About the song
There are certain voices in music that carry more than just melody—they carry the weight of time, the ache of memory, and the quiet strength of endurance. Willie Nelson is one of those rare artists whose voice seems to hold the whole arc of a life’s journey. In his song “Something You Get Through,” Nelson doesn’t just sing about loss—he speaks directly to the soul, offering a tender reflection on grief, healing, and the resilience that carries us forward.
Released in 2018 on his album Last Man Standing, “Something You Get Through” was written by Willie Nelson and his longtime collaborator Buddy Cannon. It’s a sparse, elegant ballad, delivered with Nelson’s trademark simplicity and understated grace. The instrumentation is gentle—mostly acoustic guitar, soft piano, and strings that swell without ever overwhelming. But the emotional resonance of the song lies in its profound honesty.
At its heart, this song is about grief, but not the kind that comes with loud sorrow or theatrical despair. Instead, it captures that quiet, lingering kind of loss—the kind that reshapes the landscape of your everyday life, long after the condolences have faded. Nelson sings, “It’s not something you get over, but it’s something you get through,” and with those words, he offers a truth that’s instantly recognizable to anyone who has mourned someone they loved.
There’s a wisdom in this song that only comes with age and experience. Nelson, well into his 80s at the time of recording, doesn’t try to offer solutions or silver linings. He doesn’t need to. His strength as a storyteller has always been rooted in his ability to make space for vulnerability—to say the things many people feel but few can articulate. In “Something You Get Through,” he acknowledges the reality of sorrow without trying to dress it up, reminding us that healing isn’t about forgetting—it’s about carrying on.
This is music for quiet evenings, for long drives, for moments when you need a companion in your solitude. “Something You Get Through” isn’t just a song—it’s a hand on your shoulder, a gentle nod that says, “You’re not alone.”
Video
Lyrics
When you lose the one you love
You think your world has ended
You think your world will be a waste of life
Without them in it
You feel there’s no way to go on
Life is just a sad, sad song
But love is bigger than us all
The end is not the end at all
It’s not somethin’ you get over
But it’s somethin’ you get through
It’s not ours to be taken
It’s just a thing we get to do
Life goes on and on
And when it’s gone
It lives in someone new
It’s not somethin’ you get over
But it’s somethin’ you get through
It’s not somethin’ you get over
But it’s somethin’ you get through
It’s not ours to be taken
It’s a thing we get to do
Life goes on and on
And when it’s gone
It lives in someone new
It’s not somethin’ you get over
But it’s somethin’ you get through
It’s not somethin’ you get over
But it’s somethin’ you get through
