He attended a school for the blind in Little Rock, Arkansas where he joined… Read Full Bio ↴He attended a school for the blind in Little Rock, Arkansas where he joined the school choir. He won an amateur talent contest in Memphis, Tennessee and at first worked with local bands, as well as starting a band of his own. In 1942 he joined a band led by Jay McShann, and the next year he joined Duke Ellington's band, replacing Herb Jeffries. He worked eight years with Ellington before becoming a soloist. Some of his singing is classified as rhythm and blues, but he is really best classified as a bridge between R&B and traditional pop music.

His biggest hit was "Unchained Melody" in 1955. Other hits were "He", "11th Hour Melody", "Never Turn Back", and "After the Lights Go Low" (all in 1956). "After the Lights Go Low", sung with a put-on British accent, was his last charted hit.

In the late 1950s and 1960s, Hibbler became a civil rights activist, marching with protestors and getting arrested in 1959 in New Jersey and in 1963 in Alabama. The notoriety of this activism discouraged major record labels from carrying his work, but Frank Sinatra supported him and signed him to a contract with his label, [lable]Reprise Records.

However, Hibbler made very few recordings after that, occasionally doing live appearances through the 1990s. He died in April 2001 in Chicago.

Old Folks
Al Hibbler Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I'm trav'lin' light
Because my man has gone
So from now on
I'm trav'lin' light
He said goodbye
And took my heart away
So from today
I'm trav'lin' light

No one to see
I'm free as the breese
No one but me
And my menories
Some lucky night
He may come back again
So until then
I'm trav'lin' light

No one to see
I'm free as the breese
No one but me
And my menories
Some lucky night
He may come back again

So until then
I'm trav'lin' light

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Al Hibbler's "I'm Traveling Light" tell the story of a woman who is dealing with heartbreak after her man has left her. The song begins by describing the singer's state of mind: she is "traveling light" because her man has gone. The phrase "traveling light" is used metaphorically to describe the emotional weight that the singer is carrying--without her man, she feels free and unencumbered.

As the song continues, the singer reveals that her man has taken her heart with him when he left. She is left alone with nothing but her memories of him. Despite the pain she is feeling, the singer remains hopeful that her man will one day return to her. Until then, she will continue "traveling light" and carrying on with her life.

Overall, the lyrics of "I'm Traveling Light" are a poignant expression of heartbreak and hope. The singer is struggling to come to terms with the loss of her love, but she is determined to remain strong and hopeful for the future.

Line by Line Meaning

I'm trav'lin' light
I am carrying little or no luggage with me

Because my man has gone
My significant other left me, so I am traveling without him

So from now on
Starting from this moment forward

He said goodbye
He bid farewell to me

And took my heart away
He broke my heart and took away all my love

So from today
Starting today

I'm trav'lin' light
I am traveling with little or no luggage

No one to see
There is no one around to watch me

I'm free as the breeze
I am unencumbered, unrestricted, and feel light like the wind

No one but me
I am alone with no one else around

And my memories
I only have memories to keep me company