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
The Hand You're Holding Now
Skeeter Davis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's the sweetest feeling I have ever known
But every dream they say must have an ending
And you leave the hands you're holding all alone.
Did God mean I could keep you for a lifetime
Or did he mean for just a year or two
If it's meant that I should have to lose you
But if you don't want me I won't try to keep you
But there's just the smallest chance you may be wrong
Until you're sure I hope you'll never let go
Of the hands that you've been holding for so long...
In "The Hand You're Holding Now," Skeeter Davis sings about the sweet memory of the first kiss and the uncertainty of the future of the relationship. She recalls how the first kiss was the sweetest feeling she ever had, but she acknowledges that every dream must come to an end. Eventually, the hands that you're holding will let go, and you'll be left alone. She questions whether it was God's plan for them to be together forever or just for a year or two. If they're not meant to be together, then why are they holding hands now?
She acknowledges that she can't force the other person to stay with her, but she hopes that there's a chance that the other person may be wrong. She pleads with the other person to hold onto the hands they've been holding for so long until they're sure. The song illustrates the pain of letting go and the uncertainty of the future in a relationship. She recognizes that there are no guarantees of forever and that every dream has to come to an end.
Overall, Skeeter Davis's "The Hand You're Holding Now" expresses the emotions that come with the uncertainty of a relationship's future. The song highlights the importance of living in the present, enjoying the moment while recognizing that the future is uncertain. It also speaks to the desire to hold onto someone who we care about, even if it's for just a little bit longer.
Line by Line Meaning
I can't forget the first time that I kissed you
I remember the very first time I kissed you, and it was the most wonderful feeling I have ever experienced.
It's the sweetest feeling I have ever known
The feeling I have when I think of that moment is so warm, so peaceful and so much a source of joy that there's nothing quite like it.
But every dream they say must have an ending
I know that everything and every moment comes to an end. Nothing lasts forever, even if it's good while it lasts.
And you leave the hands you're holding all alone.
Sometimes, things change, and people go in different directions. They move away from each other, and what used to be close becomes remote.
Did God mean I could keep you for a lifetime
I wonder if God meant you to be mine forever, never to be parted through our lives.
Or did he mean for just a year or two
Perhaps He meant that we were only going to be together for a short period of time, to learn something or develop certain qualities.
If it's meant that I should have to lose you
It's possible and likely that I will eventually have to let go of you and our relationship.
Then what's these hands you're holding gotta do.
If we're fated to end things, then what's the point of holding hands now and becoming increasingly closer to one another?
But if you don't want me I won't try to keep you
If you don't want to be with me, I won't force or persuade you, you are free to go.
But there's just the smallest chance you may be wrong
Despite everything, I still have a glimmer of hope that you may change your mind and see that we could work for each other.
Until you're sure I hope you'll never let go
I hope that until you're completely sure that you don't want to be with me, you'll stay by my side and keep holding my hand.
Of the hands that you've been holding for so long...
Of the connection and mutual relationship we've built over a long time, please don't let it go until you are entirely sure about your decision.
Contributed by Lucy L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Joe ONeal
angelic voice.
anthony belcher
The sweetest voice 66
cadjunk
She was one of the greats, love her music. Thank you for sharing. Great channel. Gwen
Margit Salonen
A SIMPLE, SIMPLY PERFECT TUNE! THANKS FOR SHARING, MANBEHINDTHESCREEN!
Charles Greene
This is about as good as it gets. Singers today can’t sing like this. They say don’t live in the past but with songs like this it’s hard not to. Skeeter had one of the finest voices ever recorded.
Dr. Larry Smith Jr
Skeeter has a voice nobody has ever copied. She is a rarity, this song was so good I had to play it twice! Her type of music brings back memories of my younger years when country music was from the heart! We need another Skeeter Davis to revive ourselves, thanks Skeeter.
sam rowe
THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES.
Herdis Klintholt
Yes, wonderful.....