Mary Frances Penick was born on December 30, 1931 in the small Appalachian town of Dry Ridge, Kentucky. As a child, her grandfather nicknamed her "Skeeter" because she was always active and buzzing around like a mosquito. She got her start in music as part of the duo, The Davis Sisters, along with childhood friend, Betty Jack Davis. Thus, Skeeter Davis was born to the rest of the world.
The Davis Sisters sang in the local Lexington, Kentucky area and appeared on local radio WLAX in 1949. From there, they earned radio and television appearances in Detroit, Cincinnati and Wheeling, WV, where they were part of the WWVA Wheeling Jamboree.
In 1952, Skeeter and Betty Jack recorded for Fortune, but won a recording contract with RCA the following year and achieved their first chart success. "I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know" went to number one on the U.S. country chart and number eighteen on the U.S. pop chart.
Sadly, on August 23, 1953, Skeeter and Betty Jack were involved in a serious car accident in which Betty Jack died and Skeeter was critically injured. It took Skeeter more than a year to recover both physically and mentally. With great difficulty and a lot of persuasion, Skeeter returned to singing with Betty Jack's sister, Georgia Davis, to briefly resume the Davis Sisters' act. But, within a year, the duo broke up and Skeeter pursued a solo career.
She continued to record on the RCA label where she worked with Eddy Arnold and Elvis Presley. In 1955, she toured for RCA on the Caravan of the Stars. Davis teamed up with producer, Chet Atkins and scored her first solo country chart hit in 1958 with "Lost To A Geisha Girl." This was during a time when the female acts were surging forward with "response" songs to some of the biggest hits by male artists. As Kitty Wells had answered Hank Thompson's "Honky Tonk Angels," with "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels" in 1952, Skeeter Davis put out this answer to Hank Locklin's "Geisha Girl."
A few years later, Davis recorded another answer to a Hank Locklin song and gained another huge hit. Locklin sang "Please Help Me I'm Falling" and Davis' response was, "I Can't Help You, I'm Falling Too."
In 1959, Davis achieved one of her greatest ambitions when she moved to Nashville and became a regular member of the Grand Ole Opry. In 1960, she married WSM personality, Ralph Emery, but the tumultuous marriage ended in 1964.
During the 1960's, Davis was one of RCA's most successful country artists. She harvested 26 U.S. country hits, 12 of which crossed over to the U.S. pop charts. Among these was what was to become her trademark song, the million-selling record "The End Of The World" which peaked at number two in both the U.S. country and pop charts in 1963. She also earned her only UK chart presence with "The End Of The World" which topped out at number eighteen in only thirteen weeks on the chart.
Davis has also acheived songwriting success. Her co-written song "Set Him Free" became her first country Top 10 hit in 1959. She also co-wrote "My Last Date" with Boudleaux Bryant and Floyd Cramer. Cramer, famed pianist and member of the original A-team, recorded it as an instrumental solo and had a million-selling record on it in 1960.
During the 60's and 70's, Davis toured extensively in the U.S., Canada, Europe and Far East. Her solo career started to wane in the 70's, but she still had several more hits such as "Bus Fare To Kentucky," "I'm A Lover, Not A Fighter," and "One Tin Soldier." Her duets with Bobby Bare, George Hamilton IV, and The Bee Gees gave her a few more hits, but by the mid-70's, Davis was reaching the end of her illustrious career. She ended her twenty-two year relationship with RCA in 1974 and charted her last hit for Mercury in 1976 with "I Love Us."
In 1967, Davis recorded a tribute album to Buddy Holly, which featured Waylon Jennings on the guitar. Later in 1972, she also did a tribute album to her friend, Dolly Parton. In 1985, she re-recorded an old Davis Sisters' hit, "May You Never Be Alone," with the group NRBQ. She married Joey Spampanito of NRBQ, but this marriage ultimately ended in divorce as well.
In 1973, Davis was dropped from the Grand Ole Opry's roster due to her strong criticisms of the Nashville Police Department during one of her performances. Her membership was later reinstated.
Davis has also taken to writing about her real life experiences. Her autobiography, "Bus Fare To Kentucky," was published in 1993. Davis pulls no punches in this brutally honest account of her life. She tells how she endured a family history of alcoholism, incest and murder. She also tells her side of the story regarding her four year marriage to Ralph Emery, following the heavy criticism which she received in Emery's autobiography. In 1997, she co-wrote a children's Christmas book, entitled "The Christmas Note," based on her own childhood.
Skeeter Davis passed away September 19th 2004 after a long battle with cancer.
Written by Sherry Anderson. June 2001
* Article appears courtesy of www.countrypolitan.com
Gonna Get Along Without Ya Now
Skeeter Davis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Gonna get along without you now
Uh huh, hmm hmm
Gonna get along without you now
You told me I was the neatest thing
You even asked me to wear your ring
You ran around with every girl in town
Uh huh, hmm hmm
Gonna get along without you now
Mhm mhm, hmm hmm
Gonna get along without you now
Got along without you before I met you
Gonna get along without you now
Gonna find somebody who is twice as cute
'Cause you didn't want me anyhow
You told everybody that we were friends
But this is where our friendship ends
'Cause all of a sudden you even changed your tune
You haven't been around since way last June
Uh huh, hmm hmm
Gonna get along without you now
Got along without you before I met you
Gonna get along without you now
So long my honey, goodbye my dear
Gonna get along without you now
Uh huh, hmm hmm
Gonna get along without you now
Got along without you before I met you
Gonna get along without you now
So long my honey, goodbye my dear
Gonna get along without you now
In Skeeter Davis's song, "Gonna Get Along Without Ya Now," the lyrics seem to be about a woman who is finding the strength to move on from a past relationship where her partner treated her poorly. The song begins with her acknowledging that she is going to "get along without you now." However, it becomes clear that this wasn't always the case. The chorus repeats the line "got along without you before I met you" as a reminder to herself that she was fine on her own before this person came into her life.
The second verse goes on to point out how this person mistreated her. He claimed they were friends but then began avoiding her entirely. She notes, "you ran around with every girl in town" and "you didn't even care if it got me down." This bridge between acknowledging the reality of the breakup and recounting the problems in the relationship is a realistic portrayal of heartbreak. It shows how it is possible to both know that you will be okay on your own and still mourn the loss of what could have been.
Overall, the lyrics show a woman who may have been hurt but is ultimately strong enough to move forward. The song is an empowering reminder that people who mistreat us are not worth our time, and we have the power to let go and find happiness without them.
Line by Line Meaning
You told me I was the neatest thing
You made me feel special and acted like I was the best thing that ever happened to you
You even asked me to wear your ring
You proposed to me and wanted to make a commitment to our relationship
You ran around with every girl in town
You cheated on me and had relationships with many other women
You didn't even care if it got me down
You didn't care that your actions hurt me and made me feel sad
Got along without you before I met you
I was happy and able to live my life before I met you
Gonna find somebody who is twice as cute
I will look for someone who is better than you and makes me feel happy and loved
'Cause you didn't want me anyhow
You never really liked me or wanted to be with me, even if you acted like you did
You told everybody that we were friends
You lied to others about the nature of our relationship and pretended like we were just friends
But this is where our friendship ends
I am no longer willing to maintain any sort of relationship with you, even a friendship
You haven't been around since way last June
You disappeared and stopped talking to me a long time ago, without any explanation or warning
So long my honey, goodbye my dear
I am saying goodbye to you forever and moving on with my life
Contributed by Isabelle F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Jeff Baumann
Gonna Get Along Without You Now
Skeeter Davis
Uh huh, hmm hmm
Gonna get along without you now
Uh huh, hmm hmm
Gonna get along without you now
You told me I was the neatest thing
You even asked me to wear your ring
You ran around with every girl in town
You didn't even care if it got me down
Uh huh, hmm hmm
Gonna get along without you now
Hmm hmm, hmm hmm
Gonna get along without you now
Got along without you before I met you
Gonna get along without you now
Gonna find somebody who is twice as cute
'Cause I didn't like you anyhow
You told everybody that we were friends
But this is where our friendship ends
'Cause all of a sudden you changed your tune
You haven't been around since way last June
Uh huh, hmm hmm
Gonna get along without you now
Got along without you before I met you
Gonna get along without you now
So long my honey, goodbye my dear
Gonna get along without you now
Uh huh, hmm hmm
Gonna get along without you now
Got along without you before I met you
Gonna get along without you now
So long my honey, goodbye my dear
Gonna get along without you now
Uh huh
Hmm hmm
Yes I am
Songwriters: Milton Kellem
Released: 1964
Skeeter Davis: Lead vocals, backing vocals and harmony vocals multi-tracked by producer Chet Atkins.
Loveoldies50
This is a song that every teenager should not only hear, but learn!
sheltv100
Also perfect for International Women's Day.
Craig Felter
This for the girls, and Walk Like A Man for the guys.
Felipe
I am 18 and I discovered about her at 17... What a sweet voice.
msred boot
so true, i would sing this to myself after a heartbreak!!
Sonny James
She has the most incredible voice, so relatable, like she lived the songs. This song is a classic.
Gazzable
Such a marvelous singer. I had more of her records than anyone else. Loved her then and still do.
winkerdude
Getting along without Skeeter is not easy. I miss her terribly.
Seek Pratik
I am 28 now and I am in love with Skeeter Davis and Patsy Cline. What Voices!! ❤️
White_Star_Line07
Same but I am 14