Born in Kirksville, Missouri and nicknamed "Rusty" for his red hair, he began performing on his uncle's radio show in Tulsa, Oklahoma in the mid 1930s. Draper moved on to work at radio stations in Des Moines, Iowa—sometimes filling in for sports announcer Ronald Reagan—and in Illinois before settling in California. There he began to sing in local clubs, becoming resident singer at the Rumpus Room in San Francisco. By the early 1950s he had begun appearing on national TV shows including The Ed Sullivan Show (CBS) and Ozark Jubilee (ABC).
In 1952, Draper signed to Mercury Records and issued his debut single, "How Could You (Blue Eyes)". The following year, after a national club tour, his cover version of Jim Lowe's "Gambler's Guitar” made #6 on both the country and pop charts, and sold a million copies, and was awarded a gold disc.[1] After a series of less successful follow-ups, he made the national charts again in 1955 with "Seventeen" (#18), "The Shifting, Whispering Sands" (#3) and "Are You Satisfied?" (#11), becoming one of the biggest pop and country crossover stars of the period.
In 1956, he returned to the top 20 with "In The Middle Of The House" (#20), followed up by his version of Chas McDevitt’s UK skiffle hit "Freight Train" (#3) Draper also reached the UK Singles Chart with a rendition of "Muleskinner Blues."
In 1962, he left Mercury to sign with Monument Records, with diminishing chart success as his style became more old-fashioned. However, he continued to have minor hits in the country charts through the 1960s. He remained a steady concert draw in years to follow, and also appeared in stage musicals and on television. Draper died in Bellevue, Washington at the age of 80.
The Shifting Whispering Sands
Rusty Draper Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The shifting, whispering sands
Yes, it always whispers to me
Of the days of long ago
When the settlers and the miners
Fought the crafty Navajo
Happy people worked the land
And now everything is covered
By the shifting, whispering sands
Oh, the miner left his buckboards
Went to work his claims that day
And the burros broke their halters
When they thought he'd gone to stay
How they found the ancient miner
Lying dead upon the sand
After months, they could but wonder
If he died by human hands
So they dug his grave and laid him
On his back and crossed his hands
And his secret still is hidden
By the shifting, whispering sands
This is what they whispered to me
Way out on that quiet desert air
Of the people and the cattle
And that miner lying there
If you want to learn his secret
Wander through this quiet land
And I'm sure you'll hear the story
Of the shifting, whispering sands
The shifting, whispering sands
The Shifting, Whispering Sands is a classic country ballad written by Mary Noe and Ebensburg's Cal DeVoll. The song is about how nature can change over time and sometimes manages to hide secrets deep within the vastness of the desert. The lyrics tell a story of a time when settlers and miners fought the Navajo, cattle roamed free, and hardworking people tilled the land. But now, the shifting sands have hidden all traces of those days. As the country rode was built and modernized, the quiet desert land was forgotten, and secrets have been lost forever.
The lyrics take on a melancholic tone as the song speaks about the passing of time and the secrets that have been buried deep in the shifting sands. There is a sense of nostalgia for a time gone by and a feeling of being haunted by the past. The story of the ancient miner who was found dead is a reminder that no one can outdo the shifting sands when it comes to hiding secrets.
Overall, The Shifting, Whispering Sands is a hauntingly beautiful song that reminds us of the power of nature to change and bury secrets deep within it.
Line by Line Meaning
Listen to the age old story of
Introduction to the story of the shifting sands and whispers it carries.
The shifting, whispering sands
The ever-moving, soft desert sands which can whisk away secrets.
Yes, it always whispers to me
The singer hears the whispers and secrets carried by the sands.
Of the days of long ago
The sands tell of the past, the nostalgia of days long gone.
When the settlers and the miners
The people who came to make a life in the West and their struggles.
Fought the crafty Navajo
Engaging in conflict over land and resources with Native American tribes.
How the cattle roamed the valley
Painting a picture of a lively and fruitful area with open range and grazing animals.
Happy people worked the land
People who were content and fulfilled by their work and lifestyle.
And now everything is covered
The sand's presence is now omnipresent, covering all that was there before.
By the shifting, whispering sands
The sands have a mysterious, secretive presence that changes and alters all it touches.
Oh, the miner left his buckboards
The story of a miner leaving his wagon behind to work his claims.
Went to work his claims that day
The miner ventured to work on his gold claims in the desert.
And the burros broke their halters
The burros, or small donkeys, broke free from their tethers.
When they thought he'd gone to stay
The animals thought the miner had settled down for a longer period of time.
How they found the ancient miner
The story of the miner being found after a period of time.
Lying dead upon the sand
The miner had died and his body was resting on the shifting sands.
After months, they could but wonder
The mystery of what killed the miner lingered for months.
If he died by human hands
An open question of whether or not human intervention killed the miner.
So they dug his grave and laid him
The miners gave the dead man a proper burial.
On his back and crossed his hands
Traditional burial positioning of resting on one's back with crossed hands.
And his secret still is hidden
The mysterious secret of the dead miner was never revealed.
By the shifting, whispering sands
The sands hid the secret along with the miner's body.
This is what they whispered to me
The narrative structure returns to the storyteller who has been listening to these secrets from the shifting sands.
Way out on that quiet desert air
The stillness of the desert is conducive to the whispers carried by the shifting sands.
Of the people and the cattle
Whispers of the past where people lived in this now deserted area alongside cattle.
And that miner lying there
The mystery of the dead miner still lingers in the whispers carried by the sands.
If you want to learn his secret
An invitation to find out about the miner's secret.
Wander through this quiet land
A suggestion to explore the deserted land where the miner died.
And I'm sure you'll hear the story
The story of the miner's secret will reveal itself to those who listen.
Of the shifting, whispering sands
The sands retain mysteries and whispers of secrets long buried.
Contributed by Wyatt Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
dlanor epmart
This really brings back memories! Of long ago. I was a sophomore in high school in the fall of 1955 when this was popular. I can remember sitting on the bench (I was on the B team, but still seemed to spend more time on the bench than in the game) and I was whistling this haunting song under my breath. Thanks for putting it up. And what would we do without youtube? Probably would have never heard this song again.
Roger Dee
I can remember this one well, even though I was only 11 years old when it was first played on Sydney radio. I heard it again about 20 years back and managed to tape most of it, but not all. It's great to hear again now, whenever I want to. Thanks.
Linda Teuling
This brings back a lot of memories of the fifties. I've heard many beautiful renditions of this song but this one has always been my favorite. I love the vocal backup. Rusty Draper sings this with his heart
Sue Crayton
A beautiful song. Lots of memories...
Milan Kuret
This is good! My favorite version is the one by Billy Vaugn.
Linda Teuling
My father's work involved a lot of travel, and some of my earliest memories were of the West, and the unique vegetation that I, a Detroit born girl, wasn't familiar with. Even in those days (before I was 5 years old) I loved its uniqueness. And I think this song sums it up wonderfully. My mother in law lives in New Mexico, and my mind goes back to this song as I see the huge, stark mountains, sometimes scary but beautiful in their own way. And the backup singers do a beautiful job, too
Edward Lopez
Ken Nordine recently died and he deserves all of the praise heaped on him. But this song by Rusty Draper proves that Ken Nordine's version (Billy Vaughn & His Orch.) is not worthy of any praise. Rusty grabs your heart right from the get go and he takes you on a truly sentimental trip that can make your hair stand on end. The words and the way he sings and narrates them are a classical emotional ride. Thank you Rusty, you touch my heart every time I hear the song.
Carole Kohlschmidt
Beautiful version of the song. Good job.
John Derby
A beautiful pairing of words and music. Have always liked it from the first time. NH
TheSteamtramman
Unusual version' We buried too many good men in our shifting whispering sands; and decades later the tanks began to re-emerge. And yes they still talk at night. Eamonn Andrews' version was....odd!