Thompson's musical style, characterized as Honky Tonk Swing, is a mixture of big-band instrumentation, fiddle and steel guitar that supports his distinctive, gravelly baritone vocals on songs he often writes himself. His backing band, The Brazos Valley Boys, was voted the No.1 Country Western Band for 14 years in a row by Billboard Magazine.
He decided to pursue his musical talent after serving in the U.S. Navy in World War II as a radioman and studying electrical engineering at the university level. His first single was "Whoa Sailor" in 1946. The year 1952 brought his first #1 disc, "The Wild Side of Life", which contained the memorable line "I didn't know God made honky-tonk angels" (which inspired the Kitty Wells response, "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels"). Other hits followed in quick succession in the 1950s and 1960s. Although not as prominent in later decades, he has remained an active and respected performer in the field, finding new audiences as a result of the resurgence of a harder-edged sound in country music.
Hank Thompson was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1989 and was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1997. He was born 3 September 1925 in Waco, Texas, and passed away at home in Keller, Texas, on 6 November 2007, just four days after cancelling his final tour.
Gloria
Hank Thompson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's not Sherrie it's Gloria she's in your every dream
You tried to play a game of kiss and run away
But now you find it's not that way somehow you've changed the scene
Wasn't Magdalene your first love it was just hello goodbye
Wasn't Caroline your last love what a shame you made her cry
Oh what a fool you are you gave your heart to Glorie
[ guitar + fiddle ]
Wasn't Magdalene your first love...
In the song "Gloria" by Hank Thompson, the singer sings about a girl named Gloria who has become the focus of the singer's attention. With the opening lines "Gloria it's not Marie it's Gloria, It's not Sherrie it's Gloria she's in your every dream", it becomes apparent that the singer is caught in Gloria's web and she is ever present in his thoughts. The lyrics go on to say that initially, the singer tried to play a game of "kiss and run away" with Gloria, but he has now realized that things are not as simple as he thought and that he has changed the scene.
The lyrics then shift to a discussion about the singer's past loves, Magdalene and Caroline. Magdalene was just a casual hello goodbye, whereas Caroline seems to have left a more lasting impression. The singer laments that he was a fool to give his heart to Gloria, who is not in love with him. The song concludes with a guitar and fiddle solo, bringing the song to a close.
Line by Line Meaning
Gloria it's not Marie it's Gloria
Stop mistaking Marie for Gloria
It's not Sherrie it's Gloria she's in your every dream
Stop confusing Sherrie for Gloria, as Gloria is always on your mind
You tried to play a game of kiss and run away
You used to just kiss and leave, but now things have changed
But now you find it's not that way somehow you've changed the scene
You realize that you can't just kiss and leave anymore, the situation has changed
Wasn't Magdalene your first love it was just hello goodbye
Magdalene wasn't really your first love, it was just a brief interaction
Wasn't Caroline your last love what a shame you made her cry
Caroline was your last love, but you hurt her and made her cry
Oh what a fool you are you gave your heart to Gloria
You foolishly fell in love with Gloria and gave her your heart
You're not so smart cause Gloria is not in love with you
You're not as smart as you think, as Gloria doesn't love you back
[ guitar + fiddle ]
Musical interlude
Wasn't Magdalene your first love...
Repeating the idea that Magdalene wasn't really your first love
Lyrics © SHAPIRO BERNSTEIN & CO. INC., Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MICHAEL W. SMITH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Robbie Frantz
Love this rendition. The guitar work is otherworldly!
MrManorAvenue
Didn't realize so many people recorded this song. Kudos to Hank for staying with the melody; one or two of the doowop groups that recorded the song lost track of the melody so badly one might not have recognized the song. There's also a radio broadcast performance by Tommy Dorsey's Orchestra and the sentimentalists that's a terrific rendition.
Rudy Qualls
Outstanding version by Hank Thompson.
Bradley Cole
This song he first did was on an album called "North Of The Rio Grande" that came out in 56 it's a album that rare to find nowadays there are a few listings but it's rare
Pondy Hsu
Gloria, it's not Marie, it's Gloria
It's not Sherrie, it's Gloria
She's in your every dream
You tried to play a game of kiss and run away
But now you find it's not that way
Somehow you've changed the scene
Wasn't Magdalene your first love?
It was just hello goodbye
Wasn't Caroline your last love?
What a shame you made her cry
What a fool you are
You gave your heart to Glorie
You're not so smart 'cause Gloria is not in love with you
*****************
Wasn't Magdalene your first love?
It was just hello goodbye
Wasn't Caroline your last love?
What a shame you made her cry
What a fool you are
You gave your heart to Gloria
You're not so smart 'cause Gloria is not in love with you
Gloria is not in love with you.