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 You 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
The lyrics to Skeeter Davis's song “Gonna Get Along Without You Now” recount the singer's realization that she is better off without her ex-partner. The song's simple, almost childlike tune belies the pain that lies behind the words. Throughout the song, Davis sings about the various ways that her ex let her down, including running around with other women, not caring about how his behavior affected her, and ultimately abandoning her. Despite initially feeling hurt and betrayed, Davis comes to the conclusion that she can get along without her ex.
The song's chorus emphasizes this central theme, with Davis repeatedly stating that she is going to “get along without you now.” She expresses her newfound independence, saying that she got along fine before she met her ex and that she will be able to find someone even better. The song ends on an assertive note, with Davis saying goodbye to her ex and confidently asserting that she doesn't need him.
Overall, “Gonna Get Along Without You Now” is a powerful and empowering song about the end of a relationship. It speaks to the pain of heartbreak while also encouraging listeners to recognize their own strength and resilience.
Line by Line Meaning
Uh huh, hmm hmm
Expressing an indifferent attitude towards the situation
Gonna get along without you now
Going to manage life without the subject of the song
You told me I was the neatest thing
Subject of the song complimented 'me' and said some good things about 'me'
You even asked me to wear your ring
Subject of the song proposed to 'me'
You ran around with every girl in town
Subject of the song cheated on 'me' with various girls
You didn't even care if it got me down
Subject of the song was least bothered about hurting 'me'
Got along without you before I met you
'I' was doing well even before 'I' met the subject of the song
Gonna find somebody who is twice as cute
Going to look for another person who is more attractive than the subject of the song
Cause you didn't want me anyhow
Subject of the song didn't want 'me' in the first place
You told everybody that we were friends
Subject of the song portrayed 'our' relationship as just friends
But this is where our friendship ends
The association between 'us' has now come to an end
Cause all of a sudden you even changed your tune
Subject of the song changed their behavior or attitude towards 'me'
You haven't been around since way last June
Subject of the song has not been in contact since a long time ago
So long my honey, goodbye my dear
Saying goodbye to the subject of the song
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MILTON KELLEM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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