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.
Reasons I Cheat
Randy Travis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And a boss who don't know I'm alive
I once had a notion I'd get that promotion
But now I barley survive
A wife to demanding, with no understanding
Of why I stay dead on my feet
A dimly lit tavern a willing young woman
My children keep on growing, my age keeps on showing
Like all of my old friends I meet
So I'm getting older, my life's growing colder
Just some of the reasons I cheat
The hair that I'm losing and a women who's choosing
To lay sound asleep by my side
The bills they are mounting, that's when I start counting
On someone to help sooth my pride
A lady that knows me, affection she shows me
And a smile so easy and sweet
The dreams that I've buried, the load that I've carry
Are some of the reasons I cheat
My children keep on growing, my age keeps on showing
Like all of my old friends I meet
So I'm getting older, my life's growing colder
Just some of the reasons I cheat
Yes, I'm getting older, my life's growing colder
Just some of the reasons I cheat
The lyrics to Randy Travis's song Reasons I Cheat depict a man who is unhappy with his life and admits to cheating as a way to escape his problems. The first verse describes the singer's difficult work life and his feeling of being invisible to his boss, causing him to give up on the idea of a promotion. The second verse paints a picture of a demanding wife who cannot understand his exhaustion, leading him to seek solace in the arms of a willing woman at a tavern.
Later in the song, the reasons for his infidelity become more complex, as he sings about his deteriorating physical appearance, mounting bills, and the burdensome responsibilities he has shouldered. The lyrics paint a picture of a man who is deeply dissatisfied and going through a mid-life crisis. He seems to be searching for something to give him a sense of purpose or meaning, but ultimately turns to cheating as a way to escape his problems.
The song is an honest portrayal of the struggles that many people face in their lives. It highlights how easy it is to fall into destructive patterns of behavior when we feel trapped or hopeless. The lyrics are relatable and powerful, displaying how negative emotions and dissatisfaction can lead to self-destructive behavior.
Line by Line Meaning
A working day to long when everything goes wrong
My job is very stressful, and when everything goes wrong at work, it makes me feel like cheating on my wife.
And a boss who don't know I'm alive
My boss doesn't recognize my hard work, and it makes me feel invisible.
I once had a notion I'd get that promotion, but now I barley survive
I used to think I would get promoted, but now I'm barely getting by and it's making me want to cheat.
A wife to demanding with no understanding
My wife is very demanding and doesn't understand how hard my life is.
Of why I stay dead on my feet
I'm always tired, but my wife doesn't take that into consideration and doesn't give me a break.
A dimly lit tavern a willing young woman
Sometimes when I feel overwhelmed, I go to a dark bar to find a young woman who is willing to be with me.
Are some of the reasons I cheat
These are the reasons why I cheat on my wife.
The hair that I'm losing and a women who's choosing
I'm insecure about my looks, and when a woman chooses to be with me, it makes me feel better about myself.
To lay sound asleep by my side
I like the feeling of having someone next to me while I sleep.
The bills they are mounting that's when I start counting
When I have a lot of bills to pay, I start to consider cheating so that I can get someone to help me pay them.
On someone to help sooth my pride
I need someone to make me feel better about myself.
A lady that knows me affection she shows me and a smile so easy and sweet
There is a woman who shows me affection and has an easy and sweet smile, which makes me want to cheat on my wife.
The dreams that I've buried the load that I've carried
I have a lot of unfulfilled dreams, and sometimes the weight of my responsibilities feels too heavy to bear.
Are some of the reasons I cheat
These are the reasons why I cheat on my wife.
My children keep on growing me age keeps on showing
I'm getting older, and so are my children, which makes me feel like I'm missing out on life.
Like all of my old friends I meet
When I see my old friends, I realize that I haven't achieved as much as they have, which makes me feel like cheating.
So I'm getting older my life's growing colder
As I age, my life feels less fulfilling and exciting, which makes me feel like I need to cheat.
Just some of the reasons I cheat
These are the reasons why I cheat on my wife.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Randy Travis
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Paulette Reed
Been knowing Randy 25yrs. He's a beautiful soul with a big heart. Please pray for him he's can always use them.
Joeann Adams
Country singers come and go , but singers like Randy set the bar high for the other singers. No one can take his place .
Paulette Reed
Nobody can ever touch him...NOBODY
Joan Fraser
I love Randy’s voice. He is country through and through. I dislike the stuff “country” radio plays today. The music of the late 80’s/early 90’s was the best. It’s what I listen to every day. Miss hearing you on radio Randy! Thank goodness for my CDs and Spotify! 💖
Jordan Hamilton
Best country artist i can think of Sall 70-90’s country on my playlist as soon as 2000’s hit country wasnt the same its all about hunting fishing and trucks n beer an 90% of it isn’t written by the artist they just sing someone else’s lyrics on stage. Music nowadays is all turned to shit illuminati look at me / be like me type of music
Justin Terry Music
Check out some of my stuff, Joan! I think you’ll like some of it.
Joan Fraser
@Justin Terry Music Hi Justin, I just had a chance to listen to some of your songs and thank you for bringing your music to my attention. I really enjoyed what I heard. I hope you are doing well with your music and as I know nothing about you, I'd love to know if you get airplay or are you too country for country radio? I wish you much success. Thanks, Joan...a new Canadian fan.
Justin Terry Music
@Joan Fraser I got a little bit of airplay from my newest song, Wave the Flag. But it was a handful of independent country stations across the country. Mainstream would never play my stuff! But I’ll keep making traditional country and work hard to get it heard. Thank you for checking me out!!
Deborah E. Cheney
HIS VOICE IS MAGICAL
Highest Penguin
Who else but the Great Randy Travis could turn such a sad song into a beautiful melody you want to slow dance to?!