Yoakam was born in Pikeville, Kentucky, the son of Ruth Ann, a key-punch operator, and David Yoakam, a gas-station owner. He was raised in Columbus, Ohio. He graduated from Columbus's Northland High School in 1974. During his high school years, he excelled in both music and drama, regularly securing the lead role in school plays, such as "Charlie" in a stage version of Flowers for Algernon, honing his skills under the guidance of teacher-mentors Jerry McAfee (music) and Charles Lewis (drama). Outside of school, Yoakam sang and played guitar with local garage bands, and entertained his friends and classmates with his impersonations, such as Richard Nixon, who, at the time, was heavily embroiled in the Watergate controversy.
Yoakam briefly attended Ohio State University, but dropped out and moved to Nashville in 1977 with the intent of becoming a recording artist. Later on, Ohio Valley University in Parkersburg, West Virginia awarded and presented Dwight with an honorary doctorate degree on May 7, 2005.
When he began his career, Nashville was oriented toward pop "urban cowboy" music, and Yoakam's brand of hip honky tonk music was not considered marketable.
Not making much headway in Nashville, Yoakam moved to Los Angeles and worked towards bringing his particular brand of new Honky Tonk or "Hillbilly" music (as he called it) forward into the 1980s. Writing all his own songs, and continuing to perform mostly outside traditional country music channels, Yoakam did many shows in rock and punk rock clubs around Los Angeles, playing with roots rock or punk rock acts like The Blasters (Yoakam scored a small video hit with his version of their song "Long White Cadillac"), Los Lobos, and X. This helped him diversify his audience beyond the typical country music fans, and his authentic, groundbreaking music is often credited with rock audiences accepting country music.
Yoakam's recording debut was the self-financed EP Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc. on independent label Oak Records produced by lead-guitarist Pete Anderson; this was later re-released by Reprise records, with several additional tracks, as his major-label debut LP, 1986's Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.. It launched his career. "Honky Tonk Man", a remake of the Johnny Horton song, and "Guitars, Cadillacs" were hit singles. His stylish video "Honky Tonk Man" was the first country music video ever played on MTV. The follow-up LP, Hillbilly Deluxe, was just as successful. His third LP, Buenas Noches from a Lonely Room, included his first No. 1, a duet with his musical idol, Buck Owens, on "Streets of Bakersfield". 1990's If There Was a Way was another best-seller.
Yoakam's song "Readin', Rightin', Route 23" pays tribute to his childhood move from Kentucky, and is named after a local expression describing the route that rural Kentuckians took to find a job outside of the coal mines. (U.S. Route 23 runs north from Kentucky through Columbus and Toledo, Ohio and through the automotive centers of Michigan.) Rather than the standard line that their elementary schools taught "the three Rs" of "Readin', 'Ritin', and 'Rithmetic", Kentuckians used to say that the three Rs they learned were "Readin', 'Ritin, and Route 23 North".
Johnny Cash once cited Yoakam as his favorite country singer. Chris Isaak called him as good a songwriter that ever put a pen to paper. Time Magazine dubbed Yoakam "A Renaissance Man" and Vanity Fair declared that "Yoakam strides the divide between rock's lust and country's lament." Along with his bluegrass and honky-tonk roots, Yoakam has written or covered many Elvis Presley-style rockabilly songs, including his covers of Queen's "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" in 1999 and Presley's "Suspicious Minds" in 1992. He recorded a cover of The Clash's "Train in Vain" in 1997, a cover of the Grateful Dead song "Truckin'", as well as Cheap Trick's "I Want You to Want Me". Yoakam has never been associated only with Country music; on many early tours, he played with Hardcore Punk bands like Hüsker Dü, and played many shows around Los Angeles with Roots/Punk/Rock & Roll acts. His middle-period-to-later records saw him branching out to different styles, covering Rock & Roll, Punk, 1960's, Blues-based "Boogie" like ZZ Top, and writing more adventurous songs like "A Thousand Miles From Nowhere". In 2003, he provided background vocals on Warren Zevon's last album The Wind.
In the 21st century, Yoakam released dwightyoakamacoustic.net, an album featuring solo acoustic versions of many of his hits; left his major label and started his own label.
2005 saw the release of Yoakam's well-reviewed album Blame the Vain, on New West Records. Yoakam also released an album dedicated to Buck Owens, Dwight Sings Buck, on October 23, 2007. His duet with Michelle Branch, a song titled "Long Goodbye", was released as a free download on Branch's official website in early 2011.
In July 2011, Yoakam re-signed with Warner Bros. Nashville and announced plans to release a new album. 3 Pears was released on September 18, 2012 with twelve new tracks. The album, produced by Yoakam, includes collaborations with Kid Rock, Beck, and Ashley Monroe. 3 Pears was released to resounding critical acclaim and earned Yoakam the highest-charting debut of his career on the Billboard 200 and Billboard Country Albums charts. 3 Pears reached #1 on the Americana Radio chart on October 29, 2012 and went on to break the 2012 record for most weeks at #1 on Americana Radio.[4] By the end of 2012, the album was named on annual best of lists by NPR, Rolling Stone, American Songwriter, AOL's The Boot, Entertainment Weekly, The Village Voice, and Rhapsody, and has been included in more critic's "best of 2012" lists than any other artist in the country genre.
Yoakam won the Grammy Award for "Best Male Country Vocal Performance" in 1993 for the song "Ain't That Lonely Yet". He was also named "Artist of the Year" by CMT Europe in 1993 and given the International Touring Artist Award by CMA in 2007.
In 2011, Yoakam received the Cliffie Stone Pioneer Award for his trailblazing achievements in the country music genre.
Bury Me
Dwight Yoakam Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Down in those blue gray mountains
Rest my soul in those hills of coal
Until this old earth doesn't tremble
And don't you mourn for me when my soul is free
No woman, don't you cry
You just bury me along the big sandy
This old town of sin, it's about to do me in
I don't know how much I can stand
With my knees on the street and my heart at their feet
I'm forced to beg from Satan's hand
So bury me along the big sandy
Down in those blue gray mountains
Rest my soul in those hills of coal
Until this old earth doesn't tremble
Don't you mourn for me when my soul is free
No woman, don't you cry
You just bury me along the big sandy
Under a blue Kentucky sky
When I came to this land I was strong and I could stand
Oh but now I've somehow gone astray
Yet I still see the truth in the teachings of my youth
And I know that the Lord ain't turned away
So bury me along the big sandy
Down in those blue gray mountains
Rest my soul in those hills of coal
Until this old earth doesn't tremble
Don't you mourn for me when my soul is free
No woman, don't you cry
You just bury me along the big sandy
Under a blue Kentucky sky
Under a blue Kentucky sky
Under a blue Kentucky sky
Dwight Yoakam’s “Bury Me” is a mournful ode to a life that was hard but honorable. The song is about a man who wishes to be buried along the Big Sandy River in the Appalachian Mountains of Kentucky. The Big Sandy River is a tributary of the Ohio River and runs through several states in the Appalachian region, including Kentucky. The singer has had a hard life, living in a town full of sin, and the only way out is to die.
The lyrics are full of religious references, showing the singer’s belief in God despite the difficult circumstances of his life. The line “I’m forced to beg from Satan’s hand” shows the desperation of the singer as he is driven to do anything to survive. However, he still holds on to his faith and knows that he will be reunited with God after death.
The chorus of “Bury Me” is a plea to those left behind not to mourn for him after he's gone. He asks his woman not to cry, but instead to bury him along the Big Sandy River. He wants to rest in a place that reminds him of the natural beauty of his home, a place where the hills are made of coal - perhaps implying that he spent his life working in the coal mines that are prevalent in the region. The song is a poignant reminder that life is tough, but that there is still beauty and meaning to be found in it.
Line by Line Meaning
Bury me along the big sandy
Place my body in the Big Sandy riverbed for my resting place.
Down in those blue gray mountains
Lay me to rest in the Appalachian Mountains.
Rest my soul in those hills of coal
Allow my spirit to find peace in the coal-filled mountains.
Until this old earth doesn't tremble
Let me rest until the earth's tremors no longer disrupt my peace.
And don't you mourn for me when my soul is free
Do not grieve for me when I am released from this world.
No woman, don't you cry
Referring to his lover, do not weep for me.
You just bury me along the big sandy
Simply ensure my body is laid to rest in the Big Sandy riverbed.
Under a blue Kentucky sky
Let the blue skies of Kentucky be my final backdrop.
This old town of sin, it's about to do me in
The sinful town that he is in is taking its toll on him.
I don't know how much I can stand
He doesn't know how much more of the town's sins he can endure.
With my knees on the street and my heart at their feet
He is begging on the street with no genuine option but to do so.
I'm forced to beg from Satan's hand
He has no choice but to beg on the street; Satan may have a hand in this as well.
When I came to this land I was strong and I could stand
He was strong and able when he initially came to this land.
Oh but now I've somehow gone astray
He has lost his way or lost a part of himself along the way.
Yet I still see the truth in the teachings of my youth
He still upholds the values taught to him throughout his childhood.
And I know that the Lord ain't turned away
He remains faithful to his religious roots and believes God hasn't abandoned him.
Under a blue Kentucky sky
He repeats the request of his burial under the beautiful blue skies of Kentucky.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: DWIGHT YOAKAM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mark Holm
Bury me along the big sandy
Down in those blue gray mountains
Rest my soul in those hills of coal
Until this old earth doesn't tremble
And don't you mourn for me when my soul is free
No woman, don't you cry
You just bury me along the big sandy
Under a blue Kentucky sky
This old town of sin, it's about to do me in
I don't know how much I can stand
With my knees on the street and my heart at their feet
I'm forced to beg from Satan's hand
So bury me along the big sandy
Down in those blue gray mountains
Rest my soul in those hills of coal
Until this old earth doesn't tremble
Don't you mourn for me when my soul is free
No woman, don't you cry
You just bury me along the big sandy
Under a blue Kentucky sky
When I came to this land I was strong and I could stand
Oh but now I've somehow gone astray
Yet I still see the truth in the teachings of my youth
And I know that the Lord ain't turned away
So bury me along the big sandy
Down in those blue gray mountains
Rest my soul in those hills of coal
Until this old earth doesn't tremble
Don't you mourn for me when my soul is free
No woman, don't you cry
You just bury me along the big sandy
Under a blue Kentucky sky
Under a blue Kentucky sky
Under a blue Kentucky sky
Mark Holm
Bury me along the big sandy
Down in those blue gray mountains
Rest my soul in those hills of coal
Until this old earth doesn't tremble
And don't you mourn for me when my soul is free
No woman, don't you cry
You just bury me along the big sandy
Under a blue Kentucky sky
This old town of sin, it's about to do me in
I don't know how much I can stand
With my knees on the street and my heart at their feet
I'm forced to beg from Satan's hand
So bury me along the big sandy
Down in those blue gray mountains
Rest my soul in those hills of coal
Until this old earth doesn't tremble
Don't you mourn for me when my soul is free
No woman, don't you cry
You just bury me along the big sandy
Under a blue Kentucky sky
When I came to this land I was strong and I could stand
Oh but now I've somehow gone astray
Yet I still see the truth in the teachings of my youth
And I know that the Lord ain't turned away
So bury me along the big sandy
Down in those blue gray mountains
Rest my soul in those hills of coal
Until this old earth doesn't tremble
Don't you mourn for me when my soul is free
No woman, don't you cry
You just bury me along the big sandy
Under a blue Kentucky sky
Under a blue Kentucky sky
Under a blue Kentucky sky
cableinstaller26
wish he would do more like this awesome song
brad dovel
the first albulm was his best
William Powell
@brad dovel A friend once told me every band's first album is their best. It's hard to disagree when you look at it...
Harris terrance
Love this song
Michael Treadway
FANTASTIC WORK, DWIGHT AND MARIA 😎😇
John W Landry
Another favourite of mine by Dwight Yoakam.
Donna Marie Pszoniak
Love Dwight song's & voice 💝💝💝💝💝💝
Marty McFly
He's always been such a bad ass
Maryanne WestVirginiagirl
This song reminds me of my family who is buried near the Big Sandy in Louisa, KY.. Papaw and mamaw and the rest of my dear family