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."
I'm a Believer
Floyd Cramer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Meant for someone else but not for me
Love was out to get me
That's the way it seemed
Disappointment haunted all of my dreams
Then I saw her face, now I'm a believer
Not a trace, of doubt in my mind
I couldn't leave her if I tried
No not if I tried
I thought love was more or less a giving thing
Seems the more I gave the less I got
What's the use in tryin'
All you get is pain
When I needed sunshine I got rain
Then I saw her face, now I'm a believer
Not a trace, of doubt in my mind
I'm in love and I'm a believer
I couldn't leave her if I tried
Not if I tried
Love was out to get me
That's the way it seemed
Disappointment haunted all of my dreams
What's the use of trying
All you get is pain
When I wanted sunshine I got rain
Then I saw her face, now I'm a believer
Not a trace, of doubt in my mind
I'm in love and I'm a believer
I couldn't leave her if I tried
No not if I tried
Not if I tried, no
'Cause I'm a believer
Yes I'm a believer
The lyrics to Floyd Cramer's song "I'm a Believer" describe the journey of one who had lost hope in love and believed it was only for others but not him. Such a situation haunted his dreams, and disappointment seemed to be the only thing he got from love. However, when he saw her face, he became a believer, and doubt disappeared from his mind. He is now in love with her and couldn't leave her even if he tried. Love was out to get him, but he found it in the end. The lyrics are a message that love can be frustrating, but it's worth the wait.
The lyrics to this song have been covered by various artists over the years, such as the Monkees and Smash Mouth. It was written by Neil Diamond and originally recorded by The Monkees. Despite being a heartbreak song, it has a happy-sounding tune, which creates an interesting contrast. Additionally, after the release of the song, it became a favorite for weddings and romantic occasions due to its message of faith in love.
Line by Line Meaning
I thought love was only true in fairy tales
I used to believe that true love only existed in fairy tales
Meant for someone else but not for me
I thought that love might exist, but not for me specifically
Love was out to get me
I felt like the idea of love was somehow working against me
That's the way it seemed
It seemed like everything was conspiring against me when it came to love
Disappointment haunted all of my dreams
I had recurring dreams about being let down by love and feeling disappointed
Then I saw her face, now I'm a believer
But then I met someone who changed my mind about love
Not a trace, of doubt in my mind
I am completely sure of my feelings for her
I'm in love, and I'm a believer
I am now a believer in love because I am in love myself
I couldn't leave her if I tried
I am so dedicated to her that I couldn't leave her even if I wanted to
No not if I tried
I am absolutely certain that I could not leave her
I thought love was more or less a giving thing
I used to think that love was all about giving to someone else
Seems the more I gave the less I got
But the more I gave, the less I felt like I was getting back in return
What's the use in tryin'
I felt like there was no point in even trying to find love
All you get is pain
Because all that comes from trying to find love is pain
When I needed sunshine I got rain
Whenever I was looking for happiness, something always went wrong instead
Not if I tried
Even if I wanted to, there is no way that I could leave her
No
'Cause I'm a believer
I am now a firm believer in love because of my experience with her
Yes I'm a believer
I am so convinced of my love for her and the power of love in general that I am proud to say I am a believer
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Neil Diamond
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Kaeden Burnham
Love it!!
Eric Rockabilly
i have that LP. Good job!
The2ndinfdiv
out standing