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.
Just Like Them Horses
Reba McEntire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He said it just has to be this way
Yours is the heart I'll always keep
I'm not gone even if I leave
If you love me, don't you be afraid
To look in my eyes and open up the gate
Then watch me ride beneath a newborn sun
When it's time to run
He said, Chockie Mountain is calling me
Gonna take a walk up where I can sing
Turn and face that western wind
Oh, and I'll be home again
If you love me, don't you be afraid
To look in my eyes and open up the gate
Then watch me ride beneath a newborn sun
Just like them horses
When it's time to run
Oh, just like them horses
She held his hand, he took one last breath
Then she walked out to the front porch step
Stared at the sky, tears on her face
And she swore she could hear him say
If you love me, don't you be afraid
To look in my eyes and open up the gate
Then watch me ride beneath a newborn sun
Just like them horses
When it's time to run
Just like them horses
When it's time to run
When it's time to run
When it's time to run
Now it's time to run
Just like them horses, ooh
Just like them horses
Oh, now it's time to run
The song "Just Like Them Horses" by Reba McEntire is a poignant tribute to a loved one who has passed away. The lyrics describe a conversation between two people who are saying goodbye for the final time, and the themes of love, loss, and acceptance are prominent throughout the song. The singer tells their loved one that even though they may be leaving, their heart will always belong to that person. The chorus repeats the phrase "Just like them horses" to describe the idea of running towards a new beginning, just like horses start fresh and free each day.
The second verse reveals that the person who is leaving is aware of their own mortality and is making preparations for their eventual death. They want to climb a mountain where they can sing and feel the freedom of the wind on their face. The final verse describes the moment when the loved one passes away, and the survivor looks up at the sky, feeling the weight of their grief. However, they hear a message of comfort in their heart, as the departed person's words echo back to them once more.
Line by Line Meaning
She held him close, then she kissed his face
She showed affection to her loved one.
He said it just has to be this way
He acknowledged a difficult decision and fate beyond his control.
Yours is the heart I'll always keep
He promised to keep her love always in his memory.
I'm not gone even if I leave
He assured her that his presence will still be felt even if he's gone.
If you love me, don't you be afraid
He encouraged her to be brave in the face of heartbreak.
To look in my eyes and open up the gate
He invited her to take a look at his truth and accept it.
Then watch me ride beneath a newborn sun
He promised a new beginning and a moment of beauty.
Just like them horses
He likened his journey to that of a horse running free.
When it's time to run
He recognized that it's time for change and to leave.
He said, Chockie Mountain is calling me
He heard the call of his destiny and the pull of the mountain.
Gonna take a walk up where I can sing
He planned to take a moment to enjoy the beauty and peace of his surroundings.
Turn and face that western wind
He decided to go towards a new direction despite the challenges.
Oh, and I'll be home again
Despite leaving, he promised to find his way back home.
She held his hand, he took one last breath
She was there to comfort him in his final moments.
Then she walked out to the front porch step
She took a moment to reflect outside after his passing.
Stared at the sky, tears on her face
She grieved her loss and tried to make sense of it all.
And she swore she could hear him say
She felt his presence and imagined his words.
Now it's time to run
It's her turn to move forward and embrace change.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, STARSTRUCK WRITERS GROUP LLC
Written by: LIZ HENGBER, TOMMY LEE JAMES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@AngelsFallFromGrace
"Just Like Them Horses"
She held him close, then she kissed his face
He said it just has to be this way
Yours is the heart I'll always keep
I'm not gone even if I leave
If you love me, don't you be afraid
To look in my eyes and open up the gate
Then watch me ride beneath a newborn sun
Just like them horses
When it's time to run
He said, Chockie Mountain is calling me
Gonna take a walk up where I can see
Turn and face that western wind
Oh, and I'll be home again
If you love me, don't you be afraid
To look in my eyes and open up the gate
Then watch me ride beneath a newborn sun
Just like them horses
When it's time to run
Oh, just like them horses
She held his hand, he took one last breath
Then she walked out to the front porch step
Stared at the sky, tears on her face
And she swore she could hear him say
If you love me, don't you be afraid
To look in my eyes and open up the gate
Then watch me ride beneath a newborn sun
Just like them horses
When it's time to run
Just like them horses
When it's time to run
When it's time to run
When it's time to run
Now it's time to run
Just like them horses, ooh
Just like them horses
Oh, now it's time to run...
@carolgeyer5905
What an amazing tribute for her parents. She really knows how to show love and respect through her music.
@elizabethmchugh560
This is a beautiful song and the video they have done is such a fitting tribute and so respectful sending love and hope always
@angelaperrin5909
It was written as a tribute to her dad.her mother was still alive at the time of this video(she was in it)but has since passed on.
@eliyahsromans9547
@@angelaperrin5909she’s made four songs about her mom so far as well
@nancypeuraharju
Lost my dad on Christmas eve 2010, he was in the US, me in Europe. I wanted to go to him as soon as I heard he had cancer. He didn't want me to see him broken from the cancer. I remember how my step.mother put the phone to dad's ear when he could no longer talk or swallow. I told him I loved him and I knew he was tired and it was OK to go Home, into the Lord's arms. I found out he passed a few hours later. This song has become a way to mourn my dad and let the tears still fall. Thank you Reba!
@michellewalker9706
Sorry for your loss... I think about my dad when i listen to this song... Although i was with my father and had a chance to say good bye it still hurts like hell... I sung this song and "Daddy you can let go" to him.. He passed away while i was at home in bed asleep.... 14th of Jan will be 2 yrs and feels like yesterday
@christies4963
My brother was in hospice. Waited for to get from Texas to Missouri. And when I got there he was holding on…I said it’s ok to go. I made to you….go with God, go home. And he died that night. This song hits home…whew…
@Alethiometer
Thank you for sharing such a piece of amazing & intimate information with us
@davidtaylor4287
Hi Nancy,hope you’re okay ?
@amyv5
I lost my grandpa this morning and this song helps so much! My favorite line is "I'm not gone even if I leave". Thank you Reba, for being so inspiring.