Hal Michael Ketchum (born in Greenwich, New York on 9 April 1953; died 23 N… Read Full Bio ↴Hal Michael Ketchum (born in Greenwich, New York on 9 April 1953; died 23 November 2020) was an American country musician, songwriter, and performer.

Though Ketchum first began recording in the mid-1980s, not until his 1991 record deal with Curb Records did he have a major hit with the album Past The Point Of Rescue. The title cut to the album was a Top 3 single, and other singles that met similar success included "Small Town Saturday Night" and "Sure Love".

In 1994 Ketchum toured Britain, issuing the single "Past The Point Of Rescue" on that side of the Atlantic. Though the single failed to make the UK Top 100 pop charts, it received extensive airplay on country radio. The album Every Little Word (of which the UK release featured a bonus disc of past US hits including "Past The Point...") made the Top 40 on the UK country charts and also did the same back in the US.

Ketchum continued to record and release new material. His final US releases were Father Time in 2008, and I'm the Troubadour in 2014.

His film credits included appearing in the 1988 film Heartbreak Hotel and a small role in the 1994 film Maverick.

Stay Forever
Hal Ketchum Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Maybe I pray too much, maybe I'm wastin' God's time
Livin' without your touch, is driving me out of my mind
If you could only see, how much you matter to me
Maybe you would stay forever

Maybe I care too much, maybe I'll push you away
Maybe I'd have my doubts, if I were in your place
And if you could see inside, this achin' heart of mine

Maybe you would stay forever

You don't have to go on livin'
With your back against the wall
Let my lovin' arms surround you
I won't let you fall

And if you would trust in me, and this love of mine
We'll sail an endless sea, under a starry sky
And when the cold wind blows, we'll hold each other close
Maybe you will stay forever

And when the cold wind blows, we'll hold each other close
Baby you will stay forever

Overall Meaning

In Hal Ketchum's song "Stay Forever," the lyrics directly express the singer's desire for their loved one to stay with them indefinitely. The singer acknowledges that they may have prayed too much for their partner's affection, but the notion of living without their touch is simply unbearable. The singer's vulnerability is conveyed in their recognition that perhaps they care too much, and may push their partner away as a result. Yet, the plea for their partner's affection continues, accompanied by an assurance to not let them fall and to surround them with love and protection.

Line by Line Meaning

Maybe I pray too much, maybe I'm wastin' God's time
I feel like I'm praying too much to make you stay and sometimes I feel like I'm bothering God with all these prayers.

Livin' without your touch, is driving me out of my mind
Being away from your touch is making me lose my sanity.

If you could only see, how much you matter to me
If you had the ability to understand how important you are to me, maybe you would stay with me forever.

Maybe I care too much, maybe I'll push you away
I worry that my strong feelings for you might push you away from me.

Maybe I'd have my doubts, if I were in your place
I understand that it's possible for you to have doubts about me and us, especially when you're in your own shoes.

And if you could see inside, this achin' heart of mine
If you could see how I'm feeling inside, how broken and desperate I am to keep you with me.

Maybe you would stay forever
Maybe with all this knowledge of my affection, you will want to stay with me forever.

You don't have to go on livin'
You don't have to endure living without me.

With your back against the wall
With your current struggle and emotional state.

Let my lovin' arms surround you
Let me be the one to comfort you and provide you with the love you need.

I won't let you fall
I promise to support and stand by you no matter what.

And if you would trust in me, and this love of mine
If you are able to put your faith in me and this love I have for you.

We'll sail an endless sea, under a starry sky
We'll embark on a journey together without end and be guided by the beauty of the night sky.

And when the cold wind blows, we'll hold each other close
We will embrace one another strongly in times of hardship and when it gets tough.

Baby you will stay forever
You will decide to stay with me forever and we will never have to go through the pain of being apart again.

Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BENMONT M. TENCH, HAL MICHAEL KETCHUM

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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