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 β "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.
Is It Still Over?
Randy Travis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And wishing I was with you just seems to use up all my time
You been gone so long that it's hard to recall just how the dream went
And all but this broken heart and me I guess is doing' fine
Is it still over are we still through
Since my phone still ain't ringing
I assume it still ain't you
But I'm not sure that I'm still over you
That lie that I tried to slip by you was told with good intentions
It was just another way to say I love you and protect you from the truth
And half a pound of cure is surely worth a half an ounce of good prevention
And trying to explain while I'm insane is the hardest thing I've ever tried to do
Is it still over are we still through
Since my phone still ain't ringing
I assume it still ain't you
I'll have to mind to take the time to find somebody new
But I'm not sure that I'm still over you
Is it still over are we still through
Since my phone still ain't ringing
I assume it still ain't you
I'll have to mind to take the time to find somebody new
But I'm not sure that I'm still over you
If I repeat myself it's 'cause I've nothing else to do
But I'm not sure that I'm still over you
In Randy Travis's song "Is It Still Over?", the singer is struggling to move on from a past relationship. He expresses how inconvenient it is to be without his former lover and how he spends a lot of his time wishing he was with them. He also mentions that he can hardly remember what the relationship was like, except for the pain of his broken heart. He questions whether the relationship is truly over, which is evident by the fact that his phone still isn't ringing, and he contemplates finding someone new to move on with, but he isn't sure if he's ready to let go of his past love.
The lines "That lie that I tried to slip by you was told with good intentions. It was just another way to say I love you and protect you from the truth," reveal that the singer had been dishonest with his former lover in an attempt to protect them. He recognizes that the lie he told was not the right thing to do but he did it out of love. He suggests that "half a pound of cure is surely worth a half an ounce of good prevention," meaning that sometimes it's better to deal with the consequences of a situation after it happens rather than try to prevent it beforehand.
Overall, the song portrays the struggle of moving on from a past relationship and the uncertainty and confusion that can accompany it.
Line by Line Meaning
Being without you has turned out to be so inconvenient
Not having you in my life has been extremely difficult and troublesome
And wishing I was with you just seems to use up all my time
Daydreaming about being with you takes up all of my time and makes me less productive
You been gone so long that it's hard to recall just how the dream went
It's been so long since we've been together that I struggle to remember the good times we shared
And all but this broken heart and me I guess is doing' fine
Everyone else seems to be okay except for me and my broken heart
That lie that I tried to slip by you was told with good intentions
I lied to you out of love and a desire to protect you
It was just another way to say I love you and protect you from the truth
My lie was a misguided attempt to express my love for you and shelter you from the painful truth
And half a pound of cure is surely worth a half an ounce of good prevention
Sometimes, it's more effective to fix a problem after it occurs rather than trying to prevent it beforehand
And trying to explain while I'm insane is the hardest thing I've ever tried to do
It's very difficult to articulate my true feelings and intentions when I'm feeling so emotionally overwhelmed
If I repeat myself it's 'cause I've nothing else to do
I keep repeating myself because I have no other way to occupy my thoughts and distract myself from missing you
Is it still over are we still through
Are we still broken up or is there a chance for us to reconcile?
Since my phone still ain't ringing
I haven't heard from you and there's been no indication that you want to get back together
I assume it still ain't you
I'm assuming that you're not the one calling me
I'll have to mind to take the time to find somebody new
I might consider moving on and finding a new partner
But I'm not sure that I'm still over you
I'm still not completely over you emotionally and I'm not sure that I ever will be
Lyrics Β© Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, LARRY HENLEY MUSIC
Written by: KENNETH BELL, LARRY HENLEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ross Forsyth
There may not be a Superbowl in 2083
Cars and trains and video games will all be history
The world just keeps on changing, things come and then they go
Nothing lasts forever except one thing I know
There'll always be a honky tonk
With a jukebox in the corner
And someone crying in their beer
And one old hanger-oner
And a lady looking lonely
From a losing love affair
Yeah, there'll always be a honky tonk somewhere
Yeah, there'll always be a honky tonk somewhere
There may be factories on the moon and farming out in space
It seems there's nothing here on earth
That something won't replace
But as long as there's a broken heart, there'll be a place to go
Where good ol' boys meet good ol' girls
And the wine and music flow
There'll always be a honky tonk
With a jukebox in the corner
And someone crying in their beer
And one old hanger-oner
And a lady looking lonely
From a losing love affair
Yeah, there'll always be a honky tonk somewhere
Yeah, there'll always be a honky tonk somewhere
There'll always be a honky tonk
With a jukebox in the corner
And someone crying in their beer
And one old hanger-oner
And a lady looking lonely
From a losing love affair
Yeah, there'll always be a honky tonk somewhere
Yeah, there'll always be a honky tonk somewhere
Ethan Hill
This is real country. Modern country needs to find this sound again.
terry corrall
IF ONLY
Will C
The best voice in country music ππ»ππ»ππ»ππ»ππ»ππ»
David Figueroa
Real country music Love this man special place in my heart
Lisa Evans
I pray someday heβll be able to perform this again His voice was phenomenal
Harriet Johnson
I totally agree! Him and George Jones had the best voices!
Chris
Amen to that
Tom Sale
If the mind still fits its strength the body will perform
Scott Losey
@Harriet Johnson and Keith Whitley
Kelsey LeAnn
I could listen to your voice forever πβ€οΈπβ€οΈ