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.
I Told You So
Randy Travis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And told you that I love you
And suppose I said I want to come back home
And suppose I cried and said I think I finally learned my lesson
And I'm tired of spending all my time alone
If I told you that I realized you're all I ever wanted
And it's killing me to be so far away
And would we cry together
Or would you simply laugh at me and say?
I told you so
Oh, I told you so
I told you some day you'd come crawling back
And asking me to take you in
I told you so
But you had to go
Now I've found somebody new
And you will never break my heart in two again
If I got down on my knees
And told you I was yours forever
Would you get down on yours too and take my hand?
Would we get that old-time feeling
Would we laugh and talk for hours
The way we did when our love first began?
Would you tell me that you've missed me too
And that you've been so lonely
And you've waited for the day that I returned?
And we'd live and love forever
And that I'm your one and only
Or would you say the tables finally turned?
Would you say I told you so
Oh, I told you so
I told you some day you'd come crawling back
And asking me to take you in
I told you so
But you had to go
Now I've found somebody new
And you will never break my heart in two again
Now I've found somebody new
And you will never break my heart in two again
The song "I Told You So" by Randy Travis is about regret and the consequences of failing to appreciate someone while they are still there. The song is written as a hypothetical conversation between two people in a failed relationship. The singer of the song asks the other person if they would take him back if he came back to her, begging for forgiveness. The other person then responds by saying that they have moved on and found someone else, and that they are happy now. The singer of the song then reflects on the wrongs he has done and how his actions have led to the end of their relationship.
The chorus of the song is the title phrase, "I told you so," which is repeated throughout the song. This phrase represents the other person's reaction to the singer's pleas for forgiveness. It suggests a sense of vindication, that the other person was right to move on and that they are better off without the singer. The song is a beautiful yet heartbreaking reflection on lost love, the importance of appreciating someone while they are still there, and the regret we feel when it's too late.
Line by Line Meaning
Suppose I called you up tonight
Imagine if I reached out to you unexpectedly
And told you that I love you
And confessed my feelings for you
And suppose I said I want to come back home
And expressed a desire to return to our relationship
And suppose I cried and said I think I finally learned my lesson
And shed tears while admitting I've grown and changed
And I'm tired of spending all my time alone
And tired of being alone all the time
If I told you that I realized you're all I ever wanted
If I revealed that you are the only one I truly desire
And it's killing me to be so far away
And being separated from you is unbearable
Would you tell my that you love me too
Would you reciprocate my feelings and affirm your love for me
And would we cry together
And would we weep together
Or would you simply laugh at me and say?
Or would you mock me with laughter and say?
I told you so
I warned you about this outcome
Oh, I told you so
I am reminding you that I predicted this
I told you some day you'd come crawling back
I told you that you would return to me in a humble manner
And asking me to take you in
And request my forgiveness and love
But you had to go
But you left me
Now I've found somebody new
Now I have found another love
And you will never break my heart in two again
And you will never shatter my heart like before
If I got down on my knees
If I humbled myself before you
And told you I was yours forever
And declared my eternal devotion to you
Would you get down on yours too and take my hand?
Would you also kneel and accept my offer?
Would we get that old-time feeling
Would we rekindle the love we used to share?
Would we laugh and talk for hours
Would we share joy and conversation for a long time?
The way we did when our love first began?
The way we did at the beginning of our relationship?
Would you tell me that you've missed me too
Would you express that you also longed for me?
And that you've been so lonely
And that you have been isolated and alone
And you've waited for the day that I returned?
And have eagerly anticipated my return?
And we'd live and love forever
And we can spend forever together in love
And that I'm your one and only
And I am the only one you truly love
Or would you say the tables finally turned?
Or would you say that the situation has shifted?
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Randy Travis
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
realcanadiangirl64
When I was married to my husband, after the kids were in bed, we'd lay on the couch and hold each other while Randy played on the stereo. Unfortunately, because of his infidelities, our marriage ended after 16 years together. Twelve years later he asked me to come back after serenading me with this song. Although it broke my heart, I had to say no. While I've long forgiven him for cheating, my heart will never forget that pain
PaddyWack999
Good for you!
dave schultz
That is so sad :(
laura kello
I get that
Judy B
Been there and left that, too. You are better than anything he ever he said he would never do 'again'. Really?
Michael-john Brown
Sorry about hearing boit your heartache i hope you find someone soon if you have not yet
Mary Sizemore
What a voice!
flynn malin
This still remains my favorite song by Randy Travis. Yes, I like the Carrie Underwood duet version, also. Lived it, still love it.
Corey King
Good old school
Bob Anderson
Beautiful song...Wonderful voice.and just listen to that steel guitar talk.