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.
I Don
Dwight Yoakam Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If I stay dumb and no one tells
But if I find out that you've been cheatin'
What I don't know might get you killed
Well, death row in prison it don't look half as bad
As a life filled with heartache over you
So if you're a playin' those dirty little games
'Cause what I don't know might not hurt me
If I stay dumb and no one tells
But if I find out that you've been cheatin'
What I don't know might get you killed
Well Smith and Wesson juries hold a real mean, nasty court
And the verdict that they pass is never slow
So keep on a wearin' that little poker face
'Cause soon enough your cards will have to show
And what I don't know might not hurt me
If I stay dumb and no one tells
But if I find out that you've been cheatin'
What I don't know might get you killed
What I don't know might get you killed
What I don't know might get you killed
In "I Don't Know" by Dwight Yoakam, the singer is wary of the consequences of infidelity by their partner. The lyrics describe the possibility of the singer being unaware of their partner's infidelities, but ultimately, they warn that if they do find out, the consequences could be deadly. The lyrics suggest that the singer may have tendencies towards violence, as they compare death row to a life with heartbreak. The bridge of the song alludes to a potential confrontation, as the singer mentions a "Smith and Wesson" jury suggesting the possibility of violence toward infidelity.
The song is a cautionary tale about the costs of infidelity and the anger and violence that it can provoke. Essentially, the lyrics suggest that one should stay honest and faithful to their partner to avoid such consequences. The song also suggests that keeping secrets may work for a time but ultimately, the truth will come out, and the cost of being found out may be more severe than if the truth had been revealed in the first place.
Overall, "I Don't Know" is a tense, dark country song that speaks to the danger of infidelity and the consequences of secrets. It is a song that speaks to the worst of human nature and warns of the potential violent outcomes of secrets and infidelity.
Line by Line Meaning
What I don't know might not hurt me
I might be better off not knowing certain things, especially if they can harm me in any way.
If I stay dumb and no one tells
By choosing to remain ignorant, I can avoid a lot of potential pain.
But if I find out that you've been cheatin'
If I discover that you've been unfaithful, things could take a deadly turn.
What I don't know might get you killed
Your actions can have dire consequences for yourself if you choose to deceive me.
Well, death row in prison it don't look half as bad
Going to prison might not seem as bad as living a life filled with misery after being betrayed by someone you love.
As a life filled with heartache over you
Being heartbroken over someone's betrayal can be a terrible feeling that lasts a long time.
So if you're a playin' those dirty little games
If you're engaging in deceitful behavior, you'd better watch out.
You better pray that I don't find out the truth
If I were to discover the truth about your actions, it wouldn't bode well for you.
'Cause what I don't know might not hurt me
Choosing to remain ignorant of certain things can be beneficial, at least in the short term.
Well Smith and Wesson juries hold a real mean, nasty court
The consequences of one's actions can be swift and severe, especially when firearms are involved.
And the verdict that they pass is never slow
The outcome of such situations is never uncertain, and there is no guarantee of a favorable outcome for anyone involved.
So keep on a wearin' that little poker face
If you continue to pretend that everything is okay, you might be able to keep up the charade for a little while longer.
'Cause soon enough your cards will have to show
However, your true intentions will eventually become clear, and the consequences of your actions will come to light.
What I don't know might get you killed
If you choose to act deceptively, you might end up facing severe consequences that could ultimately lead to your demise.
What I don't know might get you killed
Once again, your deceitful actions could ultimately prove fatal for you.
What I don't know might get you killed
The dangers of deceit can never be overstated, as they can ultimately prove to be lethal in certain circumstances.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, THE BICYCLE MUSIC COMPANY
Written by: DWIGHT YOAKAM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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