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.
Miner's Prayer
Dwight Yoakam Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I walk down in that cold, dark mine
I say a prayer to my dear Saviour
Please let me see the sunshine one more time
When oh when will it be over
When will I lay these burdens down
And when I die, dear Lord, in heaven
I still grieve for my poor brother
And I still hear my dear old mother cry
When late that night they came and told her
He'd lost his life down in the Big Shoal Mine
When oh when will it be over
When will I lay these burdens down
And when I die, dear Lord, in heaven
Please take my soul from 'neath that cold, dark ground
I have no shame, I feel no sorrow
If on this earth not much I own
I have the love of my sweet children
An old plow mule, a shovel and a hoe
When oh when will it be over
When will I lay these burdens down
And when I die, dear Lord, in heaven
Please take my soul from 'neath that cold, dark ground
Yeah when I die, dear Lord, in heaven
Please take my soul from 'neath that cold, dark ground
Dwight Yoakam's song "Miner's Prayer" is a poignant tribute to the plight and hardship faced by miners who work in the dark, coal mines every day. The lyrics recount the daily routine of walking down into the mine, and saying a prayer to see the sunshine once more when the whistle blows each morning. The song is a powerful reflection on the long and difficult hours spent underground, and the ever-present risk of injury or death.
The lyrics also touch on the emotional toll that mining takes on miners and their loved ones. Dwight Yoakam sings about grieving for his poor brother who lost his life down in the Big Shoal Mine and still hears his mother's cry over the loss. The chorus repeats the question, "When oh when will it be over? When will I lay these burdens down?" highlighting the fact that the miners are trapped in an endless cycle of toiling in the mines with no end in sight other than death.
Overall, "Miner's Prayer" is a powerful ballad that pays tribute to the bravery and sacrifice of miners who work in dangerous conditions. It is a poignant reminder of the price that must be paid for the comforts of modern life, and of our duty to ensure the safety and well-being of those who do the difficult, often thankless work of mining.
Line by Line Meaning
When the whistle blows each morning
Every morning, when I hear the whistle blow signaling the start of my workday in the mine
And I walk down in that cold, dark mine
I make my way down to the mine, where it is always cold and dark
I say a prayer to my dear Saviour
I pray to my savior for protection and guidance in this risky and dangerous job
Please let me see the sunshine one more time
I ask for another chance to enjoy the warmth and light of the sun outside of the mine
When oh when will it be over
I yearn for the day when I can retire or find another job outside of mining
When will I lay these burdens down
When will I be free from the physical and emotional demands of my job
And when I die, dear Lord, in heaven
When I eventually pass away and reach heaven
Please take my soul from 'neath that cold, dark ground
I want my soul to leave the mine behind and be free from its dark and oppressive environment
I still grieve for my poor brother
I am still deeply sad about the loss of my brother, who also worked in the mines and lost his life
And I still hear my dear old mother cry
My mother's sorrow at the loss of her child still echoes in my memory
When late that night they came and told her
I vividly recall the time when my family received the terrible news about my brother's death
He'd lost his life down in the Big Shoal Mine
My brother died while working in the same line of work as me, at the Big Shoal Mine
I have no shame, I feel no sorrow
I am proud of the honest work I do and do not regret any hardships I endure in the mine
If on this earth not much I own
Although I may not have much in terms of material possessions, I still find fulfillment in my life
I have the love of my sweet children
My children provide me with love and happiness that cannot be found in material possessions
An old plow mule, a shovel and a hoe
Aside from my family, my job and the tools I use to do it are the most important things in my life
Yeah when I die, dear Lord, in heaven
I again express my desire for my soul to leave the mine and be free from its burdens, when I eventually pass away and reach heaven
Please take my soul from 'neath that cold, dark ground
I ask for the final time for my soul to be removed from the oppressive environment of the mine
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: DWIGHT YOAKAM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Dixiele
The people say the worst comments on here about Dwights body parts! He's a man, a human with feelings and a damm good brain!
annie sundene
Somehow I've missed this song....I love it!! The man just never ceases to amaze me...so much talent & such a truly nice person!
Leslie Brennan
A great song and story. My grandaddy was a coal miner in Pennsylvania and was trapped underneath for 3 days. He survived the others didn't. He went crazy and spent the rest of days in a mental hospital. No one then in this days knew what PTSD was. I song this song today in honor of my grandaddy who I saw only once.
Dan63
Awesome!
Terri Geer
He wrote this for his Grandfather, who was a coal miner.
luna12351
SUUUUPER--DANKE -GRÜSSE
pbruc brooks
Good fast 2 step number.
Reinaldo Santos
What i die...end...