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.
Take These Chains From My Heart
Don Gibson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Take these chains from my heart and set me free
You've grown cold and no longer care for me
All my faith in you is gone but the heartaches linger on
Take these chains from my heart and set me free
Take these tears from my eyes and let me see
If you love somebody new, let me find a new love, too
Take these chains from my heart and set me free
Give my heart just a word of sympathy (sympathy)
Be as fair to my heart as you can be (you can be)
Then if you no longer care for the love that's beating there
Take these chains from my heart and set me free
Take these chains from my heart and set me free (set me free)
The Don Gibson's song "Take These Chains from My Heart" is a poignant plea for freedom from a failing love - an appeal for emancipation from heartbreak. The song expresses the pain of being trapped in a loveless relationship where one partner no longer cares about the other. The singer of the song asks his lover to release him from the bondage of love: to take away the chains that have held him captive, to wipe away his tears, and to set him free. He has lost all faith in her, but the heartaches linger. Despite the pain, he longs for just a spark of the love that once existed between them, and if she is already gone, he asks for the freedom to find a new love. He pleads for her to show some sympathy and to be fair to his heart to set him free and give him the chance to love and be loved again.
In summary, the song is a powerful heartbreak ballad, expressing the pain of being held captive in a failing love affair. It is a cry for help, a yearning for the freedom to love again, and a poignant plea for mercy.
Line by Line Meaning
Take these chains from my heart and set me free
I feel trapped and held back in this relationship with you. Please give me my freedom.
You've grown cold and no longer care for me
I sense your feelings for me have changed and you're no longer interested in this romance.
All my faith in you is gone but the heartaches linger on
I have lost all hope and trust in you, yet still suffer from the pain of our failed relationship.
Take these tears from my eyes and let me see
I cry constantly because of the pain you've caused. Please end my suffering and give me clarity.
Just a spark of the love that used to be
Please remind me of the love we once shared, no matter how small it was. I need to know that it truly existed.
If you love somebody new, let me find a new love, too
If you've moved on and found someone new, then I should be given the same opportunity to find love once more.
Give my heart just a word of sympathy (sympathy)
Please show me even a little bit of kindness and understanding, especially regarding the constant pain I'm experiencing.
Be as fair to my heart as you can be (you can be)
Please treat me with as much respect and caring as you're capable of, especially considering everything I've been through.
Then if you no longer care for the love that's beating there
If you truly don't have any feelings left for me, then you should let me go and end this suffering.
Take these chains from my heart and set me free
Again, please free me from this emotional burden and allow me to move on with my life.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Royalty Network, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Fred Rose, Hy Heath
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
John Benn
WOW WOW WOW !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
From a mad keen 76yo Aussie fan.