Milsap was born in Robbinsville, North Carolina with a congenital disorder that left him almost completely blind. He was abandoned by his mother as an infant and raised by his grandparents until the age of five, when he was sent to the Governor Morehead School for the Blind in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Milsap showed musical aptitude at an early age. The school stressed classical music training but he preferred country, gospel and rhythm-and-blues. He released his first single, Total Disaster, in 1963 at the age of twenty. This was followed by several Ashford And Simpson, compositions, including the memorable "Let's Go Get Stoned", which, unfortunately for Milsap, was relegated to a b-side. A few months later it would become a million-selling single for the more popular blind pianist, Ray Charles. 1972 found him working regularly at Roger Miller's King of the Road Club in Nashville, Tennessee and he signed with RCA Records in 1973. He was at his peak of popularity in the late 1970s and early 1980s with songs that made his name familiar to pop as well as country audiences, such as "It Was Almost Like A Song," "{There's) No Gettin' Over Me," "Smoky Mountain Rain," "I Wouldn't Have Missed It For The World," and a remake of Chuck Jackson's "Any Day Now" (which was named Billboard magazine's Number One Adult Contemporary hit of 1982). Milsap recorded for RCA until 1992. During that time he created five gold albums, one platinum album and one double platinum album. He also won six Grammy Awards and eight Country Music Association awards including the coveted Entertainer of the Year Award. In 2005 Milsap resigned with RCA Records and released a new country single, "Local Girls."
Milsap has recorded music with Kenny Rogers, Elvis Presley and Barry Manilow.
Ronnie and his wife Joyce currently make their home in Nashville, Tennessee.
Milsap enjoys his hobby of amateur (Ham) radio. More info on him can be found at: http://www.qrz.com/wb4kcg
Inside
Ronnie Milsap Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'Cause I know inside what she can't bring herself to say
There's something dying deep in her heart
I feel it when I touch her hand
So I tell her a lie when I tell her I understand.
[Chorus]
But inside I die a little each day
Inside if she knew that I hurt this way
Inside she'd find a reason to stay
And so I must keep this broken heart down deep inside.
She turns to look at me trying to speak her mind
A thousand reasons in search of a single rhyme
And suddenly it occurs to me she's trying to say goodbye
So I give her a smile and tell her that I'll be alright.
Oh
[Chorus]
Sometimes love will slip away it's hard to say just why
Is it something that's said or is it in-stead
Something that just simply died key change.
[Chorus]
Inside
Inside if she knew that I hurt this way
Inside she'd find a reason to stay
And so I must keep this broken heart down deep inside.
Oh, inside, inside
The lyrics of Ronnie Milsap's "Inside" tell the story of a man and woman whose relationship is falling apart. Despite the woman's efforts to be honest about her feelings, she can't bring herself to say what's really going on in her heart. The man can sense that something is dying inside her, but he's not sure exactly what it is. He knows that she's slipping away from him, but he can't bear to confront the truth. In order to keep her from leaving him, he has to tell her a lie and pretend that everything is okay. He feels like he's dying inside every day because he can't be honest with her, and he knows that if she really understood how much pain he was in, she would stay.
The chorus is a haunting repetition of the phrase "Inside I die a little each day," emphasizing the emotional toll that the man is experiencing. He's trying to hold on to the relationship by keeping his broken heart hidden, but deep down he knows that it's only a matter of time before she leaves him. The final lines of the song suggest that love can slip away for any number of reasons, and that sometimes it's impossible to understand why.
Overall, "Inside" is a powerful ballad about the pain of trying to hold on to a relationship that is slipping away. The lyrics capture the fear, frustration, and sadness of a man who knows that his love is not enough to keep his partner from leaving him.
Line by Line Meaning
She tries for the honesty but the truth just gets in the way
She wants to be truthful but can't bring herself to say what's really going on.
'Cause I know inside what she can't bring herself to say
I know what's going on with her even when she can't articulate it.
There's something dying deep in her heart
She's experiencing a deep sadness or loss that is affecting her emotionally.
I feel it when I touch her hand
I can sense her pain through physical touch.
So I tell her a lie when I tell her I understand.
I pretend to understand when I really don't, in order to avoid confrontation or acknowledging the truth.
[Chorus]
The following lines are a chorus that repeats throughout the song.
But inside I die a little each day
Though I try to hide it, her pain and our situation is eating me up inside.
Inside I feel her slipping away
I sense that our relationship is becoming more distant and possibly ending.
Inside if she knew that I hurt this way
If she knew how much I am suffering, she might reconsider leaving.
Inside she'd find a reason to stay
If she could see how much I am hurting, she might stay with me.
And so I must keep this broken heart down deep inside.
I can't express my true feelings or my broken heart, so I keep it hidden within myself.
She turns to look at me trying to speak her mind
She wants to say something to me, but is struggling to put it into words.
A thousand reasons in search of a single rhyme
She has many things she wants to communicate, and is having trouble piecing them together into a coherent message.
And suddenly it occurs to me she's trying to say goodbye
I realize that she is probably trying to end our relationship.
So I give her a smile and tell her that I'll be alright.
I pretend like everything will be okay to avoid acknowledging the reality of the situation.
Sometimes love will slip away it's hard to say just why
Sometimes relationships end and it's difficult to pinpoint exactly why that is.
Is it something that's said or is it in-stead
It's hard to tell if something specific happened to cause our relationship to falter, or if it was just fate or circumstance.
Something that just simply died key change
Maybe our relationship just naturally ran its course and died out, despite our efforts to keep it alive.
[Chorus]
The following lines are a chorus that repeats throughout the song.
Inside if she knew that I hurt this way
If she knew how much I am suffering, she might reconsider leaving.
Inside she'd find a reason to stay
If she could see how much I am hurting, she might stay with me.
And so I must keep this broken heart down deep inside.
I can't express my true feelings or my broken heart, so I keep it hidden within myself.
Oh, inside, inside
The repetition of this phrase emphasizes the secrecy and emotional turmoil experienced by the singer.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: IAN ANDERSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind