Arnold was born on May 15, 1918 on a farm near Henderson, Tennessee. His father, a sharecropper, played the fiddle, while his mother played guitar. As a boy Arnold helped on the farm, which later gained him his nickname—the Tennessee Plowboy. Arnold attended Pinson High School in Pinson, Tennessee, where he played guitar for school functions and events. He quit before graduation to help with the farm work, but continued performing, often arriving on a mule with his guitar hung on his back. Arnold also worked part-time as an assistant at a mortuary.
In 1934, at age 16, Arnold debuted musically on WTJS-AM in Jackson, Tennessee and obtained a job there during 1937. He performed at local nightclubs and was a permanent performer for the station. During 1938, he was hired by WMPS-AM in Memphis, Tennessee, where he was one of its most popular performers. He soon quit for KWK-AM in St. Louis, Missouri, followed by a brief stint at WHAS-AM in Louisville, Kentucky.
He performed for WSM-AM on the Grand Ole Opry during 1943 as a solo artist. In 1944, Arnold signed a contract with RCA Victor, with manager Colonel Tom Parker, who later managed Elvis Presley. Arnold's first single was little noticed, but the next, "Each Minute Seems a Million Years", scored No. 5 on the country charts during 1945. Its success began a decade of unprecedented chart performance; Arnold's next 57 singles all scored the Top Ten, including 19 number one scoring successes.
In 1946, Arnold scored his first major success with "That's How Much I Love You". In 1948, he had five successful songs on the charts simultaneously. That year he had nine songs score the top 10; five of these scored No. 1 and scored No. 1 for 40 of the year's 52 weeks. With Parker's management, Arnold continued to dominate, with 13 of the 20 best-scoring country music songs of 1947–1948. He became the host of Mutual Radio's Purina-sponsored segment of the Opry and of Mutual’s Checkerboard Jamboree, a midday program shared with Ernest Tubb that was broadcast from a Nashville theater. Recorded radio programs increased Arnold’s popularity, as did the CBS Radio series Hometown Reunion with the Duke of Paducah. Arnold quit the Opry during 1948, and his Hometown Reunion briefly broadcasted in competition with the Opry on Saturday nights. In 1949 and 1950, he performed in the Columbia movies Feudin’ Rhythm and Hoedown.
Arnold began working for television in the early 1950s, hosting The Eddy Arnold Show. The summer program was broadcast successively by all three television networks, replacing the Perry Como and Dinah Shore programs. He also performed as a guest and a guest host on the ABC-TV show Ozark Jubilee from 1955–60. Arnold featured in the syndicated Eddy Arnold Time from 1955 to 1957. From 1960 to 1961, he hosted NBC-TV's Today on the Farm.
With the rise of rock and roll in the 1950s, Arnold's record sales declined, though he and fellow RCA Victor recording artist Jim Reeves had a greater audience with popular-sounding string-laced arrangements. Arnold annoyed many people of the country music establishment by recording with the Hugo Winterhalter Orchestra at RCA's studios in New York. The pop-oriented arrangements of "The Cattle Call" and "The Richest Man (in the World)", however, helped to expand his appeal beyond its country music base. This style, pioneered by Reeves and Arnold, became known as the "Nashville Sound". During 1953, Arnold and Tom Parker had a dispute, and Arnold dismissed him. From 1954 to 1963, Arnold's performances were managed by Joe Csida; during 1964 Csida was replaced by Jerry Purcell.
Arnold embarked on a second career that brought his music to a more diverse audience. In the summer of 1965, he had his first Number One country song in ten years, What's He Doing in My World and struck gold again six months later with the song that would become his most well-known Make the World Go Away accompanied by pianist Floyd Cramer on piano and featuring the Anita Kerr Singers. As a result, Arnold's rendition became an international success.
Bill Walker's orchestra arrangements provided the lush background for 16 continuous successes sung by Arnold in the late 1960s. Arnold performed with symphony orchestras in New York City, Las Vegas and Hollywood. He performed in Carnegie Hall for two concerts, and in the Coconut Grove in Las Vegas.[9] During 1966, Arnold was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, the youngest performer to receive the honor. The following year Arnold was voted the first-ever awarded Country Music Association's Entertainer Of The Year. Two years later, Arnold released an autobiography named It's A Long Way From Chester County.
Having been with RCA Victor since his debut during 1944, Arnold left the company in 1973 for MGM Records, for which he recorded four albums, which included several top 40 successes. He returned to RCA in 1976.
During the 1980s, Arnold declared himself semi-retired; however, he continued recording. In 1984, the Academy of Country Music awarded Arnold its Pioneer Award. His next album, You Don't Miss A Thing wasn't released until 1991. Arnold performed road tours for several more years. By 1992, he had sold nearly 85 million records, and had a total of 145 weeks of No. 1 songs, more than any other singer.
In 1996, RCA issued an album of Arnold's main successes since 1944 as part of its 'Essential' series. Arnold, then 76 years old, retired from active singing, though he still performed occasionally. On May 16, 1999, the day after his 81st birthday, he announced his final retirement during a concert at the Hotel Orleans in Las Vegas. That same year, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences inducted the recording of "Make The World Go Away" into the Grammy Hall of Fame. In 2000, he was awarded the National Medal of Arts. In 2005, Arnold received a lifetime achievement award from the Recording Academy, and later that year, released a final album for RCA entitled After All These Years.
Eddy Arnold died from natural causes at 5:00 a.m. Central Time on May 8, 2008 in a nursing home in Nashville, exactly one week before his 90th birthday. His wife of 66 years, Sally Gayhart Arnold, had preceded him in death by two months. They were survived by two children (Richard E. Arnold, Jr., and JoAnn Arnold Pollard), two grandchildren (K. Michelle Pollard and R. Shannon Pollard, Jr.), and four great-grandchildren (Katie E. Pollard, Sophie Pollard, Rowan Pollard and Ben Johns).
On May 31, 2008, RCA released "To Life", as a single from the album After All These Years. It debuted at No. 49 on the Hot Country Songs charts, Arnold's first entry in 25 years and the recording by the oldest person to chart in Billboard magazine. It set the record for the longest span between a first chart single and a last: 62 years and 11 months ("Each Minute Seems Like a Million Years" debuted on June 30, 1945), and extended Arnold's career chart history to seven decades.
Near The Cross
Eddy Arnold Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Free to all a healing stream flows from Calv'ry's mountain
In the cross in the cross be my glory ever
Till my raptured soul shall find rest beyond the river
Near the cross a trembling soul love and mercy found me
There the bright and morning star sheds its beams around me
In the cross in the cross
[ piano ]
Near the cross I'll watch and wait hoping trusting ever
Till I reach the golden strand just beyond the river
In the cross in the cross
In Eddy Arnold's song "Near the Cross," the lyrics depict a deep longing to stay close to Jesus and find solace and redemption through the cross. The line "Jesus keep me near the cross, there a precious fountain / Free to all, a healing stream flows from Calv'ry's mountain" speaks of the belief that near the cross of Jesus, there is a source of spiritual nourishment and healing available to all who seek it. The imagery of the "precious fountain" emphasizes the value and abundance of grace found through the cross.
The chorus continues the theme of glory and rest, stating "In the cross, in the cross be my glory ever / Till my raptured soul shall find rest beyond the river." Here, the cross represents not only a symbol of Jesus' sacrifice and the hope of salvation, but also a source of personal joy and fulfillment. The desire expressed is for one's soul to find eternal peace and tranquility beyond life's trials and challenges, symbolized by the metaphorical river.
The third verse further emphasizes the transformative power of the cross, as the lyrics proclaim, "Near the cross, a trembling soul, love and mercy found me / There the bright and morning star sheds its beams around me." This verse portrays the cross as a place of divine encounter, where love and mercy meet the outstretched arms of a seeking soul. The "bright and morning star" refers to Jesus, whose presence illuminates and guides the way for those who draw near the cross.
Overall, "Near the Cross" portrays a yearning to stay connected to Jesus and to find spiritual solace and healing through His sacrifice on the cross. It speaks to the belief that through the cross, we can find redemption, glory, and rest.
Line by Line Meaning
Jesus keep me near the cross there a precious fountain
May Jesus guide me to stay close to the cross where there is a valuable source of salvation
Free to all a healing stream flows from Calv'ry's mountain
A stream of healing, available to everyone, flows from the mountain of Calvary
In the cross in the cross be my glory ever
Let the cross always be my source of pride and honor
Till my raptured soul shall find rest beyond the river
Until my soul, filled with joy, finds peace in the afterlife
Near the cross a trembling soul love and mercy found me
In close proximity to the cross, a fearful soul discovered love and mercy
There the bright and morning star sheds its beams around me
In that place, the radiant morning star illuminates my surroundings
Near the cross I'll watch and wait hoping trusting ever
By the cross, I will patiently observe and wait with unwavering hope and trust
Till I reach the golden strand just beyond the river
Until I reach the heavenly shore just on the other side of the river
In the cross in the cross
Within the cross, within the cross
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@撒該牧師
Jesus, Keep Me Near The Cross (Hymn)
1.Jesus, keep me near the cross;
there a precious fountain,
free to all, a healing stream,
flows from Calvary's mountain.
Refrain:
In the cross, in the cross,
be my glory ever,
till my raptured soul shall find
rest beyond the river.
2. Near the cross, a trembling soul,
love and mercy found me;
there the bright and morning star
sheds its beams around me.
3. Near the cross! O Lamb of God,
bring its scenes before me;
help me walk from day to day
with its shadow o'er me.
4. Near the cross I'll watch and wait,
hoping, trusting ever,
till I reach the golden strand
just beyond the river.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6W_cN66fLh0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqR8HQz4qFk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EPI0EcgQr0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xrmlv806bGM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5C9FfVA-OI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82kRliCkYV0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWEE-STgimY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbsvX8Bk8GE
@melchiah501
@ONLYthroughTHECROSS I was fortunate enough to grow up in a Christian family and I got the message of the Gospel while I was young. I wouldn't trade it or the promise of eternal peace and rest for anything. May God bless you.
@FalconbladeX
I miss songs like this, no long drawn out lyrics, no fancy guitar tricks. Just simple, pure, music.
@ONLYthroughTHECROSS
I was raised a non-Christian but my father listened to Eddy Arnold all the time ...why didn't I get the message of the Gospel then instead of when I was 40 yrs old.....
@aelantalentscouts
My grandmother and I always used to sing this together...I hope to meet her again one day after this life is over..Thanks be to God!
@byronterrell690
Jesus waits for we who love Him and are obedient to His every word near the cross. Never too old to hope for His return.
@allanroeder4184
some times we move so fast in life we forget what important,but be happy you found him,god bless you
@FalconbladeX
One of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard.
@jbernsgirl
we just sang this beautiful hymn at a nursing home that our church ministers to a couple times a month. I had never heard it before and couldn't wait to come home and see if I could find it on youtube. Eddy Arnold's singing of this is so wonderful. Thanks for putting it out here for me to find. God bless you.
@jaxenaz
Just gold. I love the words soooo pure :)
@outerspaceoutpost
nice classic, praise the Lord & glory to God.