About the song
If there’s one thing Willie Nelson has mastered, it’s the art of distilling a lifetime of wisdom into a few choice verses. Many A Long And Lonesome Highway is no exception. Taken from his 1989 album A Horse Called Music, this song finds Nelson at his introspective best, blending well-worn themes of travel, solitude, and the relentless passage of time into a heartfelt ballad that resonates with anyone who’s spent their fair share of miles on the road — literal or metaphorical.
With his unmistakable voice — rich, weathered, and tinged with the warmth of hard-won experience — Nelson invites us into a world where highways stretch endlessly before us and memories fill the rearview mirror. The song carries that familiar country cadence, gentle yet resolute, with Nelson’s guitar work gently rolling like a rig on an open road. The lyrics capture that duality of life on the move: the loneliness that creeps in, even amid the freedom of the open road.
As always, Willie’s performance is effortless, almost conversational, like he’s sharing a story over a cup of coffee. It’s this intimacy that makes the song so compelling. Whether you’re reflecting on your own journeys or just appreciating the evocative beauty of the song, Many A Long And Lonesome Highway is a reminder of the bittersweet nature of life’s travels — a road that leads us away from the familiar while promising new horizons.
This track is for those who know that the journey, with all its twists, turns, and stretches of emptiness, is what shapes us most. With Willie Nelson at the wheel, the ride is always worth it.
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Lyrics
Yes, I had a woman love me
I gave her what there was there of me
And it was good as it could be
Then I heard a wild world callin’
I saw a lone star fallin’
I caught a song and set it free
And many a long and lonesome highway
Lies before us as we go
And in the end, I’ll do it my way
Look for me where the fore winds blow
I believe in love and danger
I believe the truth is stranger
I believe that fear is much too strong
I believe the best will find me
When I leave the rest behind me
Out on the highway, I’m my own
And many a long and lonesome highway
Lies before us as we go
And in the end, I’ll do it my way
Look for me where the fore winds blow
And every night’s a new beginning
Every day the world keeps spinning
And sometimes it’s hard to stand upon, I know
And to the east, the moon comes showin’
To the west, there’s storm clouds growin’
Though by myself, I’m not alone no more
My father, on his deathbed told me
“There’s really nothin’ left to hold me”
Though I was there, he died alone
It’s gonna take a fast train leavin’
To shake my world of grieving
I guess, I’ll go until it’s gone
And many a long and lonesome highway
Lies before us as we go
And in the end, I’ll do it my way
Look for me where the fore winds blow
And many a long and lonesome highway
Lies before us as we go
And in the end, I’ll do it my way
Look for me where the fore winds blow
And many a long and lonesome highway
Lies before us as we go
And in the end, I’ll do it my way
Look for me where the fore winds blow
