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.
Pray for the Fish
Randy Travis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
At the edge of town
To see if that Eddie Lee Vaughn baptism
Was really gonna go down
Folks bet hard earned money
That water wouldn't change a thing
They set the odds at a hundred to one
His soul wouldn't never come clean
People take a moment or two
There something we need to do
Pray for the fish
They won't know what's coming
When the sin starts rolling off the likes of him
Lord be with em, they ain't done nothin'
Please won't you leave them just a little bit 'a room to swim
Pray for the fish
Well the preacher ducked em under
That cool clear water
Then he did it again
Eddie came up yelling
Lord in heaven halleauh!
I'm a brand new man
Well the water got to bubbling
Sky got to rumbling
And the thunder backed up the choir
The fish started jumpin'
It was like they was swimmin'
In a lake of fire
Then Eddie's momma stepped out of the crowd
And started yelling out loud
Pray for the fish
They won't know what's coming
When the sin starts rolling
Off the likes of him
Lord be with' em
They ain't done nothing
Please won't you leave 'em
Just a little bit 'a room to swim
Pray for the fish
He said everybody cross your fingers
Fold your hands
Pray for ole' Eddie
But before we say amen
Pray for the fish
Lord be with 'em
They ain't done nothin'
Please won't you leave 'em
Just a little bit 'a room to swim
Pray for the fish
Lord pray for the fish
The song Pray for the Fish by Randy Travis is about a baptism that takes place in a river on the outskirts of town. The townspeople gather to watch Eddie Lee Vaughn's baptism, and they are betting that the water will not change his ways. The preacher then asks everyone to take a moment to pray for the fish in the river, as they will not know what is coming when Eddie's sins start to roll off of him. The baptism takes place, and Eddie comes up from the water exclaiming that he is a brand new man. As the fish start to jump and the sky starts to rumble, Eddie's mother steps out of the crowd and begins to pray for the fish, asking that they be given just a bit of room to swim.
The lyrics of the song are powerful and poignant, highlighting the idea that we should pray not just for ourselves and those around us, but also for the natural world. The notion that the fish in the river are impacted by the sins of those around them is a powerful metaphor for the idea that everything is connected.
Line by Line Meaning
Everybody gathered where the river runs wider
People gathered at the wider part of the river
At the edge of town
This location was near the town's boundary
To see if that Eddie Lee Vaughn baptism
The purpose was to witness Eddie's baptism
Was really gonna go down
If Eddie's baptism would happen
Folks bet hard earned money
People wagered their hard-earned money
That water wouldn't change a thing
People believed that the water would not cleanse him of his sins
They set the odds at a hundred to one
They made the odds of Eddie's baptism being successful almost impossible
His soul wouldn't never come clean
It was believed that his soul would never be clean
Then the preacher said
The minister spoke
People take a moment or two
He requested that people take a short time
There something we need to do
There's something we must do
Pray for the fish
They were asked to pray for the fish
They won't know what's coming
The fish are unaware of what is about to happen
When the sin starts rolling off the likes of him
When his sins are removed
Lord be with em, they ain't done nothin'
Asking for God's guidance and mercy for the innocent fish
Please won't you leave them just a little bit 'a room to swim
Asking for enough space for the fish to swim
Well the preacher ducked em under
The minister submerged Eddie in the water
That cool clear water
This was cool and crystal clear water
Then he did it again
Eddie was submerged again
Eddie came up yelling
Upon emerging, Eddie shouted
Lord in heaven halleauh!
A cry of joy upon being baptized
I'm a brand new man
Eddie felt like he was reborn
Well the water got to bubbling
The water began bubbling
Sky got to rumbling
The sky started to thunder
And the thunder backed up the choir
The sound of thunder accompanied the singing
The fish started jumpin'
The fish began to jump out of the water
It was like they was swimmin'
It appeared as if the fish were swimming in a different body of water
In a lake of fire
This is a metaphor for the purified water
Then Eddie's momma stepped out of the crowd
Eddie's mother came forward
And started yelling out loud
She began shouting loudly
He said everybody cross your fingers
The singer asked everyone to cross their fingers
Fold your hands
They were told to clasp their hands together
Pray for ole' Eddie
They were requested to pray for Eddie
But before we say amen
However, before we conclude the prayer
Pray for the fish
They were asked again to pray for the fish
Lord be with 'em
This repeats the earlier request for God's assistance with the fish
Lord pray for the fish
The song ends with a final request to pray for the fish
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Jeff Perry, Michael Anthony Curtis, Randy Travis
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind