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."
There Goes My Everything
Floyd Cramer Lyrics
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As they gently walk across a lonely floor,
And a voice is softly saying,
Darling, this will be good-bye for ever more
There goes my reason for living,
There goes the one of my dreams,
There goes my only possession,
As my memory turns back the pages,
I can see the happy years we had before,
Now the love that kept this old heart beating,
Has been shattered by the closing of the door
There goes my reason for living,
There goes the one of my dreams,
There goes my only possession,
There goes my everything
The lyrics of Floyd Cramer's song "There Goes My Everything" are about heartbreak and loss. The singer hears footsteps slowly walking across a lonely floor and a voice softly saying goodbye. The lyrics express how the singer's reason for living and dreams are leaving along with the person they love. The pain of losing someone beloved and the memories of the happy years they shared are revealed through the lyrics. The singer's love is also described as the only possession they had and now it is gone, causing them to feel like they have lost everything.
The lyrics suggest the despair and emptiness that come with heartbreak. The singer's world is falling apart, and they are left to grapple with the loss of someone they cherish. However, the gentle and melancholic tone of the song conveys acceptance and resignation towards the situation. The lyrics highlight how a significant part of the singer's life has come to an end, and they must learn to live without the other person.
Line by Line Meaning
I hear footsteps slowly walking,
The sound of footsteps is getting louder and closer, indicating someone is leaving.
As they gently walk across a lonely floor,
The footsteps sound quiet and hesitant, like someone leaving behind a place that feels empty and desolate.
And a voice is softly saying,
Someone is speaking quietly and calmly to the singer.
Darling, this will be good-bye for ever more
The person leaving is saying goodbye and implying that they won't return.
There goes my reason for living,
The person leaving was the main motivation for the singer to keep on living.
There goes the one of my dreams,
The person leaving was the singer's biggest dream and desire.
There goes my only possession,
The person leaving was the only thing the singer possessed which had real value.
There goes my everything
The person leaving was the heart and soul of the singer's life and their departure signifies the loss of everything.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: DALLAS FRAZIER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind