Travis was born in Marshville, North Carolina, the second of six children of Bobbie, a textile factory worker, and Harold Traywick, a horse breeder, turkey farmer, and construction business owner. While growing up, Travis was forced to take guitar lessons by his father and began performing at the age of eight with his brother, Ricky. Travis began drinking at the age of 12, and by 14 was a regular marijuana user, who occasionally dabbled in harder drugs. He often fought with his father and soon dropped out of high school. He became a juvenile delinquent and was arrested for various offenses, including auto theft and burglary.
Harold Traywick entered Randy and Ricky in a talent contest at a nightclub called "Country City, USA" in Charlotte, North Carolina. In the meantime, Ricky, who also had brushes with the law, was sentenced to jail and Randy had to complete the contest alone, but he won anyway. The club's manager, Elizabeth "Lib" Hatcher, took an interest in Travis and gave him a job singing at the club. Travis began focusing on music. He first recorded for Paula Records and released two unsuccessful singles — "She's My Woman" and "Dreamin'". Travis' legal troubles continued and he was due in court for probation violations. Hatcher pleaded with the judge and Travis was released in her custody with the warning that if the judge ever saw him again "he'd better bring his toothbrush, because he would be going to jail for a very long time."
Travis moved in with Hatcher. This put further strain on her already fragile marriage. She eventually left her husband and, in 1982, she and Travis moved to Nashville, Tennessee. Travis was soon turned down by every record label in town. His early demo tapes were criticized by Nashville record executives as being "too country." Hatcher took a job as manager of a nightclub, "The Nashville Palace" and hired Travis as a cook and singer. It was during this time that an unlikely romance began to form between the two; Travis said "I think we discovered how much we needed each other."
Career
In 1982, Travis recorded an independent album Randy Ray Live and Lib Hatcher used it to secure a deal with Warner Bros. Records. However, the label said they had to keep their romance a secret, so as not to turn away fans, and changed his stage name from Randy Ray to Randy Travis. In 1985, Warner Brothers released Travis' single, "On the Other Hand," which topped out at 67 on the country charts. His next single, "1982", became a Top 10 hit followed by the re-release of "On the Other Hand" in 1986. The re-release became Travis' first number one hit.
His debut album, Storms of Life, went on to sell more than 4 million copies. In the late 1980s, he had a string of hits, including "No Place Like Home" and "Diggin' Up Bones." A song from his second Warner Brothers album "Always and Forever" titled "Forever and Ever, Amen" arguably launched the neo-traditionalist country era, boosting the popularity of country music beyond its traditional fan base. For two years in a row, Travis won the Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance, for the albums Always & Forever in 1988, and for Old 8x10 in 1989. Off the success of his first two albums, Old 8x10 shipped platinum. Always and Forever was number one for 43 weeks.
Travis and Hatcher married in 1991. That year Travis took part in Voices That Care, a multi-artist project that featured other top names in music for a one-off single to raise money for the allied troops in the Gulf War. The project included fellow singers Garth Brooks, Kenny Rogers and Kathy Mattea. By 1992, Travis was no longer charting high, as Brooks, Clint Black and others had taken over Nashville. He took a break from music to concentrate on acting and landed roles in several Western-genre films. He returned to recording with the 1994 album This Is Me and the hit single "Whisper My Name."
In 1997, Travis parted ways with Warner Brothers. He moved to DreamWorks Nashville and recorded You and You Alone, which produced the top 10 hits "Out of My Bones" and "Spirit of a Boy, Wisdom of a Man." These were followed by 2000's albums Inspirational Journey, 2002's Rise and Shine and 2003's Worship and Faith. The single "Three Wooden Crosses" from the Rise and Shine album reached No. 1 and won the CMA song of the year in 2003. That same year, Travis ranked #13 on CMT's 40 Greatest Men of Country Music. Travis continues to act in film and television; he appeared on the series finale of Touched by an Angel. His second most recent album, Passing Through, was released in November of 2004. It combines the country music of his earlier years, with a little gospel mixed in from more recent albums. After the release of "Glory Train" in 2005 and the Christmas album "Songs of the Season" in 2007, Travis released his brand new single "Faith In You" as a free download from his official website. It heralds the projected summer [2008] release of his forthcoming album, "Around the Bend". Along with the release of the free single, RandyTravis.com has also underwent a complete overhaul, with opportunities for fans to create blogs and join an upcoming official fan club. The new sleek look of the website has attracted throngs of fans. Contributor Anthony Maurizio has recently produced the Digging Up Bones blog series on the website, which has increased website traffic and is considered one of the most esteemed country music articles available for reading.
An Old Pair of Shoes
Randy Travis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I never have quite made it to the door
I never thought the time would come
I'd ever see this day
When you could make me feel so thrown away
I'm feeling like an old pair of shoes
All worn out from walking through these blues
And I'm really feeling used
I'm just like an old pair of shoes
You've always been my one and only, love
It ain't no easy thing to give you up
Looking back I'm feeling like
There's nothing left to lose
This time I may just walk out on you cause
I'm feeling like an old pair of shoes
All worn out from walking through these blues
There's a hole in my soul
And I'm really feeling used
I'm just like an old pair of shoes
There's a hole in my soul
And I'm really feeling used
I'm just like an old pair of shoes
In Randy Travis's song "An Old Pair of Shoes," the lyrics describe the feelings of a man who feels used, worthless, and forgotten by the person he loves. He feels as though he has walked a million miles trying to keep their relationship going, but he never quite made it to the door because he is apprehensive about leaving. The chorus resonates with a feeling of desperation as he compares himself to an old pair of shoes that have been worn out from walking through the blues. The metaphor is both powerful and relatable, as everyone has felt like an old pair of shoes at some point or another.
The song talks about a love that has been lost, and the pain that this person is feeling is evident. The overall theme is about the internal conflict we face when we know it's time to leave a relationship, but we don't want to let go. The line "There's a hole in my soul, and I'm really feeling used" is particularly poignant because it speaks to the emptiness that many of us feel when we give so much of ourselves to someone who doesn't value us. It's the feeling of being disposable, like an old pair of shoes that can be easily discarded.
Line by Line Meaning
I've walked a million miles across this floor
I've been in this relationship for a long time and I've been trying hard to make it work.
But I never have quite made it to the door
Despite my efforts, I've never been able to walk away from this relationship.
I never thought the time would come
I never imagined that I would feel this unhappy in this relationship.
I'd ever see this day
I didn't think I would ever get to a point where I would contemplate leaving.
When you could make me feel so thrown away
You've made me feel unimportant and insignificant, like a piece of garbage that you can just throw away.
I'm feeling like an old pair of shoes
I feel used up and unappreciated.
All worn out from walking through these blues
I'm exhausted from trying to make this relationship work while feeling sad and disappointed all the time.
There's a hole in my soul
I feel empty and unfulfilled in this relationship.
And I'm really feeling used
I feel like you've taken advantage of me and my love for you.
You've always been my one and only, love
You were the only one I ever loved and wanted to be with.
It ain't no easy thing to give you up
Leaving you is not going to be easy for me.
Looking back I'm feeling like
Reflecting on our relationship, I realize that things have not been good for a long time.
There's nothing left to lose
I don't believe that there's anything worth saving in this relationship anymore.
This time I may just walk out on you cause
This time, I might actually have the courage to leave you.
There's a hole in my soul
I feel empty and hollow.
And I'm really feeling used
I feel like you've taken advantage of me and my love for you.
I'm just like an old pair of shoes
I feel like I'm just an object to you, with no value or worth.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: A.J. MASTERS, JERRY FOSTER, JOHN ROBERT MORRIS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Orbie Olsson
Randy is real country!!! Love to hear him sing!!
Joan Kellogg
Love all Randy's songs, they are all classics. Thanks for sharing.
Dennis Galloway
My personal favorite Randy song, maybe because many of us sometimes feel like an old pair of shoes.
Stephen
I had forgotten about this song. Randy is the man!
Jeff Kocher
Thank you Randy for helping me get through the 90s good times sir.
Dave Wollenberg
Randy, you hit #21 in Billboard, 5-29-93. God bless ya, brother Randy!
Dave Wollenberg
Randy, you hit #21 in Billboard, 5-29-93. God bless you, brother Randy! Thanx for postin' it. Have a blessed week!
louise awkerman
I love this song
David Wilson
Randy travis is still the man in 2019 grown up listening to Randy Travis
Orbie Olsson
Randy is real country!!