2006), some of the stories will be as familiar as the songs—e.g., the origin story of his nicknames, including Booger Red and Shotgun Willie; his time as a DJ and a door-to-door Bible and encyclopedia salesman; early struggles in Nashville with “all the record executives who only see music as a bottom-line endeavor”; and return to his home state of Texas. Many of the personal stories about family and friends can be found in Me and Sister Bobbie, but they are good stories from a rich life, one of abundance for which Nelson remains profoundly grateful. So he gives thanks in the form of letters: to Texas, America, God, golf, and marijuana; the audiences who have supported him and the band that has had his back; those who have played any part in Farm Aid or his annual Fourth of July concert bashes; and departed friends and deceased heroes, one of whom, Will Rogers, answers him back. Nelson even addresses one to Covid-19, which looms over this book, making the author itchy and antsy. Even at 87, he can’t wait to be on the road again.

Another amiable book that is just what you’d expect from Willie.

Kirkus Reviews