Introduction
Willie Nelson’s “Something You Get Through,” from his 2018 album Last Man Standing, is a profound and gentle reflection on loss and the enduring nature of life. Co-written with producer Buddy Cannon, the song distills a powerful truth about grief, suggesting that while the pain of losing a loved one is not something one simply “gets over,” it is absolutely something that can be “gotten through.”
The inspiration for the song is particularly touching: Cannon overheard Nelson consoling a friend who had lost someone close, offering the exact wisdom that became the song’s central refrain. The lyrics acknowledge the initial, overwhelming despair: “When you lose the one you love / You think your world has ended.” Yet, Nelson’s understated vocal delivery and the song’s gentle, jazzy arrangement—featuring Mickey Raphael’s mournful harmonica—offer a calm, mature counterpoint to the anguish.
The core message provides true solace: “It’s not something you get over / But it’s something you get through.” This simple phrase rejects the societal pressure to move past grief quickly, instead validating the permanence of the loss while affirming the capacity of the human spirit to carry on. It suggests a process of integration rather than erasure. Nelson further assures listeners that “love is bigger than us all / The end is not the end at all,” proposing a continuation of life and love in a new form. For a man who has faced numerous personal losses, Nelson delivers this wisdom with authenticity and earned gravity, making “Something You Get Through” a timeless piece of comfort.