Floyd Cramer (October 27, 1933 – December 31, 1997) was an American Hall of… Read Full Bio ↴Floyd Cramer (October 27, 1933 – December 31, 1997) was an American Hall of Fame pianist who was one of the architects of the "Nashville Sound."

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."

Put a Little Love in Your Heart
Floyd Cramer Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Think of your fellow man, lend him a helping hand
Put a little love in your heart
You see, it's getting late, oh, please don't hesitate
Put a little love in your heart

And the world will be a better place
And the world will be a better place for you and me
You just wait and see

Another day goes by, and still the children cry
Put a little love in your heart
If you want the world to know, we won't let hatred grow
Put a little love in your heart

And the world will be a better place
And the world will be a better place for you and me
You just wait and see
Wait and see

Take a good look around and if you're lookin' down
Put a little love in your heart
I hope when you decide kindness will be your guide
Put a little love in your heart
And the world will be a better place
And the world will be a better place for you and me
You just wait and see

Put a little love in your heart
Put a little love in your heart

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Floyd Cramer's song "Your Cheatin' Heart" are not represented in the above-mentioned lyrics. Instead, the lyrics are for the song "Put a Little Love in Your Heart," which was originally performed by Jackie DeShannon. The lyrics encourage people to show compassion towards others and to promote love and kindness in the world. The singer urges people to put aside their differences and work towards creating a better world by lending a helping hand and showing love to those who need it. The repetition of the phrase "put a little love in your heart" underscores the message of the song and emphasizes the importance of love and compassion.

The chorus of the song highlights the theme of the song, which is that the world will be a better place if people choose to show love and kindness towards each other. The singer also makes a specific reference to children crying, which emphasizes the importance of being kind to the most vulnerable members of society. The singer emphasizes the power of love to transform the world and encourages listeners to take a good look around and to see how they can make a difference in the world by promoting love and kindness.

Line by Line Meaning

Think of your fellow man, lend him a helping hand
Consider other people and offer assistance

Put a little love in your heart
Show kindness and compassion towards others

You see, it's getting late, oh, please don't hesitate
Time is running out, so act quickly

And the world will be a better place
By loving others, the world will become a better place

And the world will be a better place for you and me
Both you and I will benefit if we love each other

Another day goes by, and still the children cry
Children suffer every day and need our love

If you want the world to know, we won't let hatred grow
We need to prevent the spread of hate in the world

Wait and see
Positive change will occur if we love each other

Take a good look around and if you're lookin' down
Observe your surroundings and your emotions

I hope when you decide kindness will be your guide
Choose to prioritize being kind to others

Put a little love in your heart
Demonstrate love towards others