Oslin was born in Crossett, Arkansas, but soon after her birth her family moved to Memphis, Tennessee and then to Houston, Texas. Oslin considers Houston her hometown.
Oslin initially performed as a folk singer with Guy Clark and then moved to New York where she performed as a chorine on and off-Broadway. She soon began doing advertising jingles which led to appearances in a number of television commercials.
Her songwriting talent was recognized and she began writing songs performed by Dottie West, Gail Davies, Sissy Spacek, and The Judds.
In 1987, after a brief run with Elektra Records, she broke through with RCA Records and became the first female songwriter to win the Country Music Association Song of the Year award for 80s Ladies and earned the Female Vocalist of the Year honors and a Grammy Award for the song. (Ironically, Oslin, who was in her mid 40s when she finally rose to fame, did so at a time when mainstream country radio first began its now commonplace practice of excluding older artists from their playlists.)
Oslin had several more well-received songs before branching out into acting.
She took roles on Paradise, and Evening Shade with Burt Reynolds. On the big screen she co-starred in The Thing Called Love with Sandra Bullock and River Phoenix.
Oslin's other hits included "Come Next Monday", "Hey Bobby", "Hold Me", "Didn't Expect it to Go Down This Way", "Do Ya", "This Woman", and "I'll Always Come Back".
In 1995 Oslin had coronary artery bypass surgery.
In 1996, she returned to singing. She signed with BNA Records and recorded My Roots Are Showing..., which included the single "Silver Tongue and Goldplated Lies". Five years later, she released a second and final album for BNA titled Live Close By, Visit Often, which she co-produced with The Mavericks' lead singer, Raul Malo.
Oslin returned to the stage in November 2013 for a concert at Franklin Theater in Franklin, Tennessee, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of her debut album, 80's Ladies.
On November 30, 2014, she performed live at the Grand Ole Opry (and on 650am WSM simulcast). Though she had been on the Opry previously, it was her first time on stage at the Ryman Auditorium.
On June 2, 2015, 15 years since the release of her last studio album, Live Close By, Visit Often in 2001, Oslin released her sixth studio album. The album was titled Simply. The album failed to chart.
Down In The Valley
K.T. Oslin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In the valley so low.
Gonna hang my head over,
Just to hear the wind blow.
Hear the wind blowing.
Hear the wind blow.
Hang you head over.
You know the roses love sunshine.
The purdy violets love the dew.
The angels in Heaven.
They know I love you.
I?m gonna build me a tower,
Build it 40 feet high.
So could lean out the window,
Just to see you riding by.
I?m down in the valley,
The valley and I?m feeling low.
I?m gonna hang my head over,
Just to hear the wind blow.
{KT Jokes around with the band for 2 minutes.}
I?m down in the valley,
In the valley feeling low.
Gonna hang my head over,
Just to hear the wind blow.
The lyrics to K.T. Oslin's "Down In The Valley" are a poetic expression of heartache and longing. The singer finds herself "down in the valley, in the valley so low," and feels compelled to "hang my head over, just to hear the wind blow." This suggests a sense of despair and a desire to connect with nature as a means of finding solace.
As the song progresses, the singer meditates on the power of love and the way it can be felt even in the absence of the beloved. She notes that "the roses love sunshine" and "the purdy violets love the dew," but it is clear that she is really talking about herself and her own deep feelings for someone who is not with her. "The angels in Heaven," she says, "they know I love you," implying that her emotion is transcendent and eternal.
Towards the end of the song, the singer imagines building a tower "40 feet high" so that she can "lean out the window, just to see you riding by." This image speaks to the intensity of her longing and the lengths she would go to be close to the one she loves. Ultimately, though, she is still "down in the valley, the valley and I'm feeling low," and the only comfort she can find is in the sound of the wind blowing through the trees.
Line by Line Meaning
You know I'm down in the valley
I am currently in a low point in my life
In the valley so low
My situation is especially difficult and bleak
Gonna hang my head over
I am so desperate to hear something comforting that I will lean my head down to listen
Just to hear the wind blow
Even the sound of the wind can provide some small source of solace
You know the roses love sunshine
There are things in this world that are meant to thrive and be happy
The purdy violets love the dew
Even the smallest things have something they love and need to survive
The angels in Heaven
Even spiritual beings understand and acknowledge human emotions
They know I love you
My feelings for you are known and recognized, even if you are not here with me
I'm gonna build me a tower
I am desperate to be closer to you even if it means building something that seems impossible
Build it 40 feet high
I am willing to go to great lengths to be closer to you
So could lean out the window
I would take any opportunity to see you, even leaning out of a window high above the ground
Just to see you riding by
Even catching a glimpse of you would be like a ray of sunshine in my difficult life
I'm down in the valley
Once again, I am in a difficult place in my life
The valley and I'm feeling low
I am struggling with depression and despair
Goona hang my head over
I am so desperate for comfort that I will lean my head down just to hear the sound of the wind
Just to hear the wind blow
Even the smallest thing can provide some measure of solace
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: IKE TURNER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
M hughes
on Hold Me
Want to know who starred with.kt oslin in Hold Me