In 1959, Fender recorded the blues ballad "Wasted Days and Wasted Nights." The song became popular in 1959, but he was beset by legal troubles after he and a band member were arrested for possession of marijuana. After a two years in Louisiana's Angola prison farm, he was released through the intercession of Gov. Jimmie Davis, also a songwriter and musician. Davis requested that Fender stay away from music while on probation as a condition of his release. By the end of the 1960s, Fender was back in Texas working as a mechanic, and attending a local junior college, while only playing music on the weekends.
Number One Pop and Country
In 1974, Fender recorded "Before The Next Teardrop Falls." The single was selected for national distribution, and became a number one hit on the Billboard Country and Pop charts. His next four singles, including a remake of "Wasted Days", all hit the number one spot on the Billboard Country charts. During the next few years, Fender had several major country hits, including the No. 1 hits "Secret Love" (1975) and "You'll Lose a Good Thing" (1976).
Texas Tornados
In the 1990s, Fender teamed up with fellow Tex-Mex musicians Doug Sahm, Flaco Jimenez and Augie Myers to form the Tex-Mex supergroup the Texas Tornados, whose work was widely acclaimed. Following the death of Sahm, the production of the Tornadoes slowed.
Los Super Seven
Freddy Fender continued to still be on top with a groundbreaking collaboration with several musical legends to produce another supergroup, Los Super Seven which consisted of David Hidalgo (vocals, guitar, drums, bass, percussion, requinto, hidalguera); Rick Trevino, Joe Ely (vocals, guitar); Flaco Jimenez (vocals, accordion); Cesar Rosas (vocals, six-string bass, guitar, guitarron, jarana); Freddy Fender (vocals, acoustic bass); Ruben Ramos (vocals). This Super Seven effort won a Grammy in 1999.
On February 4, 1999, Freddy's star was installed on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
In 2004, the Texas Folklife Resources produced a widely acclaimed sell-out show at the Paramount in Austin, Texas " Fifty Years of Freddy Fender", where Freddy was honored and then performed to a packed house. Also in 2004, Freddy's hometown of San Benito Texas honored Freddy with his likeness emblazoned on their new watertower with "Hometown of Freddy Fender". Freddy would later say that this honor meant more to him than any other accolade he had ever won.
Freddy Fender's Masterpiece...
La Musica De Baldemar Huerta
Freddy delves deeply into the music of his forefathers: the boleros and rancheras that would have played in the ghettos of his native San Benito, Texas, and that he sang as a youth in border-town cantinas. Especially gorgeous are "Adios Muchachos," a melancholy meditation on final farewells, and the delicate opener, "Rayito de Luna." El Be Bop Kid isn't just back; he sounds reborn. Freddy won his last Grammy for this album.
Freddy Fender underwent a kidney transplant in 2002 donated by his daughter and a transplant of the liver in 2004. Nonetheless, his condition continued to worsen. He was suffering from an "incurable cancer" in which he had tumors on his lungs. On December 31, 2005, Fender performed his last concert and resumed chemotherapy.
Fender has Passed on...
Rest in Peace, Vaya Con Dios
Freddy Fender passed away on Saturday, October 14, 2006, after a long battle with lung cancer. He is buried in his Hometown of San Benito, Texas.
Plans are underway for a Freddy Fender Museum to be located in his beloved hometown, San Benito, Texas. Check back at: www.freddyfendermuseum.org or
www.freddyfender.com
Your Cheatin' Heart
FREDDY FENDER Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You'll cry and cry and try to sleep
But sleep won't come the whole night through
Your cheating heart will tell on you
When tears come down, like falling rain
You'll toss around and call my name
You'll walk the floor the way I do
Your cheating heart will pine someday
And crave the love you threw away
The time will come when you'll be blue
Your cheating heart will tell on you
In Freddie Fender's song "Your Cheatin' Heart," the lyrics tell the story of a man warning his cheating lover of the consequences of her actions. The chorus line, "Your cheating heart will make you weep, you'll cry and cry and try to sleep," underscores the sentiment that cheating will ultimately lead to remorse and regret. The imagery of tears falling like rain and the inability to sleep further emphasize the emotional toll of infidelity. The man assures his partner that, eventually, her deceit will be exposed through her own guilt, as he sings, "Your cheating heart will tell on you."
The second verse delves further into the emotional consequences of cheating, with the line, "You'll walk the floor the way I do," suggesting that the man has also experienced heartbreak due to his lover's infidelity. The final verse offers a glimmer of hope, with the man suggesting that one day, the cheating lover will regret throwing away the love that they had, as her heart will pine and crave for what she once had. The song's lyrics ultimately serve as a cautionary tale of the destructive power of infidelity and the inevitable fallout that comes from betraying someone's trust.
Line by Line Meaning
Your cheating heart will make you weep
If you cheat on someone, it will eventually catch up to you and bring you heartbreak and tears.
You'll cry and cry and try to sleep
You will feel guilty and remorseful, and your conscience will keep you up at night.
But sleep won't come the whole night through
Your guilt and shame will keep you from finding any peace or rest.
Your cheating heart will tell on you
Your actions will come to light, whether through your own guilt or someone else discovering your infidelity.
When tears come down, like falling rain
You will be overwhelmed with emotions and unable to control your tears.
You'll toss around and call my name
You will regret betraying the one you loved and wish to be forgiven.
You'll walk the floor the way I do
You will feel the pain and heartbreak that you caused your partner, and understand their suffering.
Your cheating heart will pine someday
You will long for the love and connection you had with your partner, but will have lost it due to your actions.
And crave the love you threw away
You will realize the mistake you made in betraying someone who loved you and want to make things right, though it may be too late.
The time will come when you'll be blue
You will feel the full weight of your actions and the consequences they brought, and will be consumed by sadness and regret.
Your cheating heart will tell on you
Once again, your infidelity will come back to haunt you, as the truth will always come out in the end.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., WARREN M. DEFEVER D/B/A PERFORATE MY HEART MUSIC
Written by: Hank Williams, Sr.
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind