Born in Bloomington, Indiana into a musical family, he began performing as a duo with his brother before going on to a successful solo career in country music. In 1956, Helms made his way to Nashville, Tennessee where he signed a recording contract with Decca Records. The following year would be filled with astonishing successes. Helms' first single in 1957 titled "Fraulein" went to No. 1 on the country music charts and made it into the Top 40 on the pop music charts. Later that same year he released "My Special Angel" that also went to No. 1 on the country charts and entered the Top 10 on Billboard magazines pop music charts, peaking at No. 7.
Released just a few days before Christmas of 1957, his song "Jingle Bell Rock" was a big hit but uniquely, it re-emerged four out of the next five years and sold so well that it repeated each time as a top hit and became a Christmas classic still played to this day.
Bobby Helms continued touring and recording for the next three decades. His pioneering contribution to the genre has been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame.
Helms spent most of his later years living just outside of Martinsville, Indiana, until the time of his death from emphysema and asthma in 1997.
Lonely River Rhine
Bobby Helms Lyrics
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I was lonesome for the love I've left behind
So I stole love happiness my heart could find
From a German girl there on the River Rhine
She thought I was free right from the start
I said love words like an actor plays his part
Till one day I knew I meant then from the heart
In the cold and lonely River Rhine
Lies my little darling my fraulein
When she learned I had a wife
From the bank she took her life
I lost her to the lonely River Rhine
When at last I had to leave her side
It was hard for me to tell her how I'd lied
The morning papers told how she had died
Then was searching for her in the River Rhine
In the cold and lonely River Rhine...
The lyrics to Bobby Helms's song Lonely River Rhine tell the story of a man who is traveling in Munich, feeling lonely and missing the love he left behind. He meets a German girl on the River Rhine and begins a relationship with her, even though he has a wife back home. He initially pretends to be free and uses love words like an actor playing a part. Eventually, he realizes that he has fallen in love with the German girl and that his feelings are genuine. However, when the German girl learns that he has a wife, she takes her life by jumping into the River Rhine. The man is devastated when he hears the news and is depicted as searching for her in the cold and lonely river.
The song tells a tragic story of love and loss, highlighting the consequences of deceit and adultery. It also shows how love sometimes transcends cultural differences and language barriers, as the man falls in love with a German girl despite their different backgrounds. The lyrics are emotional and vividly describe the feelings of the singer.
Line by Line Meaning
It was spring in Munich on the Rhine
I was in Munich during springtime and near the Rhine.
I was lonesome for the love I've left behind
I was feeling very lonely because I had left my beloved behind.
So I stole love happiness my heart could find
I searched for and found happiness that filled my heart with love.
From a German girl there on the River Rhine
I found a German girl who had what I was looking for on the river Rhine.
She thought I was free right from the start
The girl believed that I was not married and therefore free to love her.
I said love words like an actor plays his part
I spoke words of love to her, the way an actor recites their lines in a play.
Till one day I knew I meant then from the heart
Eventually, I realized that my words were true and genuinely came from my heart.
I'd found fraulein love there on the River Rhine
I had found love with the German girl, who was now my Fraulein, on the River Rhine.
In the cold and lonely River Rhine
The Rhine River was cold and desolate.
Lies my little darling my fraulein
My beloved Fraulein is now lying in the River Rhine.
When she learned I had a wife
When she found out that I was already married,
From the bank she took her life
She ended her life by jumping into the river from the bank.
I lost her to the lonely River Rhine
I lost my Fraulein because she chose to end her life in the lonely river Rhine.
When at last I had to leave her side
Eventually, I had to leave my Fraulein's side.
It was hard for me to tell her how I'd lied
It was difficult for me to confess that I had misled her.
The morning papers told how she had died
The next morning, the newspapers reported that she had died.
Then was searching for her in the River Rhine
I began looking for her in the River Rhine.
In the cold and lonely River Rhine...
The repetition of this line emphasizes the desolation and sorrow of the River Rhine.
Contributed by Keira I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.