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
Heaven Help Me
Skeeter Davis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(Cindy Walker)
Heaven help me for my heart has gone astray
I'm tornmented by my conscience night and day
I've become a prisoner of an evil heart a sinful love
Heaven help me for my true love I've betrayed.
To cherish and love me with all of your heart
In sickness and health in poverty and wealth
Forsaking all others till death do we part.
Oh, forgive me for the vows I didn't keep
I can hear them in the silence and I weep
Heaven help me make amends cleanse my heart of given sins
And have mercy on this broken heart of mine.
Do you promise to love, to honor and obey
I'll cherish and love you with all of my heart
In sickness and health in poverty and wealth
Forsaking all others till death do we part.
Forsaking all others till death do we part...
The lyrics to Skeeter Davis's song "Heaven Help Me" delve into themes of guilt, remorse, and the struggle between right and wrong in the context of a romantic relationship. The singer of the song expresses deep anguish and torment over having betrayed their true love. They acknowledge that their heart has gone astray and they have become a prisoner of their own sinful desires.
The song begins by pleading for heavenly intervention, as the singer grapples with the weight of their actions. They reflect on the promises they made to their partner - to love, honor, and obey, to cherish and devote themselves wholly. The lyrics convey a sense of regret for not keeping these vows, and the pain of realizing the impact of their betrayal. The singer yearns for forgiveness, seeking to make amends and cleanse their heart of the given sins. They humbly ask for mercy to heal their broken heart.
The chorus of the song reiterates the vows made in a relationship - to love, honor, and obey, to cherish and love with all their heart, forsaking all others till death do they part. It serves as a reminder of the commitment they made and the realization that they have strayed from it.
Line by Line Meaning
Heaven help me for my heart has gone astray
I am calling on a higher power to aid me because my emotions have become uncontrollable and led me in the wrong direction.
I'm tornmented by my conscience night and day
My guilty conscience constantly torments me, causing distress and anguish both during the day and at night.
I've become a prisoner of an evil heart a sinful love
I feel trapped in a destructive relationship driven by a wicked heart and an immoral love.
Heaven help me for my true love I've betrayed.
I am pleading with heaven for assistance because I have betrayed my genuine love and acted against its best interests.
You promised to love, to honor and obey
You made commitments to love, respect, and follow someone's guidance.
To cherish and love me with all of your heart
To deeply treasure and love me with complete sincerity and devotion.
In sickness and health in poverty and wealth
In times of both illness and well-being, during financial struggles and abundance.
Forsaking all others till death do we part.
Committing to remain faithful exclusively to each other until death separates us.
Oh, forgive me for the vows I didn't keep
I beg for forgiveness for not honoring the promises I made.
I can hear them in the silence and I weep
In moments of quiet reflection, I can hear the echoes of those unkept vows, causing me to cry.
Heaven help me make amends cleanse my heart of given sins
I implore heaven to guide me in making reparations and purifying my heart from the sins I have committed.
And have mercy on this broken heart of mine.
I plead for mercy to be shown to my shattered and wounded heart.
Do you promise to love, to honor and obey
Are you willing to commit to loving, respecting, and following someone's guidance?
I'll cherish and love you with all of my heart
I will deeply treasure and love you with complete sincerity and devotion.
In sickness and health in poverty and wealth
In times of both illness and well-being, during financial struggles and abundance.
Forsaking all others till death do we part.
I promise to remain faithful exclusively to you until death separates us.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind