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.

There She Goes
Don Gibson Lyrics

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I hear footsteps slowly walkin'
As they gently walk across a lonely floor
And a voice is softly sayin'
Darling, this will be goodbye, forever more

There goes my reason for livin'
There goes the one of my dreams
There goes my only possession

There goes my everything

As my mem'ry turns back the pages
I can see the happy years we had before
Now the love that kept this old heart beatin'
Has been shattered by the closin' of the door

There goes my reason for livin'
There goes the one of my dreams
There goes my only possession
There goes my everything

There goes my everything

Overall Meaning

Don Gibson's song "There Goes My Everything" is a sorrowful ballad about the end of a relationship. The first verse sets the scene with the sound of footsteps walking across a lonely floor and a voice saying goodbye forevermore. The singer is losing everything: his reason for living, his dreams, and his only possession. In the second verse, the singer remembers the happy years he had with his partner, and how the love that kept his heart beating has been shattered by the closing of the door. The final refrain of "There goes my everything" is a mournful acceptance of the loss that has occurred.

The song is a reflection of the pain and heartbreak of losing someone you love, something that many people can relate to. The lyrics are simple yet powerful, capturing the emotions of love, loss, and grief. The slow tempo and gentle melody add to the mournful feeling of the song, making it a classic example of a country ballad.

Line by Line Meaning

I hear footsteps slowly walkin'
I hear slow footsteps stepping towards me

As they gently walk across a lonely floor
As they carefully walk across the lonely floor

And a voice is softly sayin'
And a soft voice is saying

Darling, this will be goodbye, forever more
My love, we're saying goodbye for good

There goes my reason for livin'
My purpose for living is disappearing

There goes the one of my dreams
The one I dreamed of is leaving

There goes my only possession
My only possession is walking away

There goes my everything
My whole world is gone

As my mem'ry turns back the pages
As I remember the past

I can see the happy years we had before
I see the happy times we shared

Now the love that kept this old heart beatin'
The love that kept my heart alive