About the song
There are few voices in American music that carry the weight of time, memory, and quiet wisdom quite like **Willie Nelson**. With his unmistakable phrasing, gently worn vocals, and decades of life lived both on and off the stage, Nelson has long been a storyteller for those who’ve loved, lost, and kept going. In **Willie Nelson – Something You Get Through**, he delivers one of his most tender and emotionally resonant performances—a song that speaks not only to grief, but to the endurance of the human spirit in the face of it.
Released in 2018 as part of his album *Last Man Standing*, the song feels less like a track on a record and more like a conversation late at night, maybe over a cup of coffee or a glass of bourbon. Nelson’s voice, soft yet steady, opens the song with the matter-of-fact lyric: *“When you lose the one you love, you think your world has ended.”* It’s not dramatic or embellished—just honest. That’s the beauty of **Willie Nelson – Something You Get Through**. It doesn’t promise healing, or even understanding. Instead, it offers a quiet truth: you don’t get over some things—you just get through them.
Musically, the arrangement is sparse and intimate, with a gentle piano and light acoustic guitar providing just enough support to let the lyrics breathe. The simplicity of the instrumentation mirrors the lyrical message. There’s no attempt to dress up the pain, to cover it with metaphors or grand musical gestures. Instead, Nelson invites listeners into a shared space of reflection, where the emphasis is on presence and empathy rather than resolution.
For older listeners, especially those who have experienced profound loss, **Willie Nelson – Something You Get Through** resonates on a deeply personal level. It reminds us that grief isn’t a problem to be solved or a journey with a clear endpoint. It’s a process—slow, uneven, and deeply human. And in the hands of someone like Nelson, that truth becomes not just bearable, but beautiful.
This song isn’t meant to lift us out of our sorrow; it’s meant to sit beside us in it. And sometimes, that’s exactly what we need.
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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
