Of Ngāi Te Rangi descent, Walters was born and raised in Katikati, a town on the North Island of New Zealand.
In 1969, he competed against Tui Fox at Joe Brown’s at the Rotorua Soundshell during the Search for Stars event held there. Fox was singing similar material to Walters. Fox won the final with Walters coming in second.[3] His first single, titled "Just Out of Reach", was released in 1969. He then released "It's Been Too Long" and "Can't Keep You Out of My Heart".
He made his first television appearance on Happen-Inn, a New Zealand television show.
After performing at Expo 70 in Osaka, Japan, he received contracts to return to Japan. He gained considerable exposure. The New Zealand Herald reported that he may have also appeared on the Rolf Harris show in London.
In 1971, he replaced Vaughan Lawrence as the resident singer on Happen-Inn. From 1972-74, he recorded the hits "Brandy" (which reached #4 on the pop charts), "Take the Money and Run" (which reached #2), "Home Isn't Home Anymore" (which reached #18), and "The Nearest Thing to Heaven" (which reached #10 in 1974).
In 1978, he recorded a promotional record for the New Zealand Labour Party. The single was titled "To Be Free with Labour" and was the B side of a song titled "To Be Free", written by Robinson-Bretnall.[8] Walters appeared in the 1978 film Skin Deep[9] and an episode of Shortland Street.
In 2013, Walters was the profile in episode 9 of The Untold Stories of New Zealand Music History.
Walters died in Waikato Hospital, Hamilton, on 14 December 2016.
Just Out Of Reach
Bunny Walters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dreams that just won't let me be
Blues that keep on bothering me
Chains that just won't set me free
So far away from you and all your charms
Just out of reach of my two empty arms
Each night in dreams I see your face
Memories time can not erase
Oh I'm so blue and all alone
So far away from lips so sweet and warm
Just out of reach of my two empty arms
Lonesome feeling all the time
Knowing that you can't be mine
Blues that hurt me in my sleep
Vows that we just couldn't keep
So far away from lips so sweet and warm
Just out of reach of my two empty arms
In Bunny Walters’s song, “Just Out of Reach” the lyrics are about the pain of being separated from someone you love. The opening verse describes the singer’s experience of an unrequited love, where his love runs away from him and his dreams won’t let him rest. He feels trapped by the blues and chains of his own emotions, unable to break free from the pain of not being with the one he loves. The chorus emphasizes the heartache of being so close to someone you desire and yet being so far away, with two empty arms unable to hold the one he longs for.
The second verse reminds us that the pain of being alone is not exclusive to the waking hours, but that it persists throughout the night. The singer dreams of his lover’s face only to awaken and find himself alone once again. The pain of separation is unending as the memories stick with him always. The final verse highlights the feeling of desperation that comes from loving someone you can never have. The pain is so great that it hurts him even when he sleeps. They made vows but couldn't keep them, leaving the singer alone, with his hollow arms and anguished heart.
Line by Line Meaning
Love that runs away from me
The feeling of love that I have is disappearing from my life.
Dreams that just won't let me be
I am constantly dreaming about you and can't seem to move on.
Blues that keep on bothering me
The sadness and loneliness I feel keep affecting me every day.
Chains that just won't set me free
Not being able to forget about you is weighing me down and making me feel trapped.
So far away from you and all your charms
I am separated from everything that I loved about being with you.
Just out of reach of my two empty arms
I am unable to hold you in my arms no matter how hard I try.
Each night in dreams I see your face
You still haunt me in my dreams.
Memories time can not erase
The memories we shared are ones that time can never take away from me.
Then I awake and find you gone
Every morning I wake up to the reality that you're not here with me.
Oh I'm so blue and all alone
I feel sad and lonely without you here with me.
So far away from lips so sweet and warm
I am no longer able to feel the warmth and sweetness of your lips.
Just out of reach of my two empty arms
No matter what I do, I will never be able to hold you in my arms again.
Lonesome feeling all the time
This feeling of loneliness never leaves me alone.
Knowing that you can't be mine
I understand that we can never be together again.
Blues that hurt me in my sleep
Even in my sleep, the feeling of sadness and pain consumes me.
Vows that we just couldn't keep
We made promises to each other that we couldn't fulfill.
So far away from lips so sweet and warm
I am no longer able to feel the warmth and sweetness of your lips.
Just out of reach of my two empty arms
I will always feel empty without you in my arms.
Contributed by Jack F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.