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
Silver Threads & Golden Needles
Skeeter Davis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With a tear in every room
All I want's the love you've promised
Beneath the halo moon
But you think I should be happy
With your money and your name
And hide myself in sorrows
Silver threads and golden needles
Cannot mend this heart of mine
And I dare not drown my sorrows
In the warm glow of your wine
You can't buy my love with money
For I never was that kind
Silver threads and golden needles
Cannot mend this heart of mine
Silver threads and golden needles
Cannot mend this heart of mine
And I dare not drown my sorrows
In the warm glow of your wine
You can't buy my love with money
For I never was that kind
Silver threads and golden needles
Cannot mend this heart of mine
The lyrics to "Silver Threads and Golden Needles" by Skeeter Davis are about a woman who rejects the material possessions that her suitor offers her because she wants genuine love and affection. She doesn't want his "lonely mansion" or the tears in every room because she recognizes that they symbolize his heartache and emotional distance. What she wants instead is the love he promised her when they first met, the kind that is passionate, honest, and fulfilling. She wants to bask in its warm, romantic glow under the "halo moon".
However, her suitor believes that he can win her over with his money and his name. He wants her to forget about her sorrows and ignore his infidelity. He assumes that she will be satisfied with the shiny, superficial things that he can offer her, like silver threads and golden needles. But she knows that these trinkets cannot mend her broken heart, and she refuses to drown her sorrows in his wine.
The song is a declaration of independence and self-respect from a woman who knows her worth and won't settle for less. She knows that true love cannot be bought or sold like a commodity, and that material wealth is no substitute for emotional intimacy and mutual respect. The lyrics capture the sentiment that many women feel when they're pressured to conform to societal expectations, like marrying for money or status, rather than following their hearts.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't want your lonely mansion
With a tear in every room
I am not interested in your grand yet melancholic mansion with gloom and despair lurking in every corner
All I want's the love you've promised
Beneath the halo moon
All I desire is the love you've pledged to give me under the radiance of the moon
But you think I should be happy
With your money and your name
And hide myself in sorrows
While you play your cheatin' game
You assume I would be content with the wealth and social status you possess, while I suffer in misery as you deceive me
Silver threads and golden needles
Cannot mend this heart of mine
And I dare not drown my sorrows
In the warm glow of your wine
No amount of valuable gifts or extravagant gestures can fix or alleviate the brokenness I feel inside, and I refuse to numb my pain with alcohol
You can't buy my love with money
For I never was that kind
Silver threads and golden needles
Cannot mend this heart of mine
My love is not a commodity that can be purchased with money, and I have never been that sort of person. Furthermore, no valuable item is adequate enough to fix the shattered state of my heart.
Silver threads and golden needles
Cannot mend this heart of mine
And I dare not drown my sorrows
In the warm glow of your wine
No amount of valuable gifts or extravagant gestures can fix or alleviate the brokenness I feel inside, and I refuse to numb my pain with alcohol
You can't buy my love with money
For I never was that kind
Silver threads and golden needles
Cannot mend this heart of mine
My love is not a commodity that can be purchased with money, and I have never been that sort of person. Furthermore, no valuable item is adequate enough to fix the shattered state of my heart.
Lyrics © CARLIN AMERICA INC
Written by: Dick Reynolds, Jack Rhodes
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@masterseedinv
I don't want your lonely mansion
With a tear in every room
All I want's the love you promised
Beneath the halon moon
But you think I should be happy
With your money and your name
And hide myself in sorrow
While you play your cheating game
Silver threads and golden needles
Cannot mend this heart of mine
And I dare not drown my sorrow
In the warm glow of your wine
But you think I should be happy
With your money and your name
And hide myself in sorrow
While you play your cheating game
Silver threads and golden needles
Cannot mend this heart of mine
And I dare not drown my sorrow
In the warm glow of your wine
You can't buy my love with money
For i never was that kind
Silver threads and golden needles
Cannot mend this heart of mine
@21roadwarrior21
She was called America's Sweetheart for good reason. Whatever song Skeeter Davis performed, you always felt she was "delivering" it to you and you alone. RIP to a wonderful, warm, country girl who left us much too soon.
@gazzable5941
This song has a special place in my heart and with Skeeter singing it , well that's over the top Love it.
@emilytodd1999
She sung Silver Threads and Golden Needles better than anyone I have ever heard. Her voice was mesmerizing, real beautiful. My biggest inspiration, musically. 🖤
@Wayne92953
A wonderful song. A wonderful singer. RIP Skeeter Davis.
@gazzable5941
This is one of the greatest singers that ever sang this song , we love you Skeeter
@russellcampbell9198
Always loved this song and I think Skeeter does it so beautifully.
@drthrottle
The best version..the virtuous ring and upbeat affirmation she makes..not a sad song but a positive choice she is asserting in a beautiful non-confrontational way, even with a broken heart it is less that what she left behind ~ others don't quite hit it right
@revacohen
I love this rendition. It sounds so alive with the orchestra, and she has such a beautiful sweet voice.
@cherrycherry5853
😂For me, Skeeter's is the best version of this song ever. And the violin arrangement is so catchy and captivating.
@MrPolarisstar78
One of the best voices of all time❤