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.
Turn It Around
Randy Travis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Starin' at those tread marks you left with your car
Before you get too far out of town
I hope you turn it around
I didn't think you had it in you
Who'd have thought you'd really leave
It's kind of like some movie I wish I'd never seen
You left and left my world upside down
[Chorus]
It's safe to say I've underestimated how strong you are
Apparently girl you've got what it takes to break my heart
You've everything I need I know
Right now I want to hold you close
And all I can do is pray that you'll come home
It's probably a safe bet that you ain't comin' back
I made some big mistakes I'll admit to that
If there's still a chance that we can work this out
My life's got to change starting now
I'm going to turn it around
I can't believe I'm standin' out here in the yard
Starin' at those tread marks you left with your car
Before you get too far out of town
My life's going to change starting now
I need to turn it around
Baby turn it around
In Randy Travis's song Turn It Around, the singer stands in his yard, staring at the tire marks left by his lover's car, as she leaves him. He didn't think she had it in her to really leave, and he feels like his world is turned upside down. He acknowledges that he underestimated her strength and her ability to break his heart. He wishes he could hold her close and hopes that she'll come back, but he also realizes that he made some big mistakes and his life has to change starting now. Even though he thinks it's unlikely that she'll return, he's committed to turning things around and fixing his relationship if he gets the chance.
The lyrics of Turn It Around reflect the pain and regret of a man who realizes too late that he might have taken his partner for granted. The tire marks serve as a painful reminder of what he's lost and the mistakes he's made. The singer acknowledges that his lover had been trying to warn him that he needed to change, but he didn't listen. Now that he's alone, he wants to do all he can to show her that he's learned his lesson and he's willing to turn things around.
Line by Line Meaning
I can't believe I'm standing out here in the yard
I am surprised and shocked that I am standing outside in the yard instead of being inside, thinking about what just happened.
Starin' at those tread marks you left with your car
I cannot stop staring at the tracks left by your car as you drove away.
Before you get too far out of town
I'm hoping you will stop before you leave town, so we can talk and try to work things out.
I hope you turn it around
I pray that you will have a change of heart and come back to me.
I didn't think you had it in you
I never thought that you would actually leave me and break my heart.
Who'd have thought you'd really leave
I never thought that this would happen to us, that you would actually leave me.
It's kind of like some movie I wish I'd never seen
Our situation feels like a tragic movie that I never wanted to be a part of.
You left and left my world upside down
Your departure turned my world upside down and left me feeling lost and alone.
You've got to turn it around
I am desperately hoping that you will change your mind and come back to me.
It's safe to say I've underestimated how strong you are
I now realize that you are much stronger than I ever gave you credit for, as you were able to walk away from our relationship.
Apparently girl you've got what it takes to break my heart
You have shown that you have the ability to break my heart, which I never thought was possible before.
You've everything I need I know
Despite our differences, I still believe that you are everything I need in my life.
Right now I want to hold you close
I miss you so much that all I want to do is hug you and never let you go.
And all I can do is pray that you'll come home
All I can do right now is pray that you will have a change of heart and return to me.
It's probably a safe bet that you ain't comin' back
Realistically, I know that there is a high chance that you will not come back to me.
I made some big mistakes I'll admit to that
I understand that I made some serious mistakes in our relationship, and I take responsibility for them.
If there's still a chance that we can work this out
If there is any possibility that we can fix things between us, I want to try.
My life's got to change starting now
If we are going to have a chance at being together again, I realize that I need to make some significant changes in my life.
I'm going to turn it around
I am ready and committed to turning my life around and making things work between us, if you will allow me that chance.
Baby turn it around
I am begging you to give me another chance and come back to me, so we can turn our relationship around and make things right.
Lyrics © Bluewater Music Corp., Peermusic Publishing
Written by: MATTHEW FERGUSON, NOAH A. GORDON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Just Melissa
Never heard this song before... LOVE IT... Thanks for sharing it!