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.
We're Strangers Again
Randy Travis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And both in need of a friend
We promised each other
To much to live up to
And now we're strangers again
I came like a stranger
And you took me in
We had nothing but good times
As long as the sun shines
But we just couldn't weather the storm
You came like a stranger
And I took you in
And you gave me some reasons
To live
I gave the good the good times
And you gave the sunshine
'Til we ran out of good things to give
Now we are strangers back down on our luck
And both in need of a friend
We promised each other
To much to live up to
And now we're strangers again
Strangers again
These lyrics describe the journey of a relationship that started off as two strangers in need of a friend who found solace in each other's company. They promised each other a lot at the beginning of the relationship, but as time went by, they found it hard to keep up with those promises. The song tells the story of how they both took each other in when they were down on their luck, but they could not survive the rough patches that came with the relationship.
The first verse speaks about how they met, both being strangers and in need of a friend. They then promised each other too much to live up to, indicating that they set expectations too high that became difficult to maintain over time. In the chorus, they describe how they both took each other in when they were down on their luck and how they found comfort in each other. However, as the second verse explains, they just couldn't weather the storms of life together.
Line by Line Meaning
First we were strangers down on our luck
At first, we didn't know each other and we were both struggling.
And both in need of a friend
We were both looking for someone to confide in and lean on.
We promised each other
We made vows and commitments to each other.
To much to live up to
Our expectations for each other were too high.
And now we're strangers again
We have become distant and unfamiliar once more.
I came like a stranger
At first, I was not known to you.
And you took me in
You welcomed me into your life.
And I felt at home in your arms
I experienced comfort and safety being close to you.
We had nothing but good times
Our relationship was filled with happy memories.
As long as the sun shines
Our happiness seemed boundless and unending.
But we just couldn't weather the storm
We were not able to withstand difficult times and challenges.
You came like a stranger
At first, I did not know you.
And I took you in
I accepted you into my life.
And you gave me some reasons
You gave me purpose and motivation.
To live
To continue to exist and thrive.
I gave the good the good times
I contributed joyful moments to our relationship.
And you gave the sunshine
You brought light and positivity to my life.
'Til we ran out of good things to give
Our ability to contribute positively to each other's lives eventually ended.
Now we are strangers back down on our luck
We are once again unfamiliar and struggling.
And both in need of a friend
We are both looking for someone to support and care for us.
We promised each other
We made commitments to each other.
To much to live up to
Our expectations for each other were too high.
And now we're strangers again
We have become disconnected once more.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Leona Williams, Merle Haggard
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind