Gibson was born in Shelby, North Carolina into a poor working-class family, he dropped out of school in the second grade.
Gibson's first band was called Sons of the Soil, with whom he made his first recording in 1948. Among his greatest hits were "Oh Lonesome Me" (later recorded by both Ray Charles and Neil Young) and "Blue Blue Day" (both No. 1 hits in 1958); "Don't Tell Me Your Troubles" (1959); "Sea of Heartbreak" (1961); "Lonesome No. 1" and "I Can Mend Your Broken Heart" (1962); and "Woman (Sensuous Woman)" (a No. 1 hit in 1972).
Gibson recorded a series of successful duets with Dottie West in the late 1960s, the most successful of which were the No. 2 country hit "Rings of Gold" (1969) and the top 10 hit "There's a Story Goin' Round" (1970). In 1957, Gibson travelled back to Nashville to record "Oh Lonesome Me" for RCA. He and producer Chet Atkins decided to abandon the traditional steel guitar and fiddle and use a new sound featuring only guitars, a piano, a drummer, upright bass, and background singers. It became one of the first examples of what would be called the Nashville Sound and won Gibson a #1 hit; it also set the pattern for a long series of other RCA hits, including “Blue Blue Day” (1958).
A talented songwriter, Gibson was nicknamed "the sad poet" because he frequently wrote songs that told of loneliness and lost love. He wrote and sang "I Can't Stop Loving You", a song that would be recorded by more than 700 artists, most notably by Ray Charles with a pop version in 1962. He also wrote and recorded "Sweet Dreams" that would become a major 1963 crossover hit for Patsy Cline. A great fan, in 1967 Roy Orbison recorded an album of his songs simply titled: Roy Orbison Sings Don Gibson.
Don Gibson was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1973 and in 2001 into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
On his passing in 2003, he was interred in the Sunset Cemetery, in his hometown of Shelby, North Carolina.
Bad Bad Day
Don Gibson Lyrics
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It's been a sad, sad day for me
My baby left on her way, now I'm left here to pay
It's been a bad, bad day for me
It's been a dark, dark day for me
The sun won't shine on my blue misery
Tears are falling like rain only sorrow remains
Everywhere I go trouble greets me
Sorrow seems to know just where to meet me
While, wise this old day deceived me
Wish my love would please come back and free me
It's been a bad, bad day for me
There's nothing left but an old used to be
And it sure does get old being left in the cold
It's been a bad, bad day for me
Everywhere I go trouble greets me
Sorrow seems to know just where to meet me
While, wise this old day deceived me
Wish my love would please come back and free me
It's been a bad, bad day for me
There's nothing left but an old used to be
And it sure does get old being left in the cold
It's been a bad, bad day for me
In Don Gibson’s song “Bad Bad Day,” the singer is lamenting the loss of his love and how it has affected him. He describes the day as bad, sad, and dark, and he feels like sorrow is following him everywhere he goes. The sunshine is not shining on him, and all he can do is cry. He is left with nothing but memories of what once was, and being left in the cold is getting old. The singer is at a low point in his life, and he wishes his love would come back to free him from his pain.
The lyrics of “Bad Bad Day” illustrate what it feels like to be heartbroken and abandoned by someone you love. The lyrics are simple, yet powerful. The repetitive chorus echoes the singer’s feelings of desperation and hopelessness. Despite the pain he is feeling, the singer is still holding on to hope that his love will come back and free him.
Overall, the song is a poignant reminder that love and heartbreak are powerful emotions that can have a profound impact on our lives. The lyrics remind us that despite the pain, we should always hold on to hope that things will get better.
Line by Line Meaning
It's been a bad, bad day for me
This day has been terrible for me
It's been a sad, sad day for me
This day has been filled with sadness for me
My baby left on her way, now I'm left here to pay
My partner left me and now I am alone, dealing with the aftermath
It's been a dark, dark day for me
This day has been full of darkness, with no light in sight
The sun won't shine on my blue misery
Even the sunny weather can't brighten my mood
Tears are falling like rain only sorrow remains
I am crying so much that it feels like it's raining and all I can feel is sadness
Everywhere I go trouble greets me
I can't catch a break, everywhere I turn there's more bad news
Sorrow seems to know just where to meet me
I feel like sorrow is following me specifically, seeking me out
While, wise this old day deceived me
I thought this day would be better or different, but it ended up being just as bad as the rest
Wish my love would please come back and free me
I miss my partner and hope they will come back to relieve me of my pain
There's nothing left but an old used to be
Everything feels like it's in the past and there's nothing left for me in the present
And it sure does get old being left in the cold
Feeling alone and abandoned gets tiresome after a while
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: GIBSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Gloria Fearnley
Love Don Gibson Singing
Andrew Philbrick
It has a similar background to his Look Who's Blue...probably influenced and recorded around the same time, '56-'58ish sound.