Donald Eugene Gibson (April 3, 1928 – November 17, 2003) was an American co… Read Full Bio ↴Donald Eugene Gibson (April 3, 1928 – November 17, 2003) was an American country musician.

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.

I'm Movin' On
Don Gibson Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

That big eight wheeler rollin' down the track
Means your true lovin' daddy ain't commin' back
Because I'm movin' on
I'll soon be gone
You where flying too high for my little old sky
So I'm movin' on

That big loud whistle as it blew and blew

Said hello to the southland we're commin' to you
When we're movin' on
O' here my song
You had to laugh at me so I've set you free
And I'm movin' on

Mr. fireman, won't you please listen to me
Cause I got a pretty momma in Tennessee
Keep movin' me on
Keep rollin' on
So shovel the coal let this rattle a rollin'
Keep movin' me on

Mr. engineer, take that throttle in hand
This rattle is the fastest in the southern land
Keep movin' me on
Keep rollin' on
Your gonna ease my mind put me there on time
And keep rollin' on

I've told you baby from time to time
But you just wouldn't listen nor pay me no mind
Now I'm movin' on
I'm rollin' on
You broken your vow and it's all over now
So I'm movin' on

You switched your engine
Now I ain't got time for a trifling woman on my main line
Because I'm movin' on
You done your daddy wrong
I warned you twice now you can settle the price
Because I'm movin' on

But someday baby when you've had your play
Your gonna want your daddy but your daddy will say
Keep movin' on
You stayed away too long

I'm through with you too bad your blue
Keep movin' on

Overall Meaning

Don Gibson's "I'm Movin' On" is a song about a man who is breaking away from a relationship with a woman who has not treated him properly. He speaks of the "big eight-wheeler" or train that is rolling down the track and taking him away from the woman. He feels that she has become too high, for his "little old sky," which may represent his ability to love and care for her. He acknowledges that he has warned her but she has not paid him any attention, and now he is ready to move on from the relationship with her.

The train is symbolic of his journey into a new life without her, and his desire to leave and explore new opportunities. He wants to be free and does not wish to be held back by her anymore. The train's speed is a metaphor for his eagerness to move on and his confidence in his decision to leave. He believes that this decision will be good for him and that he can start anew.

In the end, he warns the woman that one day she may want him back, but he will not be there because he has "moved on." The song is reflective of its time, as many people were moving on from old ways of life and exploring new places and ways of living. There is a sense of hopefulness in the song, as the main character is leaving behind a difficult situation and looking forward to the future.

Line by Line Meaning

That big eight wheeler rollin' down the track
The train leaving signifies that the singer's true love is not coming back to them

Means your true lovin' daddy ain't commin' back
The train leaving signifies that the singer's true love is not coming back to them

Because I'm movin' on
The singer is moving forward without their true love

I'll soon be gone
The singer is planning to leave their past behind and move on

You were flying too high for my little old sky
The singer's significant other had different expectations and goals than they did

So I'm movin' on
The singer is ready to leave their significant other behind

That big loud whistle as it blew and blew
The train whistle is announcing the departure of the train

Said hello to the southland we're commin' to you
The train is headed southbound towards its destination

When we're movin' on
The singer is ready to move forward and leave their past behind

O' hear my song
The singer is announcing their plans to move on

You had to laugh at me so I've set you free
The singer's significant other did not take their concerns about the relationship seriously, so the singer is ending things

And I'm movin' on
The singer is ready to leave their past behind

Mr. fireman, won't you please listen to me
The singer is asking the train conductor to help them reach their destination

Cause I got a pretty momma in Tennessee
The singer has a new person of interest in their life in Tennessee

Keep movin' me on
The singer wants to keep progressing forward in life

Keep rollin' on
The singer wants the train to keep moving towards its destination

So shovel the coal let this rattle a rollin'
The singer wants the train to keep moving forward

Keep movin' me on
The singer wants to keep progressing forward in life

Mr. engineer, take that throttle in hand
The singer is asking the train conductor to control the speed of the train

This rattle is the fastest in the southern land
The train is one of the fastest in the south

Your gonna ease my mind put me there on time
The singer expects the train to take them to their destination on time

And keep rollin' on
The singer wants the train to keep moving towards its destination

I've told you baby from time to time
The singer has expressed their concerns about the relationship previously

But you just wouldn't listen nor pay me no mind
The singer's significant other did not take their concerns seriously

Now I'm movin' on
The singer is moving on from the relationship

I'm rollin' on
The singer is moving forward without their past holding them back

You broken your vow and it's all over now
The singer's significant other has betrayed them, so the relationship is over

So I'm movin' on
The singer is moving on from the relationship

You switched your engine
The singer has realized that their significant other has moved on to someone else

Now I ain't got time for a trifling woman on my main line
The singer doesn't have time for someone who is not serious about the relationship

Because I'm movin' on
The singer is ready to move on from the relationship

You done your daddy wrong
The singer's significant other has hurt them

I warned you twice now you can settle the price
The singer had warned their significant other about the consequences of their actions

Because I'm movin' on
The singer is ready to move on from the relationship

But someday baby when you've had your play
The singer is predicting that their significant other will regret their actions

Your gonna want your daddy but your daddy will say
The singer will be unavailable to their significant other in the future

Keep movin' on
The singer wants to keep progressing forward in life

You stayed away too long
The singer's significant other has been absent from their life for too long

I'm through with you too bad your blue
The singer has moved on from the relationship, despite potential regrets or lingering feelings of sadness from their significant other

Keep movin' on
The singer wants to keep progressing forward in life

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Cloud9, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Hank Snow

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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