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."
Can't Stop Lovin' You
Floyd Cramer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've made up my mind
To live in memory of the lonesome times
(I can't stop wanting you)
It's useless to say
So I'll just live my life in dreams of yesterday
(Dreams of yesterday)
Though long ago, they still make me blue
They say that time heals a broken heart
But time has stood still since we've been apart
(I can't stop loving you)
I've made up my mind
To live in memories of the lonesome times
(I can't stop wanting you)
It's useless to say
So I'll just live my life in dreams of yesterday
(Those happy hours)
(Those happy hours)
(That we once knew)
(That we once knew)
(Though long ago)
(Though long ago)
(Still make me blue)
Still make me blue
(They say that time)
(They say that time)
(Heals a broken heart)
(Heals a broken heart)
(But time has stood still)
Time has stood still
(Since we've been apart)
(Since we've been apart)
(I can't stop loving you)
I said I made up my mind
To live in memory of the lonesome times
Sing a song, children
(I can't stop wanting you)
It's useless to say
So I'll just live my life of dreams of yesterday
(Of yesterday)
The song, "Can't Stop Lovin' You" by Floyd Cramer is essentially about the immense pain and longing that comes with a failed relationship. The lyrics paint a picture of a person who has decided to live in the memories of the past and is unable to move on from the devastating heartbreak. The first verse states, "I've made up my mind, To live in memory of the lonesome times." This line highlights the singer's decision to dwell on the past rather than attempt to move on.
The chorus of the song reiterates the singer's inability to stop thinking about their former partner. The line, "I can't stop loving you" is a direct indication of the fact that the singer still loves their ex-partner despite the hurt they may have caused. This is followed by the line "It's useless to say, So I'll just live my life in dreams of yesterday." This line highlights the idea that the singer has accepted their inability to move on and has decided to live in their memories instead.
The second verse brings out the nostalgia associated with the happy times that the couple shared. Despite the fact that these moments have long since passed, they still cause the singer immense pain. The line "But time has stood still since we've been apart" sums up the fact that the singer has not been able to move on since the breakup, and the memories of the past continue to haunt them.
Overall, "Can't Stop Lovin' You" is a heart-wrenching ballad about the pain and longing that lingers after a relationship ends, and the difficult decision to live in the memories of the past.
Line by Line Meaning
I can't stop loving you
The feeling of love for you has never changed or disappeared, and it is impossible for me to stop feeling this way.
I've made up my mind
I have decided to accept the fact that I still love you and cannot change that fact.
To live in memory of the lonesome times
I will try to find solace in the memories of our happy times and will let my loneliness linger for me to remember you.
I can't stop wanting you
My heart yearns for you every moment, and it is pointless to deny or suppress these feelings.
So I'll just live my life in dreams of yesterday
I will imagine a world where you are still with me and will keep that dream alive for as long as I can.
Those happy hours that we once knew
The moments we shared where we were content and happy together, are deeply embedded in my heart forever.
Though long ago, they still make me blue
Even though those happy moments were a long time ago, reminiscing brings me pain and sadness because now you are not by my side.
They say that time heals a broken heart
People say that the passing of time soothes the pain of a broken heart and heals the wounds, but I still love you deeply after all this time.
But time has stood still since we've been apart
Despite the passing of time, my love for you has not faded, and I still feel as if we only parted ways yesterday.
Sing a song, children
Despite the pain that I am feeling, I will try to find comfort in music, preferably in songs that help me remember you.
Of yesterday
I will continue to hold on to the memories of our past and cherish them, despite the pain they bring me.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Don Gibson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind