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 Won't Need You Anymore
Randy Travis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You're the one that hung the moon
After all these nights together
I still get lost in your perfume
And if I could write a love song
Every line would tell the truth
It would be a warm and soft one
When you see me walk on water
When the sea don't reach the shore
When the fires of Hell freeze over
I won't need you anymore
Oh, the feelings lay so easy
Lyin' here the way we are
No one else could ever hold me
Like the heavens hold the stars
When you see me walk on water
When the sea don't reach the shore
When the fires of Hell freeze over
I won't need you anymore
I won't need you anymore
The lyrics to Randy Travis's song "I Won't Need You Anymore" express a deep love and admiration for someone who has been a constant presence in the singer's life. This person is described as the one who "hung the moon" and who the singer still gets lost in the perfume of after nights spent together. The singer even goes so far as to say that if he could write a love song, every line would be the truth.
Despite this deep love, the chorus reveals that the singer will eventually not need this person anymore. The imagery used to describe this is powerful - the idea of the singer walking on water, the sea not reaching the shore, and the fires of hell freezing over are all impossible feats, but they symbolize how the singer will not need this person in his life anymore. The implication seems to be that the singer is capable of achieving anything on his own, and he no longer needs the love and support of this person.
The final verse of the song reiterates the strength of the singer's feelings and the profound connection he has with this person. The feelings between them are described as "laying so easy" and no one else can ever hold the singer like this person can. Despite this, the chorus makes it clear that the singer will ultimately move on and no longer need this person.
Overall, "I Won't Need You Anymore" is a complex and emotional song that explores the many facets of love and relationships. It acknowledges the importance of a particular person in the singer's life while also recognizing that the singer is capable of achieving great things on his own.
Line by Line Meaning
You're my always and forever
You are the person who will always be with me.
You're the one that hung the moon
You are the most important person in my life.
After all these nights together
Even after spending so many nights together, I still feel the same way.
I still get lost in your perfume
Your scent still has the power to make me feel lost in love.
And if I could write a love song
If I had the ability to express my love in a song,
Every line would tell the truth
Every line of that song would be true.
It would be a warm and soft one
It would be a gentle and tender song.
And my heart would say to you
It would be a reflection of what is in my heart.
When you see me walk on water
When I do the impossible,
When the sea don't reach the shore
When everything seems to be falling apart,
When the fires of hell freeze over
When there seems to be no hope left,
I won't need you anymore
I won't depend on you anymore.
Oh, the feelings lay so easy
The feelings are so obvious and sincere.
Lyin' here the way we are
As we are lying here together,
No one else could ever hold me
No one else can make me feel the way you do.
Like the heavens hold the stars
As the heavens hold the stars.
I won't need you anymore
I won't depend on you anymore.
I won't need you anymore
I won't depend on you anymore.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Max Barnes, Troy Seals
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind