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Driving back from Canberra, Kate put on a Willie Nelson CD. She still hasn’t lived down that she once said in company “I like a bit of Willie.”
I like him too, think that some of his versions (Georgia On My Mind, Blue Skies, Crazy, Stardust) are the definitive ones.
One of his tracks I like is his autobiographical song ‘Me and Paul’, a comment on the Youtube clip accurately stating that he should be America’s Poet Laureate.
Some information for your easy listening. . .
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Video link:
Hear it by clicking on
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Some Youtube comments:
It's surprising Willie never was deemed a US Poet Laureate. Few Americans have ever been as wonderful a wordsmith as Willie. The De Jangoesque guitar picking is a real plus too.
No one does it better than you Willie.
I hope you can feel the love we have for you and the appreciation for all the great music. You make a lot of difference in our lives and in this world. Thank you for speaking up for truth and justice even when it’s not popular or safe to do so. You’ve worn your heart on your sleeve and we love you for it.
Willie there isnt a note or word out of place in this whole song...I have it memorized and it soundtracked a profound time in my life. You sharing your life with me, all of us, has a lasting effect. I love you for that.
This song is simply about friendship.... Friendship till the end!
Me And Paul is a fantastic song . Thank You Willie for sharing this song . You have that special unique voice . You were meant to sing country . Love all your songs ️
Willie Nelson, I know you have had a rough row to hoe, but a quieter you ain't, and you have left some mighty big footprints where you have traveled! To me there is no equal to you my friend. I respect you as a true Full blooded American hero sir. Real Country is what you are and you bleed Red, White, and Blue like myself
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Lyrics:
It's been rough and rocky traveling
But I'm finally standing upright on the ground
After taking several readings
I'm surprised to find my mind's still fairly sound
I guess Nashville was the roughest
But I know I've said the same about them all
We received our education
In the cities of the nation, me and Paul
Almost busted in Laredo
But for reasons that I'd rather not disclose
But if you're staying in a motel there and leave
Just don't leave nothing in your clothes
And at the airport in Milwaukee
They refused to let us board the plane at all
They said we looked suspicious
But I believe they like to pick on me and Paul
Well, it's been rough and rocky traveling
But I'm finally standing upright on the ground
And after taking several readings
I'm surprised to find my mind's still fairly sound
Guess Nashville was the roughest
But I know I've said the same about them all
We received our education
In the cities of the nation, me and Paul
On a package show in Buffalo
With us and Kitty Wells and Charlie Pride
The show was long and we're just sitting there
And we'd come to play and not just for the ride
Well, we drank a lot of whiskey
So I don't know if we went on that night at all
But I don't think they even missed us
I guess Buffalo ain't geared for me and Paul
Well, it's been rough and rocky traveling
But I'm finally standing upright on the ground
After taking several readings
I'm surprised to find my mind's still fairly sound
I guess Nashville was the roughest
But I know I've said the same about them all
We received our education
In the cities of the nation, me and Paul
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About:
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Paul English (1932-2020) was Willie Nelson's drummer for most of Willies career. He also doubled as Willie's bodyguard and collected their pay on some of those tough nights where the venue didn't feel like paying what they owed. Willie once said "He got me out of more scrapes than I care to recall...." He is the subject of the 1976 song off the multi-platinum and first ever gold country music record "WANTED - THE OUTLAWS"....."Me and Paul".
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From “Me and Paul”
Written by Drew Scherger. 2 March 2016.
Country Music Project
Excerpts:
“Me and Paul” is a song performed by Willie Nelson and released on his album Yesterday’s Wine in 1971. The song was also later featured on the compilation album Wanted: The Outlaws in 1976 as well as on several live albums. Willie wrote the song about the friendship between himself and his longtime drummer, Paul English. The song illustrates what his life was like on the road but also shows his frustrations with Nashville as well as mainstream American culture, which led him to eventually settle in Austin and embrace the Outlaw and Hippie movements.
When Willie and other Texas born musicians such as Waylon Jennings led the exodus from Nashville in the 70’s they were seen as rebelling from the mainstream country scene and became known as the “outlaws.” The term came from a Waylon Jennings album called Ladies Love Outlaws (1972). They rebelled against the Nashville sound known for heavy production value instead often opting for more bare recordings (Red Headed Stranger) and a respect for traditional country music.
At the time that “Me and Paul” was releasehere-are-willie-nelsons-mug-shots-from-1974-and-2010d, in 1971, this outlaw movement wouldn’t take off for another four to five years. Willie wasn’t doing as well in his career as he had been earlier with his songwriting success. He wasn’t having as many songwriting hits, and many in the industry thought his vocal stylings were too strange to for him to become a successful performer. This is expressed in “Me and Paul through lyrics like “I thought Nashville was the roughest, but I know I said the same about them all.” This line in the song also shows Willie’s frustrations with not just Nashville but the culture throughout America that didn’t accept “longhairs” like him, Waylon, and the others who lived a different lifestyle than what was seen as normal behavior at the time. “Even Kris Kristofferson, a Brownsville born Rhodes scholar who followed the traditional path failed to fit in…more to the point his hair was too long” (Spong). Many of these artists were embracing the counterculture ideas of the 60’s and began seeking refuge among the hippie communities of Austin.
“Me and Paul” tells a lot about the career of Willie Nelson as well as what was going on in country music and the world in the early 70’s. The song predates Willie’s move from Tennessee to Austin but shows definitive signs of his future with the hippie movement as well as the outlaw country movement that would gain traction in the mid to late 70’s. The other artists mentioned in the song show that country music and the world itself were changing. The effects of the civil rights and feminist movements began to show as it was increasingly accepted to have non-white or male country artists be extremely successful and popular.
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A 2022 book by Willie Nelson:
Me and Paul: Untold Stories of a Fabled Friendship
The blurb for the book:
Discover the untold stories and unbreakable bond between country music icon Willie Nelson and his longtime drummer, Paul English. Immortalized in Willie Nelson’s road song "Me and Paul," Paul English was the towering figure who for 70 years acted as Willie’s drummer, bodyguard, accountant, partner in crime, and right-hand man. Together, the two men roamed the country Stories of Willie and Paul’s misadventures became legendary, but many have gone untold--until now. Set against the backdrop of the exploding Americana music scene and told in Willie’s inimitable, colorful style, Me and Paul follows the two performers through their decades-long careers.
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By the way:
Willie Hugh Nelson was born April 29, 1933 - In 2023, Nelson performed at two concerts at the Hollywood Bowl celebrating his 90th birthday and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The 2024 Outlaw Music Festival Tour featuring Willie Nelson & Family, Bob Dylan, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, and John Mellencamp with Brittney Spencer, Celisse, and Southern Avenue, commenced June 21. They will do 26 shows in June and July.
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Gallery:
Paul English
A young Willie
An older Willie
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