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Willie Nelson — The Harder They Come
Album: Countryman
Avg rating:
6.1

Your rating:
Total ratings: 970









Released: 2005
Length: 3:32
Plays (last 30 days): 1
Well, they tell me of a pie in the sky
Waiting for me when I die
But between the day you're born and when you die
They never even seem to hear you cry

So as sure as the sun will shine
I'm gonna get my share now of what's mine
And the harder they come, the harder they fall
One and all
The harder they come, the harder they fall
One and all

Well, the officers are trying to keep me down
Tryin' to drive me underground
And they think that they have got the battle won
I say, forgive them, Lord, they know not what they've done

'Cause as sure as the sun will shine
I'm gonna get my share now of what's mine
And the harder they come, the harder they fall
One and all
And the harder they come, the harder they fall
One and all

I keep on fighting for the things I want
Though I know that when you're dead you can't
But I'd rather be a free man in my grave
Than living as a puppet or a slave

So as sure as the sun will shine
I'm gonna get my share now of what's mine
And then the harder they come, the harder they fall
One and all
And the harder they come, the harder they fall
One and all
And the harder they come, the harder they fall
One and all
Comments (141)add comment
Boy, where's all this vitriol coming from? Way harsh toward ol' Willie....I don't get it.
j adore
Ahhh...

Willie is 90 and touring. 

Out of respect to the legend, I plan to go see him in May 2024 at outdoor venue.

P.S. Willie plans to hook up with that youngster Bob Dylan, later this year for shows. 

  
Willie covers so much, so well
Jimmy Cliff still my fav.
The postvocalic consonanatal r--or hard r--pronunciation after each repeat of "harder" in the song just wrecks if for me. It totally changes the mood of the song, from like a moody ballad to a marching band cadence.  

But I do enjoy Willie keeping this movie and soundtrack alive with his rendition. 
Discover this famous country singer today.
Remember The Annoying Music Show on NPR from years ago? This is worthy of that show. I cringe.
Is Willie livin the jah life now?
Willie's voice just instantly puts a smile on my face. What a great cover. 
Willie made a great video to accompany this song....
Willie got soul!
I typically really dislike reggae. This actually makes it worse, Hard to do.
Countrified reggae?!? Bleucch! Come back, Jimmy Cliff. 
 mrzipmann wrote:

Songs must be sung, why not by a great country singer? Why not in a different style? I'll give a 10 for keeping songs like this alive!



Made me jump from 7 to 10 for this exact reason.

And in memory of Trudy Anne Monk, of course.
I LOVE Willie. But ... no. 
This is hilarious!!
Willie has earned the privilege of indulging in this fun little piece of cultural appropriation.
 o2bnsv wrote:

Only Willie Nelson can get away with a cover like this.



Pet shop Boys?
Willie's own material is better than this
Fantastic song writer, so-so musician.  He didn't write this one...
 penn07 wrote:

Zero is not liw enough.  I dont know what people see in this man.  He cant sing.

Who peed in your cheerios
 natius wrote:
{#Frustrated}

Too much ganja willie... Get away from reggae, plis


Just get away.
 tinypriest wrote:

Outstanding! 9 for me. What a great take on this song from someone who's old enough to have lived it. Willie's a comfort to the ears.


Zero is not liw enough.  I dont know what people see in this man.  He cant sing.
Overated.  Cant sing.  Third rate musician.
Not a great version of this song; and not a great song to select, from the hundreds sung by Willie Nelson. A rare 2 from me.  pxd
 sfoster66 wrote:

Pass.




No puff first?  OK, more for me then.
I think it's time to spark one! 
Pass.
If this was the Gong Show...I'd have my giant mallet in hand right about now...

(and yeah, I know anyone less than 45 has no idea what the hell that comment means)
Considering that Willie Nelson has probably smoked more ganja in his life than Bob Marley, it seems only appropriate to have him sing reggae.
You’re killing me Bill. Willie and reggae!!! 😆
 mrzipmann wrote:
Songs must be sung, why not by a great country singer? Why not in a different style? I'll give a 10 for keeping songs like this alive!
 

When I first heard this rendition by Willie, my initial reaction was 'ohhhh no', but reading your comment has completely changed my perspective.

Yes songs are to be sung.

This version is 'not my cup of tea', but nothing wrong in it 'being out there'.
Outstanding! 9 for me. What a great take on this song from someone who's old enough to have lived it. Willie's a comfort to the ears.
my ears hurt.
The vibe of this cover does not go with the lyrics. And that wood block thing....
Thanks, Bill. Needed this right now. Wish I had a doobie to go with it. 
Thanks Bill - We needed that


Bob Dylan & Willie Nelson - "You Win Again" Live - July 4th, 2005:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRPBY98UFv0



{#Frustrated}

Too much ganja willie... Get away from reggae, plis
{#Stop}
Smoke 'em if you got 'em, cosmic cowboy!{#Cowboy}
I love..er Willie
Willie, Willie, Willie! Where's the anger? What happened to the Outlaws - success?
I wonder if Willie borrow Leonard Cohen's back-ups for this? Hmmm.
Great cover! Hats off for Willie Nelson. It helps me on my prospectus on the novel/film The Harder They Come.
This is funny
Is this payback for Toots doing Denver's 'Country Roads'? - just scrolled down and saw I'm not the first one this thought came to.
Only Willie Nelson can get away with a cover like this.
Willie thinks he has a great sense of humor.
Willie's got a great sense of humor!
the accordion feels kinda cajun. very strange blend goin on here. s'ok, but not one for the heavy rotation. :)
Willie has fallen off that Cliff.
The only connection between Willie and reggae is ganga.
I like the b/g vox better than Willie's pipes.
anno wrote:
i didn't find it interesting to hear a different take on this song. i love jimmy cliff's version and don't need to hear no others...
I like Willie, reggae and even herb, but this song stinx!@
jfowler wrote:
great song! This version of it, at first listen, was not high up on my 'like list' - however, as it continued, it grew on me. at least interesting to hear a different take on the song...
i didn't find it interesting to hear a different take on this song. i love jimmy cliff's version and don't need to hear no others...
great song! This version of it, at first listen, was not high up on my 'like list' - however, as it continued, it grew on me. at least interesting to hear a different take on the song...
I've got "rp.m3u" on my desktop. It loads the streams for the main RP stream and the Listener Review Channel. With winamp's "Global Hotkeys", I can hit cntl-alt-PgDn to switch between them. I was in such a hurry to protect my bleeding eardrums from this song that I accidentally hit cntl-alt-delete by mistake. Oops...
No, no, no ... it's a loser. Dump it!
You know Country Roads by Toots &The Maytals?
Maybe we can find a cover of Blue Eyes Cryin' in the Rain by Jimmy Cliff. mrzipmann wrote:
Songs must be sung, why not by a great country singer? Why not in a different style? I'll give a 10 for keeping songs like this alive!

geah!!! go willie. you do it for me
Nice cover.
Songs must be sung, why not by a great country singer? Why not in a different style? I'll give a 10 for keeping songs like this alive!
radiojunkie wrote:
I honestly can't decide if this is crap or genius. So I'm rating it a straight-down-the-middle 5 until I can figure it out.
Really? Okay, let me try to help. It's crap. (Don't mention it.)
I'm think definitely in the minority here. I like this version. Sure it's a new twist on a VERY familiar song, but it's still enjoyable. My only problem with the song is the backing vocals...
jah_blessed wrote:
It has grown on me, so I've upped my rating to a 6. The original by Jimmy Cliff is still a 10 of course.
Cliff's is of course a 10... Two words for this: Mute Button!!!!
It has grown on me, so I've upped my rating to a 6. The original by Jimmy Cliff is still a 10 of course.
ceebeedubya wrote:
I imagine suburban housewives starting to grow dreads, and sparking up a big spliff on the way to the PTA meeting.
I'm still liking this -- a little -- while wondering about correlations implied by this post. Is there some correlation between Willie Nelson's persona and the suburban lifestyle, like housewives, PTA meetings, and whatnot, or is this to suggest there is no correlation between Willie and a big, sparked-up spliff? Surely not the latter.
ceebeedubya wrote:
This just creeps me out for some reason. I imagine suburban housewives starting to grow dreads, and sparking up a big spliff on the way to the PTA meeting.
That sounds like a distinct improvment to me.
A long time fan of Willie!
Hey, I like this. Amazing that I haven't heard this before. Seems like a good match for the Russian River lifestyle.
Wiilie's probably older than any of us out here listening. He certainly - in his lengthy musical career - has earned the right to strum, dabble and wobble in any musical genre he cares to... Maybe light one up and you'll start likin' it! He does add a nice little lilt and percusive sway to it, don't ya think?
ceebeedubya wrote:
This just creeps me out for some reason. I imagine suburban housewives starting to grow dreads, and sparking up a big spliff on the way to the PTA meeting.
Hey, that's not such a bad idea... Maybe the neighborhoods would be a bit less uptight!!!!
just downgraded it... novelty song. novelty wears off.
As a huge fan of both Willie and Jimmy, I have to smile each time I hear this. It's not perfect, but nothing is. I just take it as it is and enjoy it. Good tune.
mojoman wrote:
Acch! Willy will na evah record such crrrrrap!
ceebeedubya wrote:
This just creeps me out for some reason. I imagine suburban housewives starting to grow dreads, and sparking up a big spliff on the way to the PTA meeting.
And that's a problem...why? Might just make for a lot less uptight reactionary behavior that gives 'em such a bad rap...
ooh wee this sucks. willie is such a great songwriter, why on earth would he cover this. i fear that all the gyri and corti of his mind have been entirely encrusted with his beloved cannabis.
The only thing saving this from rating a 1 is the greatness of the original song.
blinkblink wrote:
The song isn't so bad if you turn the volume right down.
Double ditto on that! Make it stop!
This just creeps me out for some reason. I imagine suburban housewives starting to grow dreads, and sparking up a big spliff on the way to the PTA meeting.
boy, tough crowd... I like it. .
ouch
If he hadn't written "Crazy" I'd have no use for him whatsoever. The best thing I can think of to say about this is that at least it isn't reggae.
Support the trans-genre community!
Interesting, but I prefer Jimmy Cliff.
tovarisch wrote:
I think I would have rather heard Groundskeeper Willy's version.... Not Mr. Nelson's best
And the harder they come, The harder they fall, the bastards had it comin' they did.
tovarisch wrote:
I think I would have rather heard Groundskeeper Willy's version.... Not Mr. Nelson's best
Acch! Willy will na evah record such crrrrrap!
Oh dear. This is realy bad, isn't it...
vanfan wrote:
Waiting for The Willie Nelson and Willaim Shatner duet cover album next... I thought this was painful at first but now I'm seeing the humor in it.
Wouldn't that be great? I'm not being sarcastic.
Not as good as some of the other cuts off this CD, but still gets a 7. Go Willie! Keep ignoring the genre cops.
How many songs can Willie sing which (IMO) are way outside his genre? Stellar voice yes, American tradition yes, all-around good-guy yes, but reggae singer he ain't! I think Radio Paradise must have every song from this album on their playlist... :-(
I honestly can't decide if this is crap or genius. So I'm rating it a straight-down-the-middle 5 until I can figure it out.
The song isn't so bad if you turn the volume right down.
I think I would have rather heard Groundskeeper Willy's version.... Not Mr. Nelson's best
Somebody put him out of my misery!
Waiting for The Willie Nelson and Willaim Shatner duet cover album next... I thought this was painful at first but now I'm seeing the humor in it.
tonypf wrote:
I'm not a huge Willie fan, but for God sakes...the boy knows how to throw a major league curveball! This aint half bad, and it sure pisses off lots of folk around here.
haha, word. i like willie in principle more than most of his music but he's got some great stuff and I really like this.
Please make it stop!! I love Willie, but he is not a reggae singer. These songs from Willie's "Countryman" LP are some of the few times I have to take my headphones off and wait the 3-4 minutes until the song is over.
jbtidwell wrote:
Come on Bill, if this wasn't Willie Nelson it would have gotten a "Sorry" for sure!
And you know this ... how, exactly?
Much as I like Willie, he's no Jimmy Cliff..
I'm not a huge Willie fan, but for God sakes...the boy knows how to throw a major league curveball! This aint half bad, and it sure pisses off lots of folk around here.
Art_Carnage wrote:
There is not enough pot on the planet to make me think this is a good song.
Man, oh man, I'm right there with you on that one.
There is not enough pot on the planet to make me think this is a good song.
Come on Bill, if this wasn't Willie Nelson it would have gotten a "Sorry" for sure!
melissa wrote:
How can you not like Willie doing Reggae tunes? I must acquire this CD! Willie IS da mahn.
It could happen if, for example, one were a person who cared for neither reggae nor Willie Nelson. I am such a person. I guess it reduces my coolness factor significantly but I can live with that.
To me, this lacks emotion and musicality. 3.
OMG, it's anti-reggae!
I am still not sold on Willie and Reggea flavor combination. Kinda has the same dirty aftertaste of bad schwag mixed with cheap tobacco rolled in newspaper. I like the delicate mixing of flavors in a Jerry Garcia/Howard Wales/Reconstruction cover of this song.
Potrod wrote:
It is a nice album cover, however if you go to Walmart to buy this CD, you won't get this nice cover art, you will get this: Here's a quick article about it: https://www.boingboing.net/2005/07/11/willie_nelson_reggae.html
sad... a rebel with a clause.
I agree with what Redeyespy said. This is pretty awful.
I think I like Jimmy Cliff's version better.
Another keeper.
Willie's laid-back delivery clashes with the desperation of the lyrics, rendering it merely a silly curiosity.
Potrod wrote:
It is a nice album cover, however if you go to Walmart to buy this CD, you won't get this nice cover art, you will get this:
Oh my God....times like this I'm glad to be far away from my old homeland in the New World. steeler wrote:
I'll have to be the naysayer. I like Willie, but this song loses its emotional appeal in this version.
Isn't that funny...I'm not a big Nelson fan, but Marley doesn't do a lot for me. For me, this is kinda interesting.
Potrod wrote:
It is a nice album cover, however if you go to Walmart to buy this CD, you won't get this nice cover art, you will get this:
OMG!!! 8O 8O 8O Some people seem to have their head so far up their asses they don't know what year it is. This is so sad. Thanks so much, Potrod, for sharing this with us! But maybe there is a good side to it. The less the leaf shape is known, the less it's gonna be tipped off to law enforcement officers :D:D We have a nice "tomato" plant in our place too :D I never used the stuff myself, but COME ON Walmart....