Self-taught on the guitar, Otis Whitman worked at a shipyard in Tampa while developing a musical career, eventually performing with a band known as the "Variety Rhythm Boys". Whitman's first big break came when agent Colonel Tom Parker heard him singing on the radio and offered to represent him. Signed with RCA Records, he was billed as the cowboy singer, "Slim Whitman" and released his first 45rpm single in 1948. He toured and sang at a variety of venues including on the popular radio show, the Louisiana Hayride.
He only became a full time musician in the early 1950s after he recorded a version of the Bob Nolan hit Love Song of the Waterfall that made it into the country music Top 10 chart. His next single, Indian Love Call, was even more successful, going to the No.2 position (and actually saving the world in the 1996 movie Mars Attacks! where it proves fatal to the invading Martians). A yodeler, Whitman avoided the "down on yer luck-buried in booze" songs, preferring instead to sing laid-back romantic melodies about simple life and love.
In 1955, in the United Kingdom, he had a No.1 hit on the pop music charts with Rose Marie. With eleven weeks at the top of the charts, the song set a record that lasted for thirty-six years. Soon after recording this big hit Whitman was invited to join the Grand Ole Opry and in 1957, along with other musical stars, he appeared in the film musical, Jamboree. Despite this type of exposure, he never achieved the level of stardom in the United States that he did in Britain where he had a number of hits during the 1950s and 60s. Throughout the early 1970s, he continued to record and was a guest on Wolfman Jack's musical television show, The Midnight Special. At the time, Whitman's recording efforts were yielding only minor hits and in 1974 he stopped making new records.
Ride Away
Slim Whitman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ride Away
Ride Away
With a song in your heart
Don't look back
I don't want you to know how I feel
Ride Away with a song in your heart
Can never be real.
Oh no little darlin'
No way can I say what
Your careless lovin' can do
Now that your leavin'
Your leavin' a grievin'
Heart that you have
Broken in two.
Its to late
Little darlin' for you
To atone for a love
I thought I once knew.
I'll hitch up your buckboard
And hand you the reins
For I know that
Your love isn't true.
Now I'm a wrangler
And I ride all alone
With a shepherd dog
Here at my side.
Only he and my pinto
And the breezes that
Broken heart strings
Are tied.
Oh the nights aren't
So lonely when the cattle
Lie down and the doggy's sad
Eyes look my way.
They seem to echo
The sadness my heart knows
And I wonder who is lost
More me or day.
Ride Away with a song in your heart
Don't look back I don't want you
To know how I feel.
Ride Away with a song in your heart
For I know that your love
Can never be real.
Ride Away
Ride Away
Your love can never be real.
The lyrics of "Ride Away" by Slim Whitman depict the pain and heartbreak of a man who has been betrayed by his lover. He instructs her to ride away with a song in her heart and not look back, while also admitting the deep hurt she has caused him. He acknowledges that her love can never be real, and that he knows she will never truly love him.
The song has a somber tone, with Whitman's vocals lending a melancholic feel to the lyrics. The imagery of the singer riding alone on his horse with his faithful dog by his side reinforces the sense of loneliness and isolation he feels. The repetition of the phrase "Ride Away" serves as a reminder to the woman to leave and not try to make amends for the damage she has caused.
The song is a poignant reflection on the pain of unrequited love and the difficulties of letting go. It captures the sense of hopelessness and despair that can come with being hurt by someone you care about deeply.
Line by Line Meaning
Ride Away
Leave and move on
Ride Away
Reiterate the need to leave
With a song in your heart
Leave with a sense of happiness and positivity
Don't look back
Don't dwell on the past
I don't want you to know how I feel
The artist is feeling emotional and doesn't want to reveal their true feelings
Ride Away with a song in your heart
Repeating the message of leaving with positivity
For I know that your love
The singer understands that the love they received wasn't genuine
Can never be real.
The love between the artist and their partner wasn't meant to last
Oh no little darlin'
Acknowledging the partner's presence
No way can I say what
The artist can't express the emotions they're feeling
Your careless lovin' can do
The partner's careless love has caused the singer pain
Now that your leavin'
The partner is leaving the artist
Your leavin' a grievin'
The partner is leaving the singer hurt and feeling sorrowful
Heart that you have
The partner has broken the singer's heart
Broken in two.
The pain caused by the partner has left the singer emotionally wounded
Its to late
It's too late to make amends
Little darlin' for you
A term of endearment used for the partner
To atone for a love
The partner can't make up for a love that wasn't genuine
I thought I once knew.
The singer believed the love was real, but they were mistaken
I'll hitch up your buckboard
The artist is preparing the partner to leave
And hand you the reins
Giving control to the partner, both literally (with the reins) and figuratively
For I know that
The artist is aware
Your love isn't true.
The singer knows that the partner's love wasn't genuine
Now I'm a wrangler
The artist is a cowboy
And I ride all alone
The singer is used to being on their own
With a shepherd dog
The singer has a loyal dog by their side
Here at my side.
The dog is always with the singer
Only he and my pinto
The dog and the horse are the only companions the artist has
And the breezes that
The only other company the artist has are the soft winds
Broken heart strings
The singer's heart is broken
Are tied.
The singer is bound by their emotions
Oh the nights aren't
The nights aren't pleasant
So lonely when the cattle
The artist is less lonely when they're around the cattle
Lie down and the doggy's sad
The dog seems down when the cattle lay down
Eyes look my way.
The dog gazes at the singer
They seem to echo
The dog's eyes seem to reflect
The sadness my heart knows
The dog's expression matches the sadness within the singer's heart
And I wonder who is lost
The singer wonders who's in more pain
More me or day.
The singer is unsure if their pain is greater than the passing of time
Your love can never be real.
Reiterating the fact that the partner's love wasn't genuine
Writer(s): Roy Orbison, Bill Dees
Contributed by Kaelyn I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.