Price, born in Perryville, Texas, served with the U.S. Marines from 1944–1946, and began singing for KRBC in Abilene, Texas during 1948. He joined the Big D Jamboree in Dallas in 1949. He relocated to Nashville in the early 1950s, rooming for a brief time with Hank Williams. When Williams died, Price managed his band, the Drifting Cowboys, and had minor success. He was the first artist to have a success with the song "Release Me" (1954), a top five popular music hit for Engelbert Humperdinck in 1967.
In 1953, Price formed his band, the Cherokee Cowboys. Among its members during the late 1950s and early 1960s were; Roger Miller, Willie Nelson, Darrell McCall, Van Howard, Johnny Paycheck and Johnny Bush, Buddy Emmons, Pete Wade, Jan Kurtis, Shorty Lavender and Buddy Spicher. Miller wrote one of Ray Price's classics in 1958, "Invitation to the Blues", and sang harmony on the recording. Additionally, Nelson composed the Ray Price song "Night Life".
Price became one of the stalwarts of 1950s honky tonk music, with hit songs such as "Talk To Your Heart" (1952) and "Release Me". He later developed the famous "Ray Price Shuffle," a 4/4 arrangement of honky tonk music with a walking bassline, which can be heard on "Crazy Arms" (1956) and many of his other recordings from the late 1950s.
During the 1960s, Ray experimented increasingly with the so-called Nashville sound, singing slow ballads and utilizing lush arrangements of strings and backing singers. Examples include his 1967 rendition of "Danny Boy", and "For the Good Times" in 1970 which was Price's first country music chart No. 1 hit since "The Same Old Me" in 1959. Written by Kris Kristofferson, the song also scored No. 11 on the popular music chart and featured a mellower Price backed by sophisticated musical sounds, quite in contrast to the honky tonk sounds Price had pioneered two decades before. Price had three more No. 1 country music successes during the 1970s: "I Won't Mention It Again", "She's Got To Be A Saint", and "You're the Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me." His final top ten hit was "Diamonds In The Stars" in early 1982. Price continued to have songs on the country music chart through 1989. Later, he sang gospel music and recorded such songs as "Amazing Grace", "What A Friend We Have In Jesus", "Farther Along" and "Rock of Ages."
In 2006, Price was living near Mount Pleasant, Texas and still performing in concerts throughout the country. In 2009, Price made two performances for the Fox News show Huckabee. The first was with the Cherokee Cowboys and host Mike Huckabee, and he performed "Crazy Arms" and "Heartaches By The Number". Weeks later he performed with the Cherokee Cowboys and Willie Nelson (again with Huckabee playing bass guitar). This time they performed duets of "Faded Love" and "Crazy."
Price worked on his latest album, Last of the Breed, with fellow country music singers Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard. This album was released on March 20, 2007 by the company Lost Highway Records. The two-disc set features 20 country classics as well as a pair of new compositions. The trio toured the U.S. from March 9 until March 25 starting in Arizona and finishing in Illinois. This was Price's third album with Nelson and first album with Haggard. After the tour, Haggard remarked, "I told Willie when it was over, 'That old man gave us a goddamn singing lesson.' He really did. He just sang so good. He sat there with the mic against his chest. And me and Willie are all over the microphone trying to find it, and he found it."
On November 6, 2012, Ray Price confirmed that he was fighting pancreatic cancer. Price told the San Antonio Express-News that he had been receiving chemotherapy for the past six months. An alternative to the chemo would have been surgery that involved removing the pancreas along with portions of the stomach and liver, which would have meant a long recovery and stay in a nursing home. Said Price, "That's not very much an option for me. God knows I want to live as long as I can but I don't want to live like that." The 87-year-old Country Music Hall of Famer also told the newspaper, "The doctor said that every man will get cancer if he lives to be old enough. I don't know why I got it – I ain't old!" Price retained a positive outlook and hoped to play as many as a hundred concert dates in 2013.
As of early February 2013, the cancer appeared to be in remission. Sometime in May 2013, Price was hospitalized with severe dehydration. On December 2, 2013, Price entered a Tyler, Texas, hospital in the final stages of pancreatic cancer, according to his son, then left on December 12 for home hospice care. Price died at his home in Mt. Pleasant, Texas, on December 16, 2013.
Burnt Fingers
Ray Price Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When he's a playin' with desire, he gets burnt fingers
When a man starts to trifle and leaves his true love all alone
He'll break her heart and break his own
When a man finds a bad girl, he think it's fun
But when he comes back to his little girl, the harm is done
When a man gets burnt fingers, he gets the deepest kind of blues
When a man finds a bad girl, he think it's fun
But when he comes back to his little girl, the harm is done
When a man gets burnt fingers, he gets the deepest kind of blues
When a man plays with fire, he's bound to lose
In Burnt Fingers, Ray Price sings about the consequences of a man's actions when he plays with fire and desire. The song emphasizes that when a man starts to fool around and neglects his true love, he will eventually hurt and break her heart, as well as his own. The lyrics are straightforward and warn against the bad decisions a man might make when he is tempted by the wrong woman. The line "When a man finds a bad girl, he thinks it's fun," indicates that men might be lured by the excitement of being with someone dangerous or promiscuous but will eventually regret his actions.
The chorus provides a concise summary of the message of the song. When a man plays with fire, he is bound to get burnt fingers and the deepest kind of blues. The metaphor of playing with fire is aptly used here to imply that indulging in a destructive behavior is not worth the risk of getting hurt. The song's structure is simple and repeats the warning to the listener, emphasizing that when one is careless with love, the outcome is often disastrous.
Overall, Ray Price's Burnt Fingers is a cautionary tale about the risks of infidelity and neglect in relationships. The song's lyrics capture the essence of the self-harm that comes with playing with fire and the regret for the damage it causes to others' hearts.
Line by Line Meaning
When a man plays with fire, he gets burnt fingers
If someone takes risks or indulges in dangerous behavior, they will eventually face the consequences.
When he's a playin' with desire, he gets burnt fingers
If a man toys with someone's emotions and passions, he will end up getting hurt.
When a man starts to trifle and leaves his true love all alone
If a man decides to cheat on his partner and neglects his relationship, he will end up causing pain to both himself and his partner.
He'll break her heart and break his own
The consequences of a man's infidelity will not only hurt his partner's feelings but also his own conscience and well-being.
When a man finds a bad girl, he think it's fun
Men often get attracted to women who are troublemakers or a bit adventurous, but these relationships usually end up harming everyone involved.
But when he comes back to his little girl, the harm is done
Even if a man realizes his mistake and goes back to his partner, the damage has already been done, and the relationship may never fully recover.
When a man gets burnt fingers, he gets the deepest kind of blues
When a man suffers the consequences of his actions and faces the full weight of his mistakes, he will feel deep regret and sadness.
When a man plays with fire, he's bound to lose
Taking risks and indulging in dangerous behavior will ultimately lead to negative consequences and a loss of something valuable.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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