By the late '50s Bonnie was recording on the Mar-Vel label with Fuzzy and his band, the Sun Valley Playboys. She cut a well-received duet album with Fuzzy, her sometime boyfriend, on Tally Records, which would later be re-released on Capitol Records as "Just Between the Two of Us." In 1961, Bonnie saw Haggard singing for the first time at a Lefty Frizzell concert. At the time, Haggard was just a few months out of San Quentin prison for breaking and entering. By 1964 Fuzzy was managing Haggard and suggested that Bonnie and Haggard re-record "Just Between the Two of Us." Taking Fuzzy's advice paid off; the song hit the top of the country charts but not for long. It was replaced by "(My Friends Are Gonna Be) Strangers," Haggard's breakthrough single.
In 1965 Haggard signed with Capitol Records, married Bonnie, and signed the Strangers (including Bonnie) with a booking agency owned in part by Buck. Bonnie's marriage to Haggard lasted until 1978, but the two had already separated in 1975. Eventually Bonnie resumed touring with the Strangers in the late '70s and remarried for the final time to Fred McMillenher. She continued to tour regularly with Haggard and the Strangers. While Bonnie released half a dozen albums and numerous singles on Capitol Records in the mid- to late '60s, she remained satisfied singing backup as a member of the Strangers.
It Don't Take Much To Make Me Cry
Bonnie Owens Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Each teardrop falls then another takes its place
I hadn't planned to cry today but it seems like I been turned out that way
But then it don't take much to make me cry all he did was say goodbye
He didn't even stopped to tell me why but then it don't take much to make me cry
[ guitar - steel ]
I didn't start to cryin' right at first but then would you believe things got worse
That's when I knew it was the very end he walked out the door with my best friend
[ guitar - steel ]
It don't take much...
Oh no it don't take much to make me cry
Bonnie Owens's song It Don't Take Much To Make Me Cry is a poignant depiction of the singer's heartbreak after being left by her partner. The opening lines "Excuse the tears that are fallin' down my face, Each teardrop falls then another takes its place" sets the melancholic tone of the song. The singer poignantly expresses that she hadn't planned to cry, but it seems like she had been turned that way. The pain of heartbreak is so overwhelming that each moment is filled with tears, and each tear is another reminder of the hurt and the loneliness.
The chorus of the song, "But then it don't take much to make me cry, all he did was say goodbye" depicts the simplicity of what led to the singer's heartbreak. The partner didn't even stop to tell her why he was leaving, which, in turn, added to the singer's sorrow. The next verse, "I didn't start to cryin' right at first but then would you believe things got worse, That's when I knew it was the very end he walked out the door with my best friend" is another level of heartbreak. The severity of the situation hit hard, and the singer began to cry incessantly. Her partner left her for someone, she thought was her best friend.
One can relate to the rawness, the unfiltered expression of emotion, and the simplicity of the song's lyrics. The song's message is relevant now, as it was back in the day when the song was released. The song's lyrics below the surface level delve deep into the consequences of heartbreak, the never-ending tears, and the lack of explanation from a partner, leaving the person in question with endless questions.
Line by Line Meaning
Excuse the tears that are fallin' down my face
I apologize for my crying even though it's difficult to control
Each teardrop falls then another takes its place
My crying is unstoppable and tears will continue to fall
I hadn't planned to cry today but it seems like I been turned out that way
I didn't intend to cry today but circumstances have caused me to cry
But then it don't take much to make me cry all he did was say goodbye
Saying goodbye is enough to make me cry because I am emotionally fragile
He didn't even stopped to tell me why but then it don't take much to make me cry
Not knowing why he is leaving makes it even harder to control my emotions
I didn't start to cryin' right at first but then would you believe things got worse
Initially, I didn't cry but the situation escalated and became more painful
That's when I knew it was the very end he walked out the door with my best friend
Realizing that he left me for my best friend made it even harder to bear
Oh no it don't take much to make me cry
Overall, my emotions are easily triggered and it doesn't take much to make me cry
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
TheGarretdeas
The "Bakersfield Sound" is much to the fore in this jaunty, upbeat track from the talented one time Mrs Merle Haggard.
2packs4sure
Recorded ~ June 12 1969 Capitol Recording Studio, 1750 North Vine St., Hollywood, CA – Bonnie Owens (James Burton [gt], Roy Nichols [gt], Norm Hamlett [steel], Chuck Berghoffer [bass], Eddie Burris/John Guerin [drums], Glen Hardin [piano]. Producer: Ken Nelson and Fuzzy Owen) [vocal chorus overdubbed 3 July in Nashville, TN)