[edit] Career
Henson's career started in his home state of Oklahoma, performing at clubs around Oklahoma City and Tulsa. His family was active in politics and raised buffalo on a ranch outside Oklahoma City. In the mid 1960s, Henson moved to Nashville and became a member of the vocal group The Kimberlys. After leaving the group, Henson started on his solo career, and in 1967, he signed with Monument Records, and he immediately scored in a big way with a song called "Skip a Rope". The song became a huge hit, spending six weeks at Number 1 on the country charts in 1968 and also making the Top 25 on the Pop charts.
[edit] After Skip a Rope and Later Career
After "Skip a Rope", Cargill continued to have Top 20 hits with such songs as "Row Row Row" (1968), "None Of My Business" (his only other Top 10) (1969), and "The Most Uncomplicated Goodbye I Ever Heard" (1970). Later, he had a television show, Country Hayride, and performed for many years in Reno and Las Vegas. Johnny Cash was godfather to his oldest son, Cash.
After leaving Monument Records, Henson moved to Mega Records in 1971, where he scored several minor hits. In 1973, he made a strong comeback to the charts when he signed with Atlantic Records and scored 2 Top 30 hits in 1974 with "Some Old California Memory" and a version of Mac Davis' "Stop And Smell The Roses". In 1980, he formed his own record label Copper Mountain Records and he scored his last Top 30 hit that year with "Silence On The Line". In the late 1980s he retired to Oklahoma City and died on March 24, 2007
By the Time I Get to Phoenix
Henson Cargill Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He'll find the note I left hangin' on his door.
He'll laugh when he reads the part that says I'm leavin',
'Cause I've left that man so many times before.
By the time I make Albuquerque, he'll be workin'.
He'll prob'ly stop at lunch and give me a call.
But he'll just hear that 'phone keep on ringin',
By the time I make Oklahoma, he'll be sleepin'
He'll turn softly and call my name out low.
Might even cry, just to think I'd really leave,
Though time an' time I tried to tell him so.
He just didn't know that I would really go.
The lyrics to Henson Cargill's song "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" tell a story of a woman who has left her partner multiple times before and is planning to do it again. As she travels through different states, she imagines what her partner's reactions will be when he finds out she has left.
In the first verse, she imagines that by the time she gets to Phoenix, her partner will be rising and will find the note she left on the door. She thinks he will laugh when he reads it because she has left him many times before.
In the second verse, she imagines that by the time she gets to Albuquerque, her partner will be at work and will call her during his lunch break. However, she knows that he will just hear the phone ringing off the wall because she has already left.
In the final verse, she imagines that by the time she gets to Oklahoma, her partner will be sleeping and will turn and call her name out low. She thinks he might even cry because he never believed she would actually leave, despite her telling him otherwise.
Overall, the song is a poignant reflection on the pain and difficulty of leaving a relationship, even when it is the right thing to do. The detailed imagery and emotional depth of the lyrics make it a true classic in the country music genre.
Line by Line Meaning
By the time I get to Phoenix, he'll be rising.
I am leaving for Phoenix, and by the time I get there, he will already be awake.
He'll find the note I left hangin' on his door.
I left a note on his door to inform him that I'm leaving.
He'll laugh when he reads the part that says I'm leavin',
He will think it's a joke when he reads the part where I say that I am leaving him, as I have left him several times before.
'Cause I've left that man so many times before.
I have left him several times before, so he might not take my note seriously.
By the time I make Albuquerque, he'll be workin'.
When I arrive in Albuquerque, he will be at work.
He'll prob'ly stop at lunch and give me a call.
He might call me during his lunch break.
But he'll just hear that 'phone keep on ringin',
He will hear my phone ringing, but I won't answer it.
Off the wall; that's all.
My phone ringing will just continue without answer.
By the time I make Oklahoma, he'll be sleepin'
When I arrive in Oklahoma, he will be sleeping.
He'll turn softly and call my name out low.
He might call my name softly in his sleep.
Might even cry, just to think I'd really leave,
He may cry because he will realize that I have actually left him, which I had tried to tell him many times before.
Though time an' time I tried to tell him so.
Despite my numerous attempts to tell him that I will leave, he did not believe me.
He just didn't know that I would really go.
He never expected me to actually leave, but I did.
Writer(s): Jim Webb
Contributed by Lauren H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Ron Taylor
on So Many Ways of Saying She's Gone
first time ive heard all these songs-wonderful