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
I Can't Believe It's All Over
Skeeter Davis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can′t believe that it's all over baby
Not after all that we′ve been through
I can't believe that you no longer love me
I'll be forever loving you.
I still can′t believe it when I wake up you′re not here
And then I start thinkin' about the things I done wrong
And some things I didn′t do that I sure wish I had
You know I'd give anything to have things like they used to be
So darlin′ search your heart again
I know there must be some love left for me
Come on back to me and let's try again
′Cause I'll be forever lovin' you.
I can′t believe that it′s all over baby
Not after all that we've been through
I can′t believe that you no longer love me
I'll be forever loving you.
Loving you...
The song "I Can't Believe It's All Over" by Skeeter Davis is a heartfelt ballad about a breakup that the singer can't believe has happened. The lyrics express disbelief that the relationship has ended, and a longing to get back together with their former partner. The singer reflects on their own mistakes and missed opportunities, expressing regret and a desire to make things right.
The first few lines express the shock and disbelief that the singer feels about the breakup. They can't believe that it's really over, especially after all that they've been through together. This sets the tone for the rest of the song, which is filled with a sense of longing and regret.
The second verse is particularly poignant, as the singer describes waking up alone and thinking about all the things they could have done differently. They express a willingness to do whatever it takes to make the relationship work, and encourage their partner to search their heart and reconsider their feelings.
The chorus repeats the same sentiment that the singer will always love their partner, even if the relationship has ended. It is a powerful expression of the depth of feeling that the singer has for their former partner, and serves to drive home the central idea of the song.
Overall, "I Can't Believe It's All Over" is a touching and emotionally resonant song about the pain of a breakup and the desire to make things right. It is packed with raw emotion and sincere sentiment, making it a classic of the breakup ballad genre.
Line by Line Meaning
I can't believe that it's all over baby
I am unable to accept that our relationship has ended, my love.
Not after all that we've been through
We have faced so many challenges together, and it's hard to believe that it's all come to an end now.
I can't believe that you no longer love me
The fact that your love for me has faded away is difficult for me to comprehend.
I'll be forever loving you.
Despite the end of our relationship, I will always cherish the love I have for you.
I still can't believe it when I wake up you're not here
Every day, I struggle to come to terms with the fact that you are no longer by my side when I open my eyes.
I get dressed but I just sit there and stare
Even the simplest tasks feel impossible now that you are no longer with me.
And then I start thinkin' about the things I done wrong
I keep replaying past mistakes, wondering if my actions led to the demise of our love.
And some things I didn't do that I sure wish I had
I regret the missed opportunities and moments that may have strengthened our relationship.
You know I'd give anything to have things like they used to be
I am willing to do anything to go back to how things were between us when our love was still strong.
So darlin', search your heart again
I beg of you to reconsider your feelings and search within yourself for any remaining love you may have for me.
I know there must be some love left for me
I firmly believe that there is still a chance for us to rebuild our love if we try.
Come on back to me and let's try again
Please come back to me, and let us make one more attempt to revive our love.
'Cause I'll be forever lovin' you.
No matter the outcome, my love for you will always remain.
Contributed by Penelope B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Muzikgirl67
JUST AS GOOD AS GOLD!!...Thank you sooo very much for posting and sharing this "rarely heard anymore" lil' country gem, that would sadly, become Skeeter's last top 40 charting single, reaching #12 on the charts back during the summer of 1973...I thoroughly enjoyed it!...and the sound quality is quite nice too!...Happy New Year and Take care!! +)
Donald Ewert
SKEETER DAVIS NEEDS TO BE IN COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME!!!!!
Joel Raab
One of her best.
Music Rocks!
Yes
justess martin
Should have been a Number One Hit but because Ralph Emery had her blacklisted in the industry, he wouldn't play her records so she paid the price. Such a vengeful man!
Music Rocks!
I agree.
Don Hawkins
...a big hit in Detroit/Windsor summer of '73.!
濱田隆雄
Very Nice!!
Thanks!
Music Rocks!
💛💛💛Skeeter💛💛💛
Wayne Forsythe
I was 13 teen cant believe it