Apart from her solo career, singer Bonnie Owens is well known for the work … Read Full Bio ↴Apart from her solo career, singer Bonnie Owens is well known for the work she did with her former husbands, Buck Owens and Merle Haggard. Born Bonnie Campbell on October 1, 1932, in Oklahoma City to a pair of sharecroppers and one of eight children, she first met Buck in the mid-'40s when he had a local daily 15-minute radio show. Once Buck discovered that Bonnie could sing, he helped her get a job with him on another radio show in 1947. The following January, Buck and Bonnie married, but the union was short-lived. By 1951, after giving birth to two sons, the marriage was over. Since neither could afford a divorce, they stayed legally married, but separated, for several years. Bonnie and the two boys left for Bakersfield, where she worked as a cocktail waitress. It was during this period that Bonnie met Fuzzy Owen and guitarist Roy Nichols, who would be instrumental in the career of Haggard.

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.

Just Between the Two of Us
Bonnie Owens Lyrics

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Just between the two of us, we know our love is gone
People think it's wonderful our love can be so true
You never say an angry word no matter what I do
And you have so much faith in me you trust me anywhere
But the reason if they only knew is that we just don't care

Just between the two of us, let's give up this fantasy
For we no longer care enough to even disagree

Everybody envies us and the way we get along
But just between the two of us, we know our love is gone

Wish we could go back again to days that used to be
We fought a lot but even then I knew you cared for me
Now we get along so well no teardrops ever fall
But there's no love, no anything, there's nothing left at all

Just between the two of us, let's give up this fantasy
For we no longer care enough to even disagree

Everybody envies us and the way we get along
But just between the two of us, we know our love is gone

Overall Meaning

Bonnie Owens's song "Just Between The Two Of Us" is a heartbreaking lament about the end of a once-loving relationship. The opening lines, "Just between the two of us, we know our love is gone," set the tone for the entire song. Despite the fact that everyone around them thinks their love is perfect and wonderful, the truth is that they no longer care for each other, and there is nothing left to salvage.

The singer's partner has a lot of faith in her and never says an angry word, but the reason for this is that they just don't care. The singer wishes they could go back to the days when they fought a lot because, even then, she knew her partner cared for her. Now, there is nothing left at all, and they no longer even disagree. The final lines of the song, "Everybody envies us and the way we get along, but just between the two of us, we know our love is gone," drive home the sense of loss and disconnection that permeate this song.

Overall, "Just Between The Two Of Us" is a poignant meditation on the end of a relationship, and the difficulty of acknowledging that something that once seemed perfect has now come to an end.

Line by Line Meaning

Just between the two of us, we know our love is gone
Only we know that our love has faded away.

People think it's wonderful our love can be so true
Others believe our love is perfect and enviable.

You never say an angry word no matter what I do
Regardless of my behavior, you never express anger towards me.

And you have so much faith in me you trust me anywhere
Your trust in me is unwavering no matter where we are.

But the reason if they only knew is that we just don't care
If others knew the truth, they would realize that we have lost interest in each other.

Just between the two of us, let's give up this fantasy
Let us stop pretending that our love is still alive.

For we no longer care enough to even disagree
Our relationship has lost its passion and we don't care enough to argue anymore.

Everybody envies us and the way we get along
People admire the way we interact with each other.

But just between the two of us, we know our love is gone
Despite appearances, only we know that our love has ended.

Wish we could go back again to days that used to be
I long for the past when our love was strong.

We fought a lot but even then I knew you cared for me
Despite our arguments, I always knew deep down that you loved me.

Now we get along so well no teardrops ever fall
We have achieved a peaceful coexistence, but there is no longer any emotional connection.

But there's no love, no anything, there's nothing left at all
Our relationship has lost all spark and there is nothing left between us.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: ANDERSON

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

bs322

3y↑1

1) Merle Haggard married Leona Hobbs at the age of 19. They stayed together for eight years and had four children: Dana, Marty, Kelly, and Noel. He wasn’t a country star at this point and got into some trouble with the law, but then he started singing in bars and scored his first hit, “Sing a Sad Song.”

2) Bonnie Owens was born "Bonnie Campbell" on 1st October, 1929 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA. She first married Buck Owens in 1948, They had two sons and separated in the early 1950s. They remained friends and she sometimes performed with Owens in the truck-stop town's thriving juke joints. Bonnie passed away on 24th Apr 2006 Bakersfield, California, USA from Alzheimer's, aged 76. Her death came weeks after Buck Owens died on March 25, 2006. She is most remembered for Why Don't Daddy Live Here Anymore.

After Merle's first hit...he then married Bonnie Campbell-Owens about 1973-74...they divorced in early 1978. Even though they divorced Bonnie was a back up singer for many years with his band.

3) By Oct 1978 he married Leona Williams. I do not know when they divorced.

4) Merle then married Debbie Parret in 1985 and divorced in 1991.

5) He then married Theresa Ann Lane abt 1993. At the time of their marriage, she was in her 30s and he was in his 50s, so there was a significant age gap. They later had two children, Jenessa and Ben. Haggard was frequently mistaken to be his kid’s grandpa instead of their father. His marriage to Theresa was his longest marriage (23 years). Merle passed away on April 6, 2016, his 79th birthday, due to complications from pneumonia.

All comments from YouTube:

Rhonda Boncutter

2y↑2

Have loved Merle Haggard most of my life, was my Dad's favorite! We sang his songs together sitting on back porch, him drinking a beer and me just singing beside him! Precious memories!