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.
I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
Ray Price Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And wild and sweet the words repeat of peace on earth goodwill to men
I thought as now this day has come the belfries of all Christendom
Had rung along the unbroken song of peace on earth goodwill to men
[ string ]
And in despair I bowed my head there is no peace on earth I said
(Then pealed the bells more loud and deep God is not dead nor doubt he sleeps)
The wrong shall fail the right prevail with peace on earth goodwill to men
The song "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" was originally written by the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in 1863 during the midst of the American Civil War. The lyrics express the emotions and turmoil that Longfellow was experiencing during this time of conflict and unrest. The familiar sounds of Christmas bells ringing and the repeating of the message of peace on earth and goodwill towards men are juxtaposed with the reality of war and the ongoing struggle between hatred and love.
As the song progresses, Longfellow expresses his feelings of hopelessness and despair as he looks around at the war-torn world and wonders if there is any hope for peace. The verse "For hate is strong and mocks the song of peace on earth, goodwill to men" captures the essence of his feelings, as he is confronted with the brutal realities of war and the impossibility of achieving peace.
Line by Line Meaning
I heard the bells on Christmas Day their old familiar carols play
I listened to the sound of the Christmas bells, playing the same old songs they always do
And wild and sweet the words repeat of peace on earth goodwill to men
The lyrics of the carols are powerful and emotional, reminding us of the importance of peace and kindness
I thought as now this day has come the belfries of all Christendom
As I listened to the bells, I considered how all the churches in the Christian world must be ringing their own bells too
Had rung along the unbroken song of peace on earth goodwill to men
All these churches must be echoing the same message of peace and goodwill to all people, as they have done for generations
And in despair I bowed my head there is no peace on earth I said
But suddenly I felt despair, because I thought that there was no peace on earth – despite the message of the carols
For hate is strong that mocks the song of peace on earth goodwill to men
The reason for my despair is that hatred is so pervasive in the world that it seems to mock the very idea of peace
(Then pealed the bells more loud and deep God is not dead nor doubt he sleeps)
But just as I was losing hope, the bells rang out even louder and deeper, reassuring me that God is still present and active in the world
The wrong shall fail the right prevail with peace on earth goodwill to men
The bells remind us that, in the end, good will triumph over evil, and that peace will prevail on earth
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: DP, JUSTIN ROBERT CASH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind