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 Say a Little Prayer
Skeeter Davis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I say a little prayer for you
For combin' my hair now and wonder what dress to wear now
I say a little prayer for you.
Forever, forever to stay in my heart
And I will love you forever and ever we never would part
Why do I love you together, together, that's how we must be
I run from the past dear for riding I think of us dear
I say a little prayer for you
How work I just take time and after my coffee break time
I say a little prayer for you.
Forever, forever to stay in my heart
And I will love you forever and ever we never would part
Why do I love you together, together, that's how we must be
But to love you would only mean heartbreak for me.
--- Instrumental ---
I say a little prayer for you.
--- Instrumental ---
I say a little prayer for you.
Forever, forever to stay in my heart
And I will love you forever and ever we never would part
Why do I love you together, together, that's how we must be
But to love you would only mean heartbreak for me.
Darlin', don't leave me, for me there's no one but you
Please love me too
Answer my prayer...
The song "I Say a Little Prayer" by Skeeter Davis is a heartfelt plea of a woman who is deeply in love with someone she can never have. The opening verses describe the daily routine of the singer, where she wakes up and performs her morning rituals while praying and thinking about her lover. Despite the impossibility of their relationship, she is steadfast in her love and devotion towards him. The chorus expresses the overwhelming desire to be with him forever and love him in the best possible way, but she is aware that loving him would lead to heartbreak.
The second verse talks about how even when the singer is at work, she cannot stop thinking about her love interest. She takes a coffee break and prays for him, acknowledging that she cannot escape her feelings for him, and they will always be a part of her. The instrumental section that follows portrays the depth of her emotions, and the final repetitions of the chorus are a desperate plea for her love to be reciprocated. The song ends with a cry for her prayer to be answered, and for her lover to love her back.
Line by Line Meaning
The moment I wake up before I put on my makeup
When I wake up in the morning, even before I start getting ready for the day, I take a moment to say a little prayer for you.
For combin' my hair now and wonder what dress to wear now
As I prepare for the day, I continue to think of you and say another little prayer.
Forever, forever to stay in my heart
You will always be in my heart.
And I will love you forever and ever we never would part
I will love you always, and we will never be separated.
Why do I love you together, together, that's how we must be
We belong together, and I know that's why I love you.
But to love you would only mean heartbreak for me.
I am afraid that loving you could lead to heartbreak for me.
I run from the past dear for riding I think of us dear
When I am reminded of past experiences, I try to shake them off and think of us instead.
How work I just take time and after my coffee break time
Even when I am busy at work, I take a moment during my coffee break to say a little prayer for you.
Darlin', don't leave me, for me there's no one but you
I am begging you not to leave me, as there is no one else for me but you.
Please love me too
I am asking you to love me in return.
Answer my prayer...
Please let my prayer for our love to last come true.
I say a little prayer for you.
Throughout the day, I continue to say little prayers for you, hoping that we can be together and in love forever.
Contributed by Jack L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Eric Kaski
I'm glad you were able to get it back up, and kept your promise! Thank You SOOOOO much!
Everyting Cris
I'm sure If Aretha Franklin enjoy it, Skeeter is more Wonderful I say.
Even Dionne Warwick does that too.