The Rankins come from a family of 12, all of whom would entertain the neighbours musically every third weekend as part of a ceilidh.
Five of the siblings began performing professionally in 1989. The Rankins released their own independent cassettes The Rankin Family (1989) and Fare Thee Well Love (1990) featuring original songs and a combination of traditional jigs, reels and Celtic folk songs. Their television debut was on the CBC variety show On The Road Again in 1989.
Their most successful album was EMI's re-release of Fare Thee Well Love in 1992, which went quadruple platinum, selling over 500,000 copies; the title track was one of the year's biggest Top 40 hit singles in Canada.
The group has won many Canadian music awards, including 15 East Coast Music Awards, 6 Juno Awards, 4 SOCAN Awards, 3 Canadian Country Music Awards and 2 Big Country Music Awards.
On September 17, 1999, the group issued a press release stating that they would no longer perform as a group in order to pursue independent interests and careers.
John Morris Rankin was killed in a car accident in Cape Breton on January 16, 2000.
Jimmy Rankin has continued to write songs and has released two solo albums: Song Dog (2001) and Handmade (2003).
In November 2006, it was announced that the four surviving Rankins — along with John Morris's daughter Molly — would be releasing a new album and reuniting for a cross-Canada concert tour.
On June 3, 2012, Raylene Rankin appeared on CBC Radio's The Sunday Edition where she spoke about her decade-long struggle with cancer. She died on September 30, 2012 at the age of 52.
Discography
* The Rankin Family (independent, 1989)
* Fare Thee Well Love (independent, 1990)
* Fare Thee Well Love [CD re-issue] (Capitol, 1992)
* The Rankin Family [CD re-issue] (Capitol, 1992)
* North Country (EMI, 1993)
* Endless Seasons (EMI, 1995)
* Grey Dusk Of Eve (EMI, 1995)
* Collection (EMI, 1996)
* Do You Hear...Christmas (EMI, 1997)
* Uprooted (EMI, 1998)
* Souvenir:1989-1998 (2003)
Sunset
The Rankin Family Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I close my eyes
And for a moment I
See the light
You'll regret that I
Know you love me
You take for granted
What we should be
There's lots of smoke but there's no spark anymore
And I can feel you fade away
I can see you fading away
And I can feel you fade away
Into the sunset
I don't deserve this, this this- aggrivation
Could you tell me what's so hard about a- a conversation
So walk all over me, it's as flat as a board
Take what you need
Don't come around no more
Feel you fade away
I can feel you fade away
And I can see you fade away
You only want
What you can't have
And when I'm gone
You'll want me back
I find it hard
Just to see you, I'm
Lost for words, if I could
Only greet you
We were caught in a bad haze with no chance to be one
We're getting from the eye of the storm
Its getting harder it's getting dark
There's lots of smoke but there's no spark anymore
And I can feel you fade away
And I can see you fading away
And I can feel you fade away
Into the sunset
Into the sunset sunset fade away, sunset fade away
Into the sunset sunset fade away, sunset fade away
The Rankin Family's "Sunset" presents a deep sense of loss and regret in a strained relationship. The lyrics convey an emotional outburst from someone feeling abandoned, mistreated, and taken for granted by their partner. The persona insists that they have tried their best to make the relationship work to no avail. The line, "You'll regret that I know you love me" reflects a sense of resentment from the persona, indicating that their partner may realize what they had after losing it. The persona seems to be clinging onto the relationship, but it's evident that their partner has already moved on. The song suggests that the relationship is on its last leg, with no life or spark to make it work again.
The lyrics are constantly referring to the sunset, painting a picture of an ending. The sunset usually symbolizes the end of a day, and in the song, it represents the end of the relationship. The chorus highlights this idea with the line "into the sunset," indicating the relationship's demise. The phrase "I can feel you fade away" brings out the despair in the persona as they watch their partner slowly let go of the relationship. It's a song that emotionalizes the feeling of losing someone you love, and sometimes it's just too late to salvage the situation.
Overall, The Rankin Family's "Sunset" is a heartfelt song that conveys a sense of disappointment in a relationship. The persona demonstrates a deep sense of attachment to their partner, but it's apparent that the relationship is coming to an end. The use of the sunset to represent the relationship's end further emphasizes the message of the song, making it a poignant masterpiece.
Line by Line Meaning
I stand beside you
I am physically next to you
And I close my eyes
I shut my eyes
And for a moment I
For a brief period of time
See the light
Experience a fleeting moment of hope
You'll regret that I
Someday you'll be sorry that I
Know you love me
Realize that you do care for me
You take for granted
You don't appreciate
What we should be
The potential of our relationship
Its getting harder its getting dark
It's become increasingly difficult and bleak
There's lots of smoke but there's no spark anymore
There's still some semblance of what we had, but it lacks passion
And I can feel you fade away
I sense you drifting apart from me
I can see you fading away
I can observe you slipping away from me
Into the sunset
Towards an end
I don't deserve this, this this- aggrivation
I don't merit this annoyance
Could you tell me what's so hard about a- a conversation
Can you explain why having a dialogue is so challenging?
So walk all over me, it's as flat as a board
You can treat me with disrespect and I'll accept it
Take what you need
Help yourself
Don't come around no more
Don't visit anymore
You only want
You desire solely
What you can't have
What you cannot attain
And when I'm gone
And when I depart
You'll want me back
You'll desire my return
I find it hard
It's not easy for me
Just to see you, I'm
Simply by seeing you, I am
Lost for words, if I could
Unable to find the right words, but if I could
Only greet you
Just say hello to you
We were caught in a bad haze with no chance to be one
We were trapped in a difficult situation with little opportunity for unity
We're getting from the eye of the storm
We're moving away from the most difficult part of our relationship
Into the sunset sunset fade away, sunset fade away
Towards the end, fading away
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JEZ DAVIDSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind