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
Have You Seen This Man
Skeeter Davis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He can call his life his own
Dressed in rags and eyes so empty
He's like a statue made of stone.
Yet he chose this way of living
Another life that God had planned
And each day he's sinking lower
Do you ever stop to wonder
Have you really seen this man
Or do you see just another bum
With a bottle in his hand?
--- Instrumental ---
Yes, he sleeps in dingy alleys
But great love this man has known
And each time our baby calls for him
It cuts me to the bone.
He was once so proud and worthy
Of a love at his command
But he lost it all forever
For that bottle in his hand.
If you ask me, yes, I love him
But I just can't understand
But you help me find the answer
To that bottle in his hands...
The lyrics of Skeeter Davis's "Have You Seen This Man" depict the sobering reality of alcohol addiction and its effects on a person's life. The song talks about a man who can call his life his own, yet instead of making the most out of it, he chooses to live a life of perpetual misery fueled by alcohol. The man is dressed in rags with eyes so empty, and he's like a statue made of stone - all lost in the world of addiction. The choice he made to fuel his life with alcohol made him sink lower day by day. Skeeter tries to make us pause and think about how often we turn a blind eye to those whom addiction has taken over. She raises the question - did you really see this man, or do you see just another bum with a bottle in his hand?
The song talks about how the man may sleep in dingy alleys, but he has known great love. It probably means that he had a life where he had people who loved him, but his addiction took everything away from him. Skeeter further explains how it cuts her to the bone each time her baby calls for him. It could be an indication that the man is a member of her family or someone close to her, but she's helpless watching him ruin his life. The man was once proud and worthy of the love at his command, but his addiction has snatched it all away. Skeeter's final words express how she loves this man whole-heartedly but just can't fathom the addiction that controls him.
Overall, the song's sobering and honest tone highlights how addiction can take away everything that makes life worth living for a person. Skeeter Davis's "Have You Seen This Man" successfully spreads the message that addiction is a severe problem that affects not only the person but those who love them.
Line by Line Meaning
See that man there on the corner
Take note of the man on the corner
He can call his life his own
He has control over his life choices
Dressed in rags and eyes so empty
He wears ragged clothes and has empty eyes
He's like a statue made of stone.
He is stiff and motionless like a stone statue
Yet he chose this way of living
He made a choice to live this way
Another life that God had planned
He could have had a different life that God intended
And each day he's sinking lower
He is getting worse day by day
With that bottle in his hand.
He has a bottle of alcohol in his hand
Do you ever stop to wonder
Have you ever paused to think about
Have you really seen this man
Have you really understood and recognized this man
Or do you see just another bum
Or do you see him as just another homeless person
With a bottle in his hand?
Simply because he is holding a bottle of alcohol?
Yes, he sleeps in dingy alleys
He does sleep in dirty and unpleasant places
But great love this man has known
But he has experienced great love
And each time our baby calls for him
It hurts me deeply when our child asks for him
It cuts me to the bone.
It affects me deeply and emotionally
He was once so proud and worthy
He was once full of pride and dignity
Of a love at his command
He could have had the love he desired
But he lost it all forever
But he lost it all permanently
For that bottle in his hand.
Because of his addiction to alcohol
If you ask me, yes, I love him
If you ask me, I do love him
But I just can't understand
But I cannot comprehend
But you help me find the answer
But you may be able to help me understand
To that bottle in his hands...
Why he cannot let go of his addiction to alcohol
Contributed by Caroline O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
David Mills
I had never heard this song until today. What a wonderful classic country tune. Thank you to the poster.
George P
Love that song
Matteo Ringressi
Great one.
Wayne Forsythe
whey cant we get stuff like this today
Clyde Jess Caparas
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