Travis was born in Marshville, North Carolina, the second of six children of Bobbie, a textile factory worker, and Harold Traywick, a horse breeder, turkey farmer, and construction business owner. While growing up, Travis was forced to take guitar lessons by his father and began performing at the age of eight with his brother, Ricky. Travis began drinking at the age of 12, and by 14 was a regular marijuana user, who occasionally dabbled in harder drugs. He often fought with his father and soon dropped out of high school. He became a juvenile delinquent and was arrested for various offenses, including auto theft and burglary.
Harold Traywick entered Randy and Ricky in a talent contest at a nightclub called "Country City, USA" in Charlotte, North Carolina. In the meantime, Ricky, who also had brushes with the law, was sentenced to jail and Randy had to complete the contest alone, but he won anyway. The club's manager, Elizabeth "Lib" Hatcher, took an interest in Travis and gave him a job singing at the club. Travis began focusing on music. He first recorded for Paula Records and released two unsuccessful singles — "She's My Woman" and "Dreamin'". Travis' legal troubles continued and he was due in court for probation violations. Hatcher pleaded with the judge and Travis was released in her custody with the warning that if the judge ever saw him again "he'd better bring his toothbrush, because he would be going to jail for a very long time."
Travis moved in with Hatcher. This put further strain on her already fragile marriage. She eventually left her husband and, in 1982, she and Travis moved to Nashville, Tennessee. Travis was soon turned down by every record label in town. His early demo tapes were criticized by Nashville record executives as being "too country." Hatcher took a job as manager of a nightclub, "The Nashville Palace" and hired Travis as a cook and singer. It was during this time that an unlikely romance began to form between the two; Travis said "I think we discovered how much we needed each other."
Career
In 1982, Travis recorded an independent album Randy Ray Live and Lib Hatcher used it to secure a deal with Warner Bros. Records. However, the label said they had to keep their romance a secret, so as not to turn away fans, and changed his stage name from Randy Ray to Randy Travis. In 1985, Warner Brothers released Travis' single, "On the Other Hand," which topped out at 67 on the country charts. His next single, "1982", became a Top 10 hit followed by the re-release of "On the Other Hand" in 1986. The re-release became Travis' first number one hit.
His debut album, Storms of Life, went on to sell more than 4 million copies. In the late 1980s, he had a string of hits, including "No Place Like Home" and "Diggin' Up Bones." A song from his second Warner Brothers album "Always and Forever" titled "Forever and Ever, Amen" arguably launched the neo-traditionalist country era, boosting the popularity of country music beyond its traditional fan base. For two years in a row, Travis won the Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance, for the albums Always & Forever in 1988, and for Old 8x10 in 1989. Off the success of his first two albums, Old 8x10 shipped platinum. Always and Forever was number one for 43 weeks.
Travis and Hatcher married in 1991. That year Travis took part in Voices That Care, a multi-artist project that featured other top names in music for a one-off single to raise money for the allied troops in the Gulf War. The project included fellow singers Garth Brooks, Kenny Rogers and Kathy Mattea. By 1992, Travis was no longer charting high, as Brooks, Clint Black and others had taken over Nashville. He took a break from music to concentrate on acting and landed roles in several Western-genre films. He returned to recording with the 1994 album This Is Me and the hit single "Whisper My Name."
In 1997, Travis parted ways with Warner Brothers. He moved to DreamWorks Nashville and recorded You and You Alone, which produced the top 10 hits "Out of My Bones" and "Spirit of a Boy, Wisdom of a Man." These were followed by 2000's albums Inspirational Journey, 2002's Rise and Shine and 2003's Worship and Faith. The single "Three Wooden Crosses" from the Rise and Shine album reached No. 1 and won the CMA song of the year in 2003. That same year, Travis ranked #13 on CMT's 40 Greatest Men of Country Music. Travis continues to act in film and television; he appeared on the series finale of Touched by an Angel. His second most recent album, Passing Through, was released in November of 2004. It combines the country music of his earlier years, with a little gospel mixed in from more recent albums. After the release of "Glory Train" in 2005 and the Christmas album "Songs of the Season" in 2007, Travis released his brand new single "Faith In You" as a free download from his official website. It heralds the projected summer [2008] release of his forthcoming album, "Around the Bend". Along with the release of the free single, RandyTravis.com has also underwent a complete overhaul, with opportunities for fans to create blogs and join an upcoming official fan club. The new sleek look of the website has attracted throngs of fans. Contributor Anthony Maurizio has recently produced the Digging Up Bones blog series on the website, which has increased website traffic and is considered one of the most esteemed country music articles available for reading.
Forever And Ever Amen
Randy Travis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You've heard that I'm wild and I'm free
You may wonder how I can promise you now
This love that I feel for you always will be
But you're not just time that I'm killin'
I'm no longer one of those guys
As sure as I live, this love that I give
Is gonna be yours until the day that I die
Oh, baby, I'm gonna love you forever
Forever and ever, amen
As long as old men sit and talk about the weather
As long as old women sit and talk about old men
If you wonder how long I'll be faithful
I'll be happy to tell you again
I'm gonna love you forever and ever
Forever and ever, amen
They say time take its toll on a body
Makes the young girl's brown hair turn gray
Well, honey, I don't care, I ain't in love with your hair
And if it all fell out, well, I'd love you anyway
They say time can play tricks on a mem'ry
Make people forget things they knew
Well, it's easy to see it's happenin' to me
I've already forgotten every woman but you
Oh, darlin', I'm gonna love you forever
Forever and ever, amen
As long as old men sit and talk about the weather
As long as old women sit and talk about old men
If you wonder how long I'll be faithful
Well, just listen to how this song ends
I'm gonna love you forever and ever
Forever and ever, amen
I'm gonna love you forever and ever
Forever and ever, forever and ever
Forever and ever, amen
In Randy Travis's song "Forever and Ever, Amen," the singer is professing his everlasting love for his partner. He acknowledges that others may see him as a foolish and reckless person, but he reassures his partner that his love for her is genuine and will last forever. He notes that his commitment to her is not just about passing the time, but rather, it is a deep and sincere love that will remain until he dies. The singer uses the metaphor of old men and women discussing the weather and their past loves to emphasize the longevity of his love. He loves his partner for who she is, regardless of how she changes over time, and he vows to stay faithful to her.
The song's lyrics touch on themes of love, commitment, and loyalty, emphasizing the strength and longevity of true love. It portrays love as a long-term commitment that requires patience, understanding, and acceptance of change over time. The singer in the song is reflective of how difficult maintaining a relationship can be, but he is steadfast in his commitment and believes his love and affection for his partner will only grow stronger. His love is not limited to physical appearance or material possessions; rather, it is a deep emotional connection that will remain until the end of his life.
Line by Line Meaning
You may think that I'm talking foolish
You might consider my words as unwise
You've heard that I'm wild and I'm free
You might have heard that I am unruly and uncontrolled
You may wonder how I can promise you now
You might have doubts about how I can make this promise to you right now
This love that I feel for you always will be
This feeling of love that I have for you is eternal
But you're not just time that I'm killin'
But I am not just killing time being with you
I'm no longer one of those guys
I am not one of those guys anymore
As sure as I live, this love that I give
I am certain that this love that I am giving to you
Is gonna be yours until the day that I die
Will be yours until I take my last breath
Oh, baby, I'm gonna love you forever
Dear, I will love you continuously
Forever and ever, amen
Infinite, with no ending, let it be so
As long as old men sit and talk about the weather
As long as old men are alive and talking about the weather
As long as old women sit and talk about old men
As long as old women are alive and talking about old men
If you wonder how long I'll be faithful
If you question the length of time I'll be devoted to you
I'll be happy to tell you again
I'll willingly narrate it once more
They say time take its toll on a body
It is said that time has adverse effects on the body
Makes the young girl's brown hair turn gray
Time can turn young girl's brown hair into grey
Well, honey, I don't care, I ain't in love with your hair
But dear, I don't mind, I'm not in love with your hair
And if it all fell out, well, I'd love you anyway
Even if it all falls out, I will keep on loving you
They say time can play tricks on a mem'ry
It is said that time can mess with our memory
Make people forget things they knew
Make people forget things they were familiar with
Well, it's easy to see it's happenin' to me
I can see that happening to me
I've already forgotten every woman but you
I’ve already forgotten every woman, except you
Oh, darlin', I'm gonna love you forever
Oh, love, I will love you incessantly
Forever and ever, amen
Infinite, with no ending, let it be so
Well, just listen to how this song ends
Listen to how this song concludes to understand
Forever and ever, amen
Infinite, with no ending, let it be so
I'm gonna love you forever and ever
I am going to love you all my life
Forever and ever, forever and ever
Infinite, with no ending, for all eternity
Forever and ever, amen
Infinite, with no ending, let it be so
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Don Schlitz, Paul Overstreet
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind