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.
Before You Kill Us All
Randy Travis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But the gold fish are floating at the top of the bowl
And the dog he won't eat he just lays around
All night long he makes a lonesome sound
I know I had it coming and it's all my fault
But baby, come back
Before you kill us all
The way the plants are dyin' you'd swear it's fall
Looks just like autumn up and down the hall
And I talk to 'em, baby, like you s'posed to do
But they're tired of hearing 'bout me missin' you
And I know you told me not to call
But baby, come back
Before you kill us all
Well, it's a desperate situation
I got a strong will to survive
But if this place is any indication
I may not make it out alive
Well, it's an eerie feeling in the still of the night
Knowin' that the cats down to three more lives
Well, you've turned as all into nervous wrecks
We just sit around and wonder who's goin' to be next
And I know I had it coming and it's all my fault
But baby, come back
Before you kill us all
(Baby, come back)
Before you kill us all
(Baby, come back)
Baby, come back
Before you kill us all (baby, come back)
(Baby, come back)
Randy Travis's song "Before You Kill Us All" tells the story of a man who is pleading for his wife to come back to him before everything around him succumbs to her absence. He sings about the signs of his home falling apart without her - the dead plants, the ailing pets, and the eerie feeling of being alone at night. His desperation is clear as he begs for her return, knowing that if she doesn't come back soon, everything he knows and loves will crumble.
The goldfish floating at the top of the bowl is a metaphor for how the man's relationship with his wife is dying. The dog refusing to eat and making a lonesome sound represents the man's own despair without his wife. The dead plants and autumn-like atmosphere symbolize the ending of the relationship and the man's inability to cope without his partner. The eerie feeling references the sense of dread and unease that surrounds him, further emphasizing his emotional turmoil.
The chorus "Before you kill us all" can be interpreted as the man fearing that his own life and everything around him will die if his wife doesn't return to him. He sees her as the only thing that can keep him and everything he loves alive, and he's pleading with her to save them all.
Line by Line Meaning
Must be doin' something wrong baby I don't know
There's something wrong with everything around me and I can't figure out what I did.
But the gold fish are floating at the top of the bowl
Even the fish seem to be dying, and it's a strange occurrence.
And the dog he won't eat he just lays around
My dog is suffering too and seems to have lost his appetite.
All night long he makes a lonesome sound
My dog is distressed and crying out in sadness.
I know I had it coming and it's all my fault
I've done something wrong in my relationship with my partner.
But baby come back
I want my partner to return to our relationship and fix what's wrong.
Before you kill us all
The state of the environment is a metaphor for the damage done to our relationship.
The way the plants are dyin' you'd swear it's fall
The condition of the plants is so poor, it looks like the season has changed.
Looks just like autumn up and down the hall
The plants are dying throughout the house, and it's only getting worse.
And I talk to 'em baby like you s'posed to do
I'm trying to care for the plants like my partner used to, but it's not helping.
But they're tired of hearing how I'm missin' you
Even the plants seem to be getting tired of my yearning for my partner's return.
And I know you told me not to call
My partner has asked me not to contact them, but I'm begging them to come back anyway.
Well it's a desperate situation
Everything around me is going wrong, and I'm feeling hopeless and scared.
I got a strong will to survive
I want to keep going and fix things despite everything falling apart.
But if this place is any indication
The state of my home is an indication of how my life is falling apart.
I may not make it out on time
I'm worried I won't be able to fix things before it's too late.
Well it's an eerie feeling in the still of the night
The loneliness and tension in my home is overwhelming.
Knowin' that the cats down to three more lives
Even my cats seem to be suffering and in danger, with only a few of their nine lives remaining.
You've turned as all into nervous wrecks
The situation has made everyone in the home anxious and stressed out.
We just sit around and wanderin' who's goin' to be next
Everyone is worried about what will happen next and who will suffer next.
Baby come back
The repeated plea to my partner to come back to our relationship.
Before you kill us all
The dire state of our home is a metaphor for how the failing relationship is harming me and everyone around me.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Max Barnes, Keith Follese
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind