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."
Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue
Floyd Cramer Lyrics
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Don't know what's come over you
You've found someone new and
Don't it make my brown eyes blue
I'll be fine when you're gone
I'll just cry all night long
Say it isn't true and
Tell me no secrets, tell me some lies
Give me no reasons, give me alibies
Tell me you love me and don't let me cry
Say anything but don't say goodbye
I didn't mean to treat you bad
Didn't know just what I had
But honey now I do
And don't it make my brown eyes
Don't it make my brown eyes
Don't it make my brown eyes blue
The lyrics of Floyd Cramer's song Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue talk about heartbreak caused by a lover who has found someone new. The song starts with the persona expressing their sadness and confusion about the sudden change of the love interest. They can't seem to understand what has come over them and how they could just found someone new without any apparent reason. The second verse shows the persona trying to cope with the grief by telling themselves they'll be fine when their lover leaves, but in reality, they know that they'll just cry all night. The chorus repeats the phrase "don't it make my brown eyes blue," which describes the pain the persona is feeling.
In the third verse, the persona asks their lover not to say goodbye and give them false hope by telling them they love them while feeding them lies and alibis. They don't want to know the truth that their love is leaving them, and they don't want to cry. In the final verse, the persona acknowledges that they had taken their love for granted and didn't appreciate what they had until it was gone. They regret how they treated their lover but note that this new revelation makes their brown eyes blue.
Overall, the lyrics of Floyd Cramer's song Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue depicts the pain and heartbreak caused by being left by a lover. The song's use of the phrase "don't it make my brown eyes blue," serves as an emotional anchor that signifies the grief and sadness associated with lost love.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't know when I've been so blue
I am feeling really sad and don't really know why.
Don't know what's come over you
I can't understand why you have changed or what has caused you to become different.
You've found someone new and
I know you've found another person to be with.
Don't it make my brown eyes blue
And because of that, it makes me feel really sad and upset.
I'll be fine when you're gone
Even though I will be okay when you leave me.
I'll just cry all night long
I will still feel sad and cry all night long.
Say it isn't true and
Please tell me that this is not really happening.
Don't it make my brown eyes blue
Because if it is, it will make me feel sad and upset.
Tell me no secrets, tell me some lies
Maybe it would be better if you don't tell me the truth, and instead, tell me something false to make me feel better.
Give me no reasons, give me alibies
I don't want to hear any explanations or excuses as to why you have chosen someone else over me.
Tell me you love me and don't let me cry
Just say you still love me and don't let me become even more upset than I already am.
Say anything but don't say goodbye
Please don't say goodbye; that would be too much for me.
I didn't mean to treat you bad
I'm sorry if I did something wrong that caused you to leave me.
Didn't know just what I had
I didn't realize how important you were to me until you were gone.
But honey now I do
Now I finally understand how much I need and miss you.
And don't it make my brown eyes
And now that I do, it makes me feel sad and upset.
Don't it make my brown eyes
It's hard to deal with the situation and makes me feel really unhappy.
Don't it make my brown eyes blue
Because I feel this way when I think of losing you.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Richard C Leigh
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind