Henry Ned Miller (April 12, 1925 – March 18, 2016) was an American country … Read Full Bio ↴Henry Ned Miller (April 12, 1925 – March 18, 2016) was an American country singer and songwriter. Active as a recording artist from 1956 to 1970, he is known primarily for his hit single, "From a Jack to a King", a crossover hit in 1962 which reached Top 10 on the country music, adult contemporary, and Billboard Hot 100 charts. He had several more chart singles in his career, although none matched the success of "From a Jack to a King". He also composed and recorded "Invisible Tears".
Miller's start as a songwriter came when he was sixteen years old. In 1956, both Gale Storm and Bonnie Guitar had Top Five hits with different versions of the song "Dark Moon", which Miller co-wrote. Another song he wrote "A Falling Star", was a country hit for Jimmy C. Newman. Very notable is also his uptempo song "Cave In", which in 1960 was the flip side of Warren Smith's, No. 5 country hit "I Don't Believe I'll Fall In Love Today" recorded for the Liberty records label.
He wrote and recorded "From a Jack to a King", which was released on Fabor Records but saw little success on the charts. After being briefly signed to Capitol Records, Miller returned to Fabor and persuaded them to re-release "From a Jack to a King". The song proved successful the second time around, and became a crossover hit for Miller. It sold over two million copies by July 1963, and was awarded a gold disc and endured in covers by stars like Elvis Presley and Bobby Darin and Ricky Van Shelton a.o..
Invisible Tears" was recorded by a.o. Dean Martin, Faron Young, Connie Smith, Bobby Bare, and the Ray Conniff Singers.
Miller was not particularly interested in his singing career, and rarely toured owing to stage fright. He gave up recording in the 1970s and soon moved to Prescott, Arizona, and later to Las Vegas, Nevada.

Ned Miller died on March 18, 2016 in Medford, Oregon.

Will the Circle be unbroken
Ned Miller Lyrics

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I was standin' by my window
On a cold and cloudy day
When I saw that hearse come rollin'
And it took my mother away

Will the circle be unbroken
By and by-why, by and by
There's a better home awaitin'

In the sky Lord, in the sky

Lord, I told that undertaker
Undertaker please drive slow
For that lady that your takin'
Lord, I hate to see her go

Will the circle be unbroken
By and by-why, by and by
There's a better home awaitin'
In the sky Lord, in the sky

I will follow close behind her
Try to hold up and be brave
But I could not hide my sorrow
When they laid her in her grave

Will the circle be unbroken
By and by-why, by and by
There's a better home awaiting
In the sky Lord, in the sky

Will the circle be unbroken
By and by-why, by and by
There's a better home awaiting
In the sky Lord, in the sky

Will the circle be unbroken
By and by-why, by and by [fade]

Overall Meaning

Ned Miller's song "Will the Circle be Unbroken" is a classic gospel tune that tells a bittersweet story of loss and hope. This song starts with the singer standing by his window on a cold and cloudy day, watching as his mother's hearse rolls by. The singer laments his loss and speaks directly to the undertaker, begging him to drive slowly as they take his mother away. The chorus reflects the singer's faith that someday he will be reunited with his mother, along with all of their loved ones who have passed on. He hopes that the circle of life will remain unbroken, and that they will all be together again in a better home awaiting in the sky.

As the song progresses, the singer resolves to be brave and follow his mother closely, but he cannot hide his intense sorrow when she is finally laid to rest. The repetition of the chorus offers comfort and reassurance that his mother is in a better place, and that someday they will all be reunited again. The hauntingly beautiful melody and poignant lyrics of this song make it a timeless classic that continues to touch the hearts of listeners today.

Line by Line Meaning

I was standin' by my window
The singer was standing by his window.

On a cold and cloudy day
It was a cold and cloudy day.

When I saw that hearse come rollin'
He saw a hearse coming.

And it took my mother away
The singer's mother was taken away by the hearse.

Will the circle be unbroken
The singer wonders if things will ever be the same again.

By and by-why, by and by
He is speaking of a time in the future when things may be different.

There's a better home awaitin'
He believes that his mother is in a better place now.

In the sky Lord, in the sky
He thinks that his mother is in heaven.

Lord, I told that undertaker
The singer spoke to the undertaker.

Undertaker please drive slow
He asked the undertaker to drive slowly.

For that lady that your takin'
He asked the undertaker to drive slowly for his mother.

Lord, I hate to see her go
He was sad to see his mother go.

I will follow close behind her
He will follow his mother.

Try to hold up and be brave
He will try to be strong and brave.

But I could not hide my sorrow
He was unable to hide his sorrow.

When they laid her in her grave
When his mother was buried.

Will the circle be unbroken
The singer wonders again if things will ever be the same.

By and by-why, by and by
He still speaking about the future, unsure of what it holds.

There's a better home awaiting
He believes that his mother is now in a better place.

In the sky Lord, in the sky
He thinks that his mother is now in heaven.

Will the circle be unbroken
He asks the same question again.

By and by-why, by and by
He is still talking about the future.

[fade]
The song fades out.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: ADA HABERSHON, CHARLES GABRIEL

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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