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.

My Way
Don Gibson Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I'll live every day for you, I'd breathe every breath for you
So if I'm mean and make you blue, it's my way of loving you
If I say that you're untrue and it breaks your heart in two
I can't help these things I do, it's my way of loving you

Try to understand my love, look into my heart
Can't you see I'd want to die if we ever part
All my life I've loved you so though at times it may not show

That my love for you is true, it's my way of loving you

(It's my way of loving you)

Overall Meaning

In Don Gibson's song "It's My Way," the singer expresses his love for someone in his own particular style. He vows to live every day and breathe every breath for this person. However, he also acknowledges that sometimes he can be mean and make this person feel blue. He explains that if he ever accuses this person of being untrue and breaks their heart, it's just his way of loving them. The singer pleads with this person to try to understand his love by looking into his heart. He believes that his love for them is true, even if he doesn't always show it.

Overall, this song is about a love that is messy and imperfect, but deeply felt. The singer acknowledges that he's not perfect and that he can do hurtful things, but he feels like that's just a part of how he loves. He's not trying to hurt this person intentionally, but he's also not going to change who he is to make the relationship easier.

One interesting interpretation of this song is that it's a response to the many love songs of the time that idealized and romanticized love. Don Gibson is saying that real love is messy and complicated, and that's what makes it real. He's rejecting the idea that love should always be easy and perfect.

Line by Line Meaning

I'll live every day for you, I'd breathe every breath for you
I will dedicate all my days and every breath that I take to you

So if I'm mean and make you blue, it's my way of loving you
Whenever I come off as cruel and sadness fills your heart, it's all because of the intensity of my affection for you

If I say that you're untrue and it breaks your heart in two
Sometimes I might claim that you're unfaithful to cause you immense pain and heartbreak due to my unconventional way of showing my deep love for you

I can't help these things I do, it's my way of loving you
Despite wanting to control my actions, it's impossible, as it's my unique way of demonstrating the deep love that I have for you

Try to understand my love, look into my heart
Please make a conscious effort to perceive the depth of my affection by peering into my heart

Can't you see I'd want to die if we ever part
If we were ever to separate, it would be unbearable for me and so much so that I'd rather die than go on living without you

All my life I've loved you so though at times it may not show
Throughout my entire existence, I've loved you, even when it might've been hidden from view

That my love for you is true, it's my way of loving you
My love for you is real, and it's my unconventional way of expressing my emotions that demonstrate my feelings

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: WAYNE P. WALKER, WEBB PIERCE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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