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.
Deeper Than the Holler
Randy Travis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Deeper than the oceans, higher than the stars above
Well I come from the country and I know I ain't seen it all
But I heard that ocean's salty and the stars they sometimes fall
And that would not do justice to the way I feel for you
So I had to sing this song about all the things I knew
My love is deeper than the holler, stronger than the rivers
My love is purer than the snowflakes that fall in late December
And honest as a robin on a springtime window sill
And longer than the song of a whippoorwill
From the back roads to the Broadway shows with a million miles between
There's at least a million love songs that people love to sing
And everyone is different and everyone's the same
And this is just another way of sayin' the same thing
My love is deeper than the holler, stronger than the rivers
Higher than the pine trees growin' tall upon the hill
My love is purer than the snowflakes that fall in late December
And honest as a robin on a springtime window sill
And longer than the song of a whippoorwill
My love is deeper than the holler, stronger than the rivers
Higher than the pine trees growin' tall upon the hill
My love is purer than the snowflakes that fall in late December
And honest as a robin on a springtime window sill
And longer than the song of a whippoorwill
A whippoorwill
In Randy Travis's "Deeper Than the Holler," he sings about the depth and strength of his love for his partner. He begins by referencing city singers who claim to love deeper than the oceans and higher than the stars, but he believes his love cannot be adequately expressed by such comparisons. Travis then asserts that his love is deeper than the holler, stronger than the rivers, and higher than the pine trees. He likens his love to snowflakes in late December, honest as a robin on a springtime window sill, and longer than a whippoorwill's song.
Through this song, Travis communicates that love is universal and indescribable, yet uniquely individual. He acknowledges that there are countless love songs that people love to sing, each with their own expression of the same sentiment. However, his love is unlike any other, and he wants to express that to his partner.
Overall, "Deeper Than the Holler" is a sweet, heartfelt love song that emphasizes the depth and strength of the love between two people. Randy Travis's vocals and country sound only add to the sentiment of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I've heard those city singers singin' 'bout how they can love
I've heard city singers sing about love, but their claims of depth and magnitude can't compare to my love for you.
Deeper than the oceans, higher than the stars above
Their love is compared to the vastness of the oceans and the distance of the stars, but my love goes even beyond that.
Well I come from the country and I know I ain't seen it all
I may not have seen the city singers' experiences, but I do know what it means to love someone deeply.
But I heard that ocean's salty and the stars they sometimes fall
Even the magnificent things that the city singers compared their love to have flaws and limitations.
And that would not do justice to the way I feel for you
Comparing my love to something finite and flawed would not accurately represent how strongly I feel for you.
So I had to sing this song about all the things I knew
I had to write this song to convey the depth and purity of my love in a way that truly captures how I feel.
My love is deeper than the holler, stronger than the rivers
My love for you is so deep it goes beyond the sound of the holler and stronger than the force of the rivers.
Higher than the pine trees growin' tall upon the hill
My love reaches greater heights than even the tallest pine trees on the hill.
My love is purer than the snowflakes that fall in late December
My love is as pure as the snowflakes falling in late December, untainted and unblemished.
And honest as a robin on a springtime window sill
My love is as honest and genuine as a robin sitting on a window sill in springtime.
And longer than the song of a whippoorwill
My love is so enduring that it lasts longer than the song of a whippoorwill.
From the back roads to the Broadway shows with a million miles between
No matter where we are, whether on back roads or in Broadway shows, even with a million miles between us, my love for you never fades.
There's at least a million love songs that people love to sing
There are countless love songs, but this one is unique and special because it captures the true depth of my love for you.
And everyone is different and everyone's the same
People are unique and diverse, but the feeling of love is universal and shared by all.
And this is just another way of sayin' the same thing
This song is simply another expression of the fact that my love for you is greater than anything else in this world.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Paul Overstreet, Don Schlitz
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind