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
Single Girl
Skeeter Davis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But what can I do
You want me to help you
But I'm falling too}
I know that we're wrong dear
But when I'm with you
{I can't help you darling
You belong to another
Whose arms have grown cold
{But you must keep the vows dear
Although they've grown old}
{You can never be free dear
Though I love you true}
I can't help you darling
{Cause I'm falling too}
{We could never be happy
Living in sin
Our love's a temptation
But we just can't win}
You ask me to help you
But {what can I do
I can't help you darling
Cause I'm falling too}
The lyrics to Skeeter Davis's song "Single Girl" convey a sense of conflict and forbidden desire. The singer is in love with someone who is already committed to someone else. The other person wants help, but the singer is unable to provide any assistance because they themselves are falling in love with the person they are supposed to be helping. The song speaks to the complexities of love and the difficulty of denying one's true feelings.
The lyrics suggest that the singer and the person they are in love with are engaged in an affair that is considered wrong by society. Despite their love for each other, they are unable to be together and find happiness because of the constraints of the other person's commitments. The vows made to the other person and the societal expectations imposed on them keep them from being free to pursue their true desires.
The song's style is characteristic of the country music genre, with a focus on heartfelt, emotional lyrics and a slow, melancholic melody. The sorrowful melody and lyrics underline the message of the song that true love is difficult to come by and that the constraints of society can be stifling.
Line by Line Meaning
You say that you're falling
You tell me that you are developing feelings for me
But what can I do
But I am unsure of how to handle this situation
You want me to help you
You want me to assist you in resolving your feelings
But I'm falling too
But I am also struggling with my own growing affection for you
I know that we're wrong dear
I am aware that our attraction is not morally acceptable
But when I'm with you
However, when we are together
I can't help you darling
I am unable to guide you through this situation
Cause I'm falling too
Because I am experiencing the same emotions as you
You belong to another
You are already committed to someone else
Whose arms have grown cold
Your partner's affection for you has diminished
But you must keep the vows dear
Regardless, you have made vows to the person you are with
Although they've grown old
Even though those vows were made some time ago
You can never be free dear
You cannot easily leave your current relationship
Though I love you true
Despite my own feelings for you
Cause I'm falling too
I am still struggling with my own emotions regarding you
We could never be happy
Our relationship would never bring us long term happiness
Living in sin
Living as romantic partners without being married is a sin in my beliefs
Our love's a temptation
Our attraction to each other is a strong temptation
But we just can't win
However, we cannot achieve a positive outcome from our situation
You ask me to help you
You request my aid in navigating this difficult circumstance
Cause I'm falling too
But unfortunately I too am struggling with similar emotions
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DON ROBERTSON, HAL BLAIR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind