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.
Keep Your Lure in the Water
Randy Travis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There are souls to be caught everywhere in this old world
Go where hearts are plenty, don't just drift with the tide
Keep your lure in the water, in the waters of life
The lord said, "Simon, haul your nets in
From now on you're a fisher of men"
Well, I like fishin',
That's why it caught my ear
The Lord knew how to get to me
And what I'd need to hear
Keep your lure in the water, don't just sit by the shore
There are souls to be caught everywhere in this old world
Go where hearts are plenty, don't just drift with the tide
Keep your lure in the water, in the waters of life
When the sea is troubled and it's hard to stay afloat
And you feel like Jesus is sleeping in the boat
Don't you dare give up on the Prince of Peace
And in the middle of the storm
You will find a sweet release
Keep your lure in the water, don't just sit by the shore
There are souls to be caught everywhere in this old world
Go where hearts are plenty, don't just drift with the tide
Keep your lure in the water, in the waters of life
Yeah keep your lure in the water, in the waters of life
"Keep Your Lure in the Water" is a classic country-gospel song by Randy Travis, released in 2002, and it's a metaphorical song about fishing and evangelism. The song urges Christians to keep reaching out to the unconverted people in the world, in the same way that a fisherman keeps their hook in the water to catch fish. Travis urges Christians not to sit idly by the shore, but to go out into the world where there are many "hearts" or souls to be "caught". The waters of life are where people need help, and fishing in this case is a way to help them.
In the second verse, Travis refers to the story of Simon Peter in the Bible where Jesus calls him to ministry. The image of casting nets into the sea of Galilee to catch fish is a reference to the literal fishing and the metaphorical sense of Peter and the apostles spreading the gospel. The song points out that Jesus knew how to appeal to people personally, that's why he chose Peter as a fisherman to appeal to his personal interests.
As the song proceeds to its last verse, Travis reminds Christians that the world can be a tumultuous place, but to not give upon God in the midst of chaos. Even when "the sea is troubled", as the saying goes, keep your faith firm in Jesus Christ. He is the "prince of peace," and in the middle of the storm, you will find a "sweet release." So, it's important to not only be faithful in moments of calm but also in moments of crises.
Overall, Travis conveys a compelling message to his listeners to be active in pursuing the souls they want to bring to Christ.
Line by Line Meaning
Keep your lure in the water, don't just sit by the shore
Don't just wait for opportunities, actively seek out souls to be saved
There are souls to be caught everywhere in this old world
There are people in need of spiritual guidance all around us
Go where hearts are plenty, don't just drift with the tide
Seek out places where people are open to hearing the word of God, don't just follow the crowd
Keep your lure in the water, in the waters of life
Keep spreading the message of the gospel in all aspects of your life
When the sea is troubled and it's hard to stay afloat
When life gets tough, don't give up on your faith
And you feel like Jesus is sleeping in the boat
Even when it feels like God is distant, have faith that He is still with you
Don't you dare give up on the Prince of Peace
Stay faithful to God even in difficult times
And in the middle of the storm
Even in the midst of hardships and trials
You will find a sweet release
You can find relief and comfort through faith in God
Yeah keep your lure in the water, in the waters of life
Continue to spread the gospel throughout your life
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Jeff Perry, Michael Anthony Curtis, Randy Travis
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind