Diamond Rio is a country band formed in 1989. They consist of Marty Roe (Le… Read Full Bio ↴Diamond Rio is a country band formed in 1989. They consist of Marty Roe (Lead Vocals, Acoustic Guitar), Jimmy Olander (Guitar, Banjo), Dana Williams (Bass, Vocals), Dan Truman (Keyboards) Gene Johnson (Mandolin, Vocals, Banjo, Fiddle, Guitar), and Brian Prout (Drums). They are members of the Grand Ole Opry.

Diamond Rio released their debut, Diamond Rio, in 1991. It spawned five Top 10 Country hits, including the #1 hit "Meet in the Middle", and went platinum. Their second album, Close to the Edge, released the following year, had three Top 10 singles and went gold. In 1994, their third album was released. Love a Little Stronger wasn't very successful commercially, but did produce another Top 5 single in the title track.

The mid-90's marked both a low point in album-naming creativity and a high point in chart success. Their fourth album, innovatively titled IV and released in 1996, spun off three Top 5 singles. (One of these, "It's All In Your Head", featured a video with Martin Sheen as a fiery preacher engaged in snake handling, mirroring the lyrics of the song.) In 1997, Diamond Rio released its first greatest hits album, entitled Greatest Hits. The album had two brand-new songs: "How Your Love Makes Me Feel" hit #1, and "Imagine That" became yet another top 5 hit. In 1998, Unbelievable was released, giving the band two more top 5 singles. The title track also reached the top 40 on the Pop charts. In 2001, the band released One More Day, whose title track became another chart-topper. The following year, the band released Completely, whose lead track, "Beautiful Mess", became their 4th #1 hit. The album also spawned another #1 single in "I Believe". December 30th, 2005 found Diamond Rio playing their new single In God we Still Trust during halftime of the Vitalis Sun Bowl between UCLA and Northwestern University in El Paso, Texas. Their second Greatest Hits album is scheduled to be released May 9th, 2006.

Old Weakness
Diamond Rio Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

She's back in town
Haven't seen her yet
But I know that that won't last
Soon I'll turn around
And be face to face
With a feeling from my past

[Chorus]

She's an old weakness
From a place I fell
She's an old heartache
One that time didn't heal too well
It's an old story
'Bout a love gone wrong
Just an old weakness
Coming on strong

My hands still shake
And my heart still aches
Just knowing she's this close
Those steel blue eyes
And the way she smiles
Are the things I fear the most

[Chorus]

I know the truth is showing
I know I should be going home

[Chorus]

Just an old weakness
Coming on strong

Overall Meaning

In Diamond Rio's song "Old Weakness," the singer is reflecting on experiencing the return of someone from their past who they still have unresolved feelings for. The song opens with the singer acknowledging that this person is back in town but they haven't seen each other yet, suggesting that the encounter is inevitable. The singer is anticipating the moment when they will turn around and see the person, describing their past feelings as a "feeling from my past."

The chorus repeats the idea that this person is an "old weakness," an "old heartache," and just "an old weakness coming on strong." The language indicates that the singer still feels very strongly about this person, and that their feelings have not been resolved despite the passage of time. The singer describes physical symptoms of their emotional turmoil - their hands still shake and heart still aches - and expresses fear of seeing the person's "steel blue eyes" and smile again.

The song ends with the singer acknowledging the truth of their feelings and the fact that they should be leaving, but it is left unresolved as to whether or not they do. The lyrics suggest that the singer is caught in a cycle of unresolved feelings for this person, unable to move on from their past love.

Line by Line Meaning

She's back in town
A person from his past is back in town.

Haven't seen her yet
He hasn't seen her yet.

But I know that that won't last
He knows that it won't be long before he sees her.

Soon I'll turn around
He'll soon see her.

And be face to face
He'll come face to face with her.

With a feeling from my past
He'll experience a feeling from his past after seeing her.

She's an old weakness
She is a person who he has a weakness for.

From a place I fell
He fell in love with her at a certain place.

She's an old heartache
She caused him heartache in the past.

One that time didn't heal too well
Time hasn't healed his heartache completely.

It's an old story
Their love story is a familiar one.