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."
Softly as I Leave You
Floyd Cramer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For my heart would break if you should wake and see me go
So I leave you softly long before you miss me
Long before your arms can beg me to stay
For one more hour or one more day
After all the years I can't bear the tears to fall so
Softly, as I leave you there
For my heart would break if you should wake and see me go
So I leave you softly long before you miss me
Long before your arms can beg me to stay
For one more hour or one more day
After all the years I can't bear the tears to fall so
Softly, as I leave you there
The lyrics of Floyd Cramer's song "Softly as I Leave You" suggest a bittersweet farewell between two lovers. The singer acknowledges their love for the other person, but ultimately decides that they must leave. The lyrics convey a sense of heartbreak and loss, tinged with a desire to protect the other person from the pain of separation. The singer acknowledges that leaving before the other person recognizes their absence would be easier, as it would prevent them from trying to convince the singer to stay for one more hour or one more day. The line "after all the years, I can't bear the tears to fall so" suggests that the singer has been with the other person for some time, making it all the more difficult to say goodbye.
The repeated use of the word "softly" in each verse adds to the overall melancholic tone of the song. The sentiment is reflected in the slow, somber melody, which emphasizes the emotions behind the lyrics. While the lyrics do not offer any explanation for why the singer must leave, they leave a lasting impression on the listener, as they describe a universal human experience of parting ways with someone we love.
Line by Line Meaning
Softly I will leave you softly
I will leave you in a gentle manner
For my heart would break if you should wake and see me go
If you were to awaken and see me leaving, it would cause me great emotional pain
So I leave you softly long before you miss me
I will leave you well in advance of the time when you can feel my absence
Long before your arms can beg me to stay
I will depart before you have the chance to implore me to remain
For one more hour or one more day
Even if it were only for a fleeting additional period of time, it would be unbearable for me to depart from you
After all the years I can't bear the tears to fall so
After all the time we have spent together, I cannot bear to witness your sorrow
Softly, as I leave you there
I will leave you with tenderness and gentleness, despite the heartache it may cause
Lyrics © Kassner Associated Publishers Ltd
Written by: Giorgio Calabrese, Antonio De Vita, Harold David Shaper
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind