Wells' success in the 1950s and 1960s was so enormous that she still ranks as the sixth most successful female vocalist in the history of the Billboard country charts according to historian Joel Whitburn's book "The Top 40 Country Hits", behind Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, Reba McEntire, Tammy Wynette, and Tanya Tucker. Wells was the third country music artist, behind Roy Acuff and Hank Williams, to receive the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1991 as well as being the seventh woman and first Caucasian woman to receive the honor. In 1976, she was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Your Old Love Letters
Kitty Wells Lyrics
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Before I'd light the flame I read them to try and find the wrongs I've done
The first you wrote me was the sweetest the last one broke my heart in two
And now all alone I left you weeping for the ashes of your letters tied in blue
As I burned your old love letters I watched my dreams go up in smoke
I lived a gamble's precious mem'ries I heard each tender word you spoke
The first you wrote me was the sweetest the last one said that we were through
In Kitty Wells's song "Your Old Love Letters," she speaks about burning her lover's old letters, one by one, having first read them through in an attempt to identify her mistakes. Kitty acknowledges that while the first love letter was the sweetest, the very last one was one that left her heartbroken. She talks about how, with every letter that she burnt, she watched her dreams and precious memories of them both go up in smoke. She heard every tender word he had spoken and reminisced as she set each piece of paper alight. She is now alone, having left her ex-partner weeping for the ashes of her letters tied in blue.
Kitty Wells is describing the end of a relationship, and how going through the process of finally letting go of her past was a difficult but necessary step in moving on. She offers an insight into the importance of closure, and how one cannot always move forward without taking a last look behind. Burning the letters was more of a symbolic gesture, as they served as a physical reminder of the bond they once shared. Kitty Wells understands that in order to move on wholly, it is necessary to let go of the past and embrace the future.
Line by Line Meaning
Today I burned your old love letters
I got rid of all the love letters you sent me
I burned them slowly one by one
I took the time to burn each letter methodically
Before I'd light the flame I read them to try and find the wrongs I've done
I tried to understand where our relationship went wrong by reading through the letters before burning them
The first you wrote me was the sweetest the last one broke my heart in two
Your first love letter was the most romantic one, but the last broke my heart and led to our breakup.
And now all alone I left you weeping for the ashes of your letters tied in blue
Now I am alone, and the only thing left of our relationship is the blue ashes from burning your love letters.
As I burned your old love letters I watched my dreams go up in smoke
Watching the letters burn made me realize that my dreams of being with you are gone.
I lived a gamble's precious mem'ries I heard each tender word you spoke
By burning your love letters, I had to let go of all the precious memories we made together and the sweet things you said to me.
The first you wrote me was the sweetest the last one said that we were through
Your first letter was the most romantic, but your last letter ended our relationship.
Our love is there among the embers in the ashes of your letters tied in blue
The ashes of your love letters contain the remains of our love.
Contributed by Julia N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
CountryBoy Williams
CLASSIC...LOVE MISS KITTY~~~MAY SHE R.I.P.