Born in Shreveport, Louisiana, Cramer grew up in the small town of Huttig, Arkansas, teaching himself to play the piano. After finishing high school, he returned to Shreveport, where he worked as a pianist for the Louisiana Hayride radio show.
In 1952, he made his way to Nashville at a time when the use of piano accompanists in country music was growing in popularity. Before long, Cramer would become one of the busiest studio musicians in the industry, playing piano for stars such as Elvis Presley, Brenda Lee, Patsy Cline, The Browns, Jim Reeves, Roy Orbison, Don Gibson and the Everly Brothers, and many others. It is Cramer's piano that is heard, for example, on Presley's first national hit, "Heartbreak Hotel."
However, Cramer remained a virtual unknown to anyone but music industry insiders until he recorded a 45 rpm single in 1960 called "Last Date." An instrumental, the music exhibited a relatively new concept for piano playing known as the "slip note" style. The record went to Number two on the Billboard Hot 100 pop music chart. By the mid-1960s, Cramer had become a respected performer, making numerous record albums and touring with guitar maestro Chet Atkins and saxophonist Boots Randolph.
Floyd Cramer died of lung cancer in 1997 at the age of 64 and was interred in the Spring Hill Cemetery in the Nashville suburb of Madison, Tennessee.
In 2003, he was inducted into both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, Tennessee offers the "Floyd Cramer Competitive Scholarship."
Amen
Floyd Cramer Lyrics
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You've heard that I'm wild and I'm free
You may wonder how I can promise you now
This love that I feel for you always will be
But you're not just time that I'm killin'
I'm no longer one of those guys
As sure as I live, this love that I give
Is gonna be yours until the day that I die
Oh, baby, I'm gonna love you forever
Forever and ever, amen
As long as old men sit and talk about the weather
As long as old women sit and talk about old men
If you wonder how long I'll be faithful
I'll be happy to tell you again
I'm gonna love you forever and ever
Forever and ever, amen
They say time take its toll on a body
Makes a young girl's brown hair turn gray
Well, honey, I don't care, I ain't in love with your hair
And if it all fell out, well, I'd love you anyway
They say time can play tricks on a mem'ry
Make people forget things they knew
Well, it's easy to see it's happenin' to me
I've already forgotten ev'ry woman but you
Oh, darlin', I'm gonna love you forever
Forever and ever, amen
As long as old men sit and talk about the weather
As long as old women sit and talk about old men
If you wonder how long I'll be faithful
Well, just listen to how this song ends
I'm gonna love you forever and ever
Forever and ever, amen
I'm gonna love you forever and ever
Forever and ever, forever and ever
Forever and ever, amen
The lyrics to Floyd Cramer's song "Forever and Ever Amen" speak to the strength and longevity of true love. The singer acknowledges that others may view their love as foolish or wild, but they know that their commitment to their partner is unwavering. The use of the phrase "forever and ever, amen" emphasizes the permanence of their love, extending even past their own lifetimes.
The singer also addresses the notion that time can change people and relationships, referencing aging and the fading of memories. However, their love remains constant, unswayed by external factors like physical appearance or memory loss. They assure their partner that they will remain faithful for eternity, as the song's title suggests.
Overall, the lyrics of "Forever and Ever Amen" celebrate the unbreakable bond between two people in love, embracing the idea of true and lasting devotion.
Line by Line Meaning
You may think that I'm talking foolish
You might believe that what I'm saying is stupid.
You've heard that I'm wild and I'm free
You know the rumors about me that I act recklessly and without limitations.
You may wonder how I can promise you now
You might be curious about how I can make a commitment right now.
This love that I feel for you always will be
The love I have for you will never diminish.
But you're not just time that I'm killin'
I'm not wasting my time by committing to you.
I'm no longer one of those guys
I've changed my ways from being one of those unreliable men.
As sure as I live, this love that I give
I am confident that my love for you will last my entire life.
Is gonna be yours until the day that I die
I promise to give you my love until the end of my days.
Oh, baby, I'm gonna love you forever
My love for you will last an eternity, my sweetheart.
Forever and ever, amen
Until the end of time, my love for you will endure.
As long as old men sit and talk about the weather
My love for you will continue for as long as people have idle conversations about the weather in their old age.
As long as old women sit and talk about old men
My love for you will persist as long as elderly women talk about the men in their lives.
If you wonder how long I'll be faithful
If you question my loyalty, I'll answer truthfully.
I'll be happy to tell you again
I'll gladly repeat my vow of eternal devotion to you.
They say time take its toll on a body
Time has a physical impact on one's body, as they say.
Makes a young girl's brown hair turn gray
Time can cause a young girl's hair to turn gray.
Well, honey, I don't care, I ain't in love with your hair
I don't mind if time changes your appearance because I fell in love with you, not just your looks.
And if it all fell out, well, I'd love you anyway
Even if you lost all your hair, my feelings for you wouldn't change.
They say time can play tricks on a mem'ry
People say that the passage of time can cause memories to become distorted.
Make people forget things they knew
Time can cause individuals to forget things that they once knew.
Well, it's easy to see it's happenin' to me
I can relate to this phenomenon as I already forgot about all other women except for you.
Oh, darlin', I'm gonna love you forever
My affection for you will never cease, my dear.
Forever and ever, amen
I will love you endlessly, now and forever.
I'm gonna love you forever and ever
I vow to love you without end.
Forever and ever, forever and ever
My love will last for an eternity without fail.
Forever and ever, amen
I will love you endlessly, now and forever.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Don Schlitz, Paul Overstreet
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind