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
It Only Hurts For A Little While
Skeeter Davis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It only hurts for a little while then all your heartaches will pass away
It's so easy to be smart with somebody else's heart
But I don't know how to start forgetting you what can I do
It only hurts for a little while that's what they tell me just wait and see
But I will hurt till you come back to me
[ guitar ]
It only hurts for a little while that's what they tell me just wait and see
The lyrics to Skeeter Davis's song "It Only Hurts for a Little While" describe the pain of heartbreak and the struggle to move on. The singer acknowledges that people tell her the pain will go away, but she is still hurting and doesn't know how to forget about her lost love. The repetition of the phrase "It only hurts for a little while" reinforces the idea that pain is temporary, but the singer's lingering feelings of sorrow and longing for her ex suggest otherwise. She desperately wants him to come back, even though she knows deep down that he may not.
The line "It's so easy to be smart with somebody else's heart" implies that the singer wishes she had heeded the advice she now hears from others who have been through heartbreak. Perhaps she recognized the signs that her relationship was headed for trouble, but chose to ignore them. Now she is left with the consequences of her actions and the struggle to move on. The guitar solo in the middle of the song provides a moment of reflection and introspection, as if the singer is taking a moment to collect herself before continuing with her lament.
Overall, "It Only Hurts for a Little While" is a poignant exploration of love, loss, and the struggles of moving on. The singer's honest and vulnerable lyrics, set against a backdrop of country twang, make for a timeless ballad that still resonates with listeners today.
Line by Line Meaning
It only hurts for a little while that's what they tell me that's what they say
People say that the pain will not last forever, and it will only take a short amount of time to heal.
It only hurts for a little while then all your heartaches will pass away
The pain will eventually subside, and you will conquer your current heartache.
It's so easy to be smart with somebody else's heart
Giving advice about someone else's emotional state is simple, but it is challenging to do it for yourself.
But I don't know how to start forgetting you what can I do
I do not know where to begin to overcome my feelings for you or how to move on.
It only hurts for a little while that's what they tell me just wait and see
I have been advised that the pain is temporary, and I should have faith that it will fade away.
But I will hurt till you come back to me
Despite being told otherwise, the pain of separation will persist until the person I love returns to me.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ozmulki
Only Skeeter can do those beautiful double vocals so well! Love this❤
David Walsh
Lovely version of a great song. I like her voice very much
Evy Hannes
Really like her voice. Lovely song. Thanks for uploading. With love from Canada, Evy
Eddie Parker
EddieParker she had a very unique voice you know it’s her soon as she starts to sing a very sweet lady 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👍👍🌹😘❤️😍💕
noh seon
I love her songs more than fifty years always remind me of my teenage days tks.
Morrigan Ravenchild
Me too!
1busybeekeeper
much like the previous writer, I too like this song and endorse what he has to say, it takes me back to my youth, Oh hat happy days, all gone too fast.
CherokeeNation16
Thumbs up!!!
Atibenty Arthur Mwateba
It reminds me when I was in secondary school when I knew Kessina Moyo a nurse at Chililabombwe Hospital where my father was admitted after an accident when he compound fructures way back in 1968.
Turiya acharya
@ Atibenty A. Mwateba, my brother what happened? I still remember your love and kindness to me when I was poor and without help. Love and peace be upon YOU!