Though her recording career had begun in the late 1970s with her eponymous debut album, it was with 1990's I Fell in Love that Carter's career really took off, with the album and title song topping the US country albums and singles charts, respectively. The album, which featured straight-ahead, retro-sounding country (her prior work had combined country, rock and roll and pop sounds), was among the first successes of the 1990s "neotraditionalist" movement in country. 1993's Little Love Letters featured the hit "Every Little Thing", which was accompanied by one of the top-rated music videos of the year.
Carter's winning stream ended with 1995's Little Acts of Treason, which, while critically well received, failed to achieve the commercial success of the Carter's two previous releases.
She also found limited amounts of fame with the song "It takes one to know me", which was released on the albums "Johnny Cash the Legend" and "Johnny and June duets". Originally recorded in 1977 with a full string backing group, it was lost in a tape collection in Hendersonville and uncovered in 2003. It was then remastered by her brother John Carter Cash. In the remastered version, John added his and his wife Laura's backing vocals and a guest appearance from Carlene herself - more than 35 years after she wrote and recorded the song.
She was played by Victoria Hester in the movie Walk the Line.
The track 'Every Little Thing' is also featured in the pinball machine 'Red and Ted's Road Show' released by Williams Electronic Games in 1994. Carter also does the voice of one of the main characters in the pinball game
Judgement Day
Carlene Carter Lyrics
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Saw the wind blwo his hair
Through the tears in my eyes
No one had to tell me
My heart knew for certain
Between the lines of lies I heard
Every unspoken word
And the cold hard truth
Tomorrow I'ma get up and make my life shine
Oh but tonight I'm gonna cry, once was mine
I hold on for dear life, till its comes judgment day
True love never dies, just walks away
Judgment day
As memory surrounds me, but don't make a sound
Like thieves in the night they come sneaking around
Hear him silently shouting till I'm down on my knees
So I'm gonna lie on this floor in my black funeral dress
And grieve for the man that held my heart in his hand
Tomorrow I'ma get up and make my life shine
Oh but tonight I'm gonna cry, for the hard hearted man
No matter how hard I try I cannot live that way
True love never dies, just walks away
Judgment day
Down for the count life took the breather out of me
The moment I cared it just wanted to be free
Oh but tonight I'm gonna cry, once was mine
I hold on for dear life, till its comes judgment day
True love never dies, just walks away
Walks away, judgment day
Walks away, judgment day
Away, judgment day
Away, judgment day
The song "Judgement Day" by Carlene Carter is a sentimental portrayal of a heartbroken woman who watches her lover walk away. She stands by the window and sees him leave, and as the wind blows his hair, tears well up in her eyes. No one had to tell her what was happening, as her heart knew it for certain. She understands the subtle nuances of the lies he told her and hears the unspoken words containing the cold hard truth. The singer acknowledges that she has wasted her youth clinging onto a love that would eventually fall apart. She feels devastated and all she can do is cry and grieve for the man who held her heart in his hands.
The second verse depicts the aftermath of the man's departure on the singer's life. She is haunted by the memory of him, but they are thieves in the night that come sneaking around. She hears him silently shouting at her, until she is down on her knees. She is heartbroken and devastated, and she lies down on the floor in her black funeral dress to mourn the loss of the man she loved. The chorus repeats, emphasizing the fact that true love never dies, it just walks away. The singer acknowledges that no matter how hard she tries, she cannot live without love. She reassures herself that she will get up and make her life shine tomorrow, but for tonight, she will grieve for the man who broke her heart.
Overall, the song "Judgement Day" is a poignant reminder that heartbreak is a universal experience. The lyrics evoke images of pain, grief, and loss, and the melody captures the haunting nature of the experience. This song speaks to the hurting and heartbroken who struggle to come to terms with the end of a relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Stood by the window, watched him walk away
I stood by the window and watched the man who once held my heart in his hand, walk away from me.
Saw the wind blwo his hair
The wind was blowing his hair as he walked away.
Through the tears in my eyes
As I watched him leave, my eyes were filled with tears.
No one had to tell me
I didn't need anyone to tell me that he was gone.
My heart knew for certain
My heart knew without a doubt that he was never coming back.
Between the lines of lies I heard
Even though he lied to me, I could hear the truth he was hiding.
Every unspoken word
He didn't have to say anything, his silence spoke volumes.
And the cold hard truth
The truth was hard and unforgiving.
I taste my bitter sweet waisted youth
Looking back, I realize that I wasted precious years of my life on something that was never meant to be.
Tomorrow I'ma get up and make my life shine
Tomorrow, I will start over and strive to make my life better, despite my pain.
Oh but tonight I'm gonna cry, once was mine
But tonight, I will allow myself to cry over what was once mine, even though it's gone now.
I hold on for dear life, till its comes judgment day
I will hold onto my faith and wait for judgment day to come.
True love never dies, just walks away
I know that true love never really dies, it just fades away and walks away from us.
As memory surrounds me, but don't make a sound
As I'm surrounded by memories of him, I try to keep silent and not let them overwhelm me.
Like thieves in the night they come sneaking around
Memories often sneak up on us unexpectedly, like thieves in the night.
Hear him silently shouting till I'm down on my knees
I can still hear his voice in my head, shouting at me until I'm down on my knees.
So I'm gonna lie on this floor in my black funeral dress
I feel like I'm mourning the death of our relationship, so I'll lie on the floor in my funeral dress.
And grieve for the man that held my heart in his hand
I will mourn the loss of the man who once held my heart in his hand and made me feel alive.
No matter how hard I try I cannot live that way
No matter how hard I try, I cannot go back to the way things were and pretend that everything is okay.
Down for the count life took the breather out of me
Life knocked me down and took my breath away.
The moment I cared it just wanted to be free
As soon as I started to care, everything fell apart and he just wanted to be free.
Walks away, judgment day
Everything will be judged on the day he walked away.
Away, judgment day
Judgment day is coming and everything will be revealed.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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