Reba Nell McEntire (born on March 28, 1955 - Kiowa, Oklahoma, USA) is a Gra… Read Full Bio ↴Reba Nell McEntire (born on March 28, 1955 - Kiowa, Oklahoma, USA) is a Grammy Award-winning singer and one of the best-selling country music performers of all time, known for her pop-tinged ballads that include 24 #1 hits. She has issued 28 studio albums and 13 compilations, with more than 50 million records sold as of 2007.

With a contract to Mercury Records (1975), McEntire began her professional career singing heavily pop-influenced ballads, a far cry from the neotraditionalist movement she would help lead a few years later.

"I Don't Want To Be A One Night Stand" became her first charting single in 1976. Her first Top 10 hit "(You Lift Me) Up to Heaven" followed four years later, and in 1982 she scored her first #1 hit with "Can't Even Get The Blues."

Frustrated at her limited commercial success, McEntire left Mercury and signed with MCA Records in 1984. 1984's "Just A Little Love" wasn't much different form her Mercury material and was only moderately successful. However, another album followed later that same year, titled "My Kind of Country." This was a return-to-roots record, complete with fiddles and steel. It was comprised largely of covers of classic country songs, as well as original songs such as "How Blue" and the Harlan Howard-penned "Somebody Should Leave", both of which reached #1 on the Billboard country singles chart.

In the early 1990s McEntire expanded her audience by adopting a softer, more pop-oriented sound. She became one of the best-selling country artists of all time, releasing three volumes of greatest hits collections.

Since that first #1 hit in 1982, she's forked out 21 more chartbusters, which are all recapped on "Reba #1s" released on November 22nd, 2005. The 2-disc compilation features all 22 number one singles (according to Billboard magazine) in chronological order, including two new tracks "You're Gonna Be" and "Love Needs A Holiday." "Reba #1s" also contains 11 singles that reached the #1 spot in publications other than Billboard.

She won the Female Vocalist of the Year award from the Country Music Association four times in a row (a record she holds with Martina McBride), and had dozens of Top Ten hits during the 80s. For her contribution to the recording industry, Reba McEntire has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7000 Hollywood Blvd. In 1995, she was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

She is one of only six solo women (others include Shania Twain, Barbara Mandrell, Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, and Taylor Swift), to win the Country Music Association's highest honor, "Entertainer Of The Year". McEntire continued to hit the charts through the 2000s, as well as appearing in television and film, most notably Tremors, a cult horror movie series, Forever Love, and One Night at McCool's. She also starred as Annie Oakley in Annie Get Your Gun on Broadway, receiving critical acclaim.

From 2001 to 2007, Reba starred in the hit WB television show, Reba (with Texan actor Christopher Rich as her philandering ex-husband), even getting a visit from fellow country star Dolly Parton who played Reba's character's supervisor at a real estate firm.

Buying Her Roses
Reba McEntire Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I took him for granted
Now looking back at it
He's not the only one to blame
Between the jobs and the kids
Wasn't much time for him
We let the fire slip away from the flame

Guess I shouldn't be surprised

But as hard as I try
I can't believe it's happened to me
But I know where he's at
And I know it's a fact
I'd have to be blind not to see

[Chorus]
He's out buying her roses
And where that leaves me God only knows
I know I should tell him
To leave me forever
But what'll I do if he goes

Should I put up a fight
Does it matter who's right
Should I ruin my life or my pride
Can we save what we had
And if he comes back
Will I ever get it out of my mind

[Chorus: x2]

What'll I do if he goes
What'll I do if he goes

Overall Meaning

The song 'Buying Her Roses' by Reba McEntire is about a woman who realizes that she has taken her husband for granted and as a result, he's slipping away from her. The first verse sets the scene and suggests that the woman is aware that neither of them is entirely to blame for the distance that's come between them. She acknowledges that their jobs and the responsibilities of parenting took up much of their time, resulting in their connection losing its spark. The second verse sees the woman coming to terms with the fact that her husband is seeing someone else, as evidenced by the fact that he's buying another woman roses. She's struggling to accept this reality, but she still doesn't know what to do about it. She contemplates fighting for her marriage but then questions if it's worth it, and if she even has the energy and courage to do so.

Overall, the lyrics of the song are reflective, contemplative, and laced with a hint of sadness. The woman has realized her mistakes, but it might be too late to fix the damage. The song is about coming to terms with one's limitations and recognizing that sometimes, love isn't enough to save a relationship.

Line by Line Meaning

I took him for granted
I did not appreciate him as much as I should have

Now looking back at it
After some time has passed, I can see what I did wrong

He's not the only one to blame
We both had some part in letting our relationship deteriorate

Between the jobs and the kids
We were both busy with our careers and raising our children

Wasn't much time for him
We did not spend enough quality time together

We let the fire slip away from the flame
We allowed our love to fade away

Guess I shouldn't be surprised
I should have seen this coming

But as hard as I try
Even though I am putting forth effort

I can't believe it's happened to me
I find it hard to accept that this is happening to me

But I know where he's at
I am aware of what he is doing

And I know it's a fact
I am certain that it is true