In 2018, Willie Nelson released “Something You Get Through” on his album Last Man Standing, and it quickly became one of the most soul-stirring songs of his late career. At its core, the track is about grief—the kind of grief that never really leaves you, but instead becomes something you learn to carry. For a man in his 80s, who had lost friends, bandmates, and loved ones over the years, the song wasn’t just art—it was lived experience put into melody.
The song opens with a stark truth: “When you lose the one you love, you think your world has ended.” It’s a line that cuts like a blade because it’s simple and undeniable. Nelson doesn’t sugarcoat loss, nor does he try to offer easy answers. Instead, he leans into the silence and weight of grief, acknowledging that when someone you love is gone, the hole they leave behind never truly closes.
But then comes the heart of the message: grief isn’t something you “get over”—it’s something you get through. Those words resonate deeply with listeners who know what it means to live with absence. It’s not about forgetting, and it’s not about replacing. It’s about surviving, day by day, carrying the memories while slowly learning how to keep walking forward.
For Willie, this truth had long been a part of his life. He had buried his parents, close friends, and even his own son. Each loss marked him, but none stopped him. Instead, he carried those memories into his music, turning pain into comfort for others who walked the same road. When he sang “Something You Get Through,” it wasn’t as a preacher offering wisdom from above—it was as a fellow traveler, offering a hand to hold.
Musically, the song is understated, with gentle instrumentation and Willie’s fragile yet steady voice at the center. Every crack and tremble in his delivery makes the song even more powerful, as though grief itself were speaking. It’s not polished—it’s real.
For older listeners, the song is especially poignant. By that stage in life, most have lost someone they can’t imagine living without. “Something You Get Through” doesn’t erase the pain, but it makes people feel less alone in it. It gives words to feelings many have struggled to explain, and in doing so, it brings comfort.
That’s why the song stands as one of Willie Nelson’s late-career masterpieces. It’s not flashy, and it’s not meant for the dance halls. It’s meant for the quiet nights, the empty chairs at the dinner table, and the moments when you wonder how to keep going. Through it, Willie reminds us that grief never disappears—but neither does love.
