Lawrence Hankins 'Hank' Locklin (February 15, 1918 – March 8, 2009) was an … Read Full Bio ↴Lawrence Hankins 'Hank' Locklin (February 15, 1918 – March 8, 2009) was an American country music singer and songwriter. A member of the Grand Ole Opry for nearly 50 years, Locklin had a long recording career with RCA Victor, and scored big hits with "Please Help Me, I'm Falling", "Send Me the Pillow That You Dream On" and "Geisha Girl" from 1957-1960. His singles charted from 1949-1971.
Locklin was one of country music's early honky tonk singers. He first recorded for Royalty, a small label in northeast Texas, but soon moved to 4 Star Records, a regional country music label, before signing a long contract with RCA Victor. He had an estimated 15 million record sales worldwide and his songs were recorded by many other artists, including Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Roy Rogers, Dwight Yoakam and Dean Martin. He regularly appeared on the Grand Ole Opry beginning in 1960, making his final appearance in 2007.
Locklin had 70 chart singles, including six No. 1s on Billboard's country chart. Locklin's biggest hits included "Send Me the Pillow That You Dream On", "Geisha Girl" and his signature "Please Help Me, I'm Falling", which went to number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 pop music chart. Billboard's 100th anniversary issue listed it as the second most successful country single of the rock and roll era. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc by the RIAA. Other hits for Locklin included "Happy Journey" (1961), "Happy Birthday To Me" (1962) and "The Country Hall Of Fame" (1968).

Born in McLellan in the Florida Panhandle, Locklin grew up working in the cotton fields to supplement his family’s low income. He began playing the guitar at the age of nine after being seriously injured by a school bus.
His first marriage to Willa Jean Murphy ended in divorce. In 1970 he married Anita Crooks of Brewton, Alabama. He had a son and four daughters, 12 grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren and a few close great nieces and nephews such as Sarah Locklin.
In the 1960s, Locklin built a ranch house called The Singing L in the field in McClellan where he had picked cotton as a boy. He was later made the honorary mayor of the town.

Locklin had a strong following in Europe, and in Ireland. His popularity was such that in 1963 he recorded an album called Irish Songs Country Style. He has a fan club in Langeli, Bjerkreim, Norway. The obituary in The Times described Locklin as "the last remaining link between country music’s hillbilly roots and the lusher, modern pop sound of Nashville."

In 2006, Locklin appeared on the PBS special, Country Pop Legends in which he performed "Send Me the Pillow That You Dream On," and "Please Help Me I'm Falling". Until his death at the age of 91 in 2009, he was the oldest living member of the Grand Ole Opry. Hank had recently released his 65th album, By the Grace of God, a collection of gospel songs.
In 2007 he was inducted to the Florida Artists Hall of Fame.

He moved to Brewton Alabama, where he remained throughout his later years, and died there at home in the early morning on March 8, 2009.

I'm So Tired of Going Home All By Myself
Hank Locklin Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I'm so tired of goin' home all by myself
Please darling don't place my love on the shelf
The day you'll say I do will be the day my dreams come true
'Cause I'm so tired of goin' home all by myself.

Please don't let others turn your love to hay
Pay no mind my dear to what they say
You know my love is true

Yes, you know I love just you
And if it takes a hundred years you know I'll wait.

If you want me now's the time to tell me dear
We've waited now these oh so many years
I need you every way I'm so lonely night and day
And I know I've shed at least a million tears.

'Cause I'm so tired of goin' home all by myself
Please darling don't place my love on the shelf

The day you say I do will be the day my dreams come true
But tonight I'm goin' home all by myself...

Overall Meaning

Hank Locklin's "Goin' Home All By Myself" is a song about unrequited love and the longing for companionship. The first verse sets the tone for the song, as the singer expresses his exhaustion with going home alone every night. He begs his love interest not to ignore his feelings and cast his love aside. The singer believes that the fulfillment of his dream of being loved in return will come on the day his love interest agrees to be with him. The second verse serves to remind the love interest not to be swayed by others' opinions, because he knows that his love is true and his intentions are pure. He asserts that he will wait for her, no matter how long it takes.

In the final verse, the singer makes a final plea to his love interest. He implores her to tell him if she wants to be with him, confessing that he has waited for a long time for this moment. He expresses how lonely he feels without her, and how he sheds tears every day. Despite his yearning for her, he knows that he will be going home alone that night.

Overall, this song is a poignant reminder of the heartache that unrequited love can bring. It's a timeless theme that many people can relate to, and Locklin's soulful delivery only adds to its emotional impact.

Line by Line Meaning

I'm so tired of goin' home all by myself
I am exhausted of returning home alone every day

Please darling don't place my love on the shelf
Please don't put my love aside and forget about it

The day you'll say I do will be the day my dreams come true
My biggest wish is for you to marry me one day and that would make all my dreams come true

I'm So Tired of Going Home All By MyselfHank Locklin Lyrics

I'm So Tired of Going Home All By Myself
Hank Locklin Lyrics