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.
Woman
Don Gibson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You control the world I'm living in
Woman, sensuous woman
Release my body and let me live again
Step by step you taught me easy lovin'
Night by night you caught me in your web
My self control was overruled by passion
Woman, sensuous woman
You control the world I'm living in
Woman, sensuous woman
Release my body and let me live again
Someone true is waiting I should be with her
And she don't know I crave your ecstasy
But many hearts will break if I don't conquer
This lustful spell you've cast over me
The lyrics of Don Gibson's song "Woman" speak to the power and allure of a woman's sensuality, and the ways in which it can both captivate and control a man. The chorus repeats the refrain "Woman, sensuous woman/ You control the world I'm living in/ Woman, sensuous woman/ Release my body and let me live again", expressing the singer's desire for release from the hold that his lover has over him.
The verses, however, delve deeper into the singer's conflicted feelings. He acknowledges that the woman has taught him "easy lovin'", but also notes that his "self control was overruled by passion" and that he couldn't see the "heartache up ahead". Furthermore, he admits that he should be with someone else, someone "true", but that he craves his current lover's "ecstasy". The final line of the song speaks to the potential consequences of his actions, acknowledging that "many hearts will break if [he doesn't] conquer/ This lustful spell [she's] cast over [him]".
Overall, the lyrics of "Woman" are a testament to the seductive power of sensuality, and the ways in which it can both bring pleasure and wreak havoc on the heart.
Line by Line Meaning
Woman, sensuous woman
Addressing a woman who holds a strong sexual appeal
You control the world I'm living in
Acknowledging the power the woman has over the singer's life
Release my body and let me live again
Asking the woman to let him go and live his life independent of her control
Step by step you taught me easy lovin'
Recalling the process by which the woman has seduced him
Night by night you caught me in your web
The singer has been consistently lured back by the woman's sexual appeal
My self control was overruled by passion
The singer's own sense of restraint was overpowered by his physical and emotional desire for the woman
Now I couldn't see the heartache up ahead
The singer was blinded by his desire and did not foresee the emotional turmoil that would follow
Someone true is waiting I should be with her
The singer realizes he should be with someone who is loyal and genuine
And she don't know I crave your ecstasy
The woman the singer is speaking to is not aware of his desire for her
But many hearts will break if I don't conquer
If the singer does not break free from the woman's hold on him, it will hurt more than just himself
This lustful spell you've cast over me
The woman has put a spell on the singer with her sensuality, but he wants to break free
Lyrics © RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: GARY PAXTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
John Johnson
Awwwwww the days of REAL COUNTRY MUSIC.... No auto tune, just pure talent with real instruments not computer generated crap.
Curious Person
Still very moving. Touching empathy. This guy (Don Gibson)understood " Women". Beautiful rendition.
Elizabeth Duncan
This song from Don sound so good his voice is a voice that you cannot forget, so strong, growing up in Aussie on country music melts my heart❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Johndillon557
Yea that right Elizabeth
Norman Lefave
Don Gibson was a great songwriter as well as a great country singer
Kelly Maddern Country
If they could only keep making Great singers like this 👍👍👍
Alan Japes
Try checking out Heidi Hauge, Heather Myles, Darrel Armstrong, Bjoro Haland, Larry Cunningham, Ben Haggard, Tayla Lynn, Olivia Harms, Pamela Gilmartin, Hoss Curtis, Shawn Diddy, John Denver, Kathy Durkin, Big Tom Mcbride, Susan McCann, Ailish Mcbride, Margo, Lisa McCory.
MrWeedpatch
one of the greatest country singers ever.....RIP...and thanks for the great songs you wrote.
Ed logan
Gibson, the shiek of Shelby North Carolina, did write some great songs BUT this one, Woman (Senious ((sp)) woman) was written by the great Gary S. Paxton, of Skip & Flip fame and the Hollywood Argyles fame from Coffeyville Kansas.
Carol Williams
I am by no means a dancer. But in my humble opinion this is the most easy song to slow dance to. It could really get your heart racing. LOVE IT.