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.
Don
Ray Price Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't open the door to heaven if I can't come in
Don't touch me if you don't love me sweetheart
Your kiss is like a drink when I'm thirsty and I'm thirsty for you with all my heart
But don't love me then act like we've never kissed
Oh don't touch me if you don't love me sweetheart
Don't give me something you might take away
Don't open the door to heaven if I can't come in
Oh don't touch me if you don't love me sweetheart
Don't give me something...
Don't touch me if you don't love me sweetheart
The lyrics of Ray Price's song Don’t Touch Me express a yearning for genuine love and affection, rather than temporary physical pleasure. The initial lines, “Your hand is like a torch each time you touch me, the look in your eyes pulls me apart” suggest an intense physical connection. However, the following lines, “Don't open the door to heaven if I can't come in, Don't touch me if you don't love me sweetheart” create a contrast by expressing the need for emotional commitment. The singer implies that without love, physical touch is meaningless and cannot satisfy their emotional needs.
Later, the lyrics say, “But don't love me then act like we've never kissed, Oh don't touch me if you don't love me sweetheart” revealing that the singer has been hurt and does not want to go through that pain again. The lines imply that the physical touch and kiss of a loved one are treasured moments that should not be taken for granted. Lastly, the repetition of the words “Don't give me something…” in the final lines serves as a warning to avoid heartbreak. The ending line “Don’t touch me if you don’t love me sweetheart” once again reinforces the importance of emotional connection over physical touch.
Overall, the lyrics of Don’t Touch Me express a yearning for genuine love that transcends physical touch. The song speaks to the heartbreak that can come from prioritizing physical connection over emotional connection, and it emphasizes the importance of love in a fulfilling relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Your hand is like a torch each time you touch me the look in your eyes pulls me apart
Your touch is so intense that it makes me feel like I am on fire, and the way you look at me overwhelms me emotionally.
Don't open the door to heaven if I can't come in
Please don't offer me something wonderful that I can't have, because it will only make me feel worse.
Don't touch me if you don't love me sweetheart
If you don't have genuine feelings for me, don't pretend like you do by touching me.
Your kiss is like a drink when I'm thirsty and I'm thirsty for you with all my heart
Your kiss is something that I crave desperately, and it satisfies a deep emotional need within me.
But don't love me then act like we've never kissed
If you share a deep intimacy with me, don't then act like it never happened or treat it like it was meaningless.
Oh don't touch me if you don't love me sweetheart
It's not fair to touch me like you love me if those feelings aren't genuine.
Don't give me something you might take away
Please don't offer me something wonderful that you might later revoke or withdraw, because it will only hurt me more.
To have you then lose you wouldn't be smart on my part
It wouldn't be wise for me to pursue a relationship with you if there is a high likelihood that I will lose you later on.
Don't give me something...
Please don't offer me something that you won't be able to fully give me.
Don't touch me if you don't love me sweetheart
If you don't have genuine feelings for me, don't pretend like you do by touching me.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: HANK COCHRAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Wayne Pickle
You make my eyes run over all the time
You're happy when I'm out of my mind
You don't love me, but you won't let me be
Don't you ever get tired of hurting me?
You must think I look bad with a smile
For you haven't let me wear one in such a long, long while
Still I keep running back
Why must this be?
Don't you ever get tired of hurting me?
Someone must have hurt you long ago
But why take revenge on one who loves you so
You don't need me, but you won't let me be
Don't you ever get tired of hurting me?
You must think I look bad with a smile
For you haven't let me wear one in such a long, long while
Still I keep running back
Why must this be?
Don't you ever get tired of hurting me?
Don't you ever get tired of hurting me?
John Galvin
Style never goes out of fashion. If you're a young entertainer, watch how effortless Ray makes it look. RIP one of the greats.
Donna Tyner
Absolute class and most beautiful voice. My very favorite country singer. Really miss him.
Lynn Cameron
Never ❤
Djamal Versteeg
It's a crying shame that country radio has forgotten what genuine country music ought to sound like. These were the days when you were able to distinguish who was singing on radio. Thanks for sharing!!
doctorhugo
Ray has and always will be the master of the understated country soulful sound. Younger folks would do well to closely listen to his delivery of songs just like this gem. He lightly caresses the lyrics and always respects the writer's intent. A class act all the way. It's his sound we heard as when younger we contemplated the lonely half-full glass and when older reflected back to instant-recall memories. May God Bless the old Cherokee Cowboy and ride with him down the last trail home.
pat mosten
Today's country music is not country music. You cannot replace these great artists. The passion in the songs are what make the singer live on forever.
Lynn Cameron
Amen
twinPaula12
Voices like Ray's and other pure country talents like Gene Watson, Merle and George are what sold records for many years. They didn't need the high tech glitzy videos that seem to push many of today's singers into the limelight. If I had a choice of listening to Ray's still terrific voice on a record, at age 85, or that of one of today's new finds I think Ray's would win hands down. Thanks again for posting this treasure. - Paula
Trish Schmidt
Ray is my all time favorite singer. Country music needs more singers like him, true country.
j k
I saw Ray in concert when he was 90 years old, his voice was as clean and crisp as ever. What a beautiful voice.