[edit] Career
Wariner began performing as a youth in his father's band and in local clubs. In 1971, he was hired as a bassist for Dottie West's band. He also worked heavily with Chet Atkins (one of his childhood influences) and he played with Bob Luman's band.
His first major recording contract was with RCA Records in 1978. His first single releases failed to chart in the top 40 of Billboard magazine's Hot Country Singles chart, although the song "I'm Already Taken" was re-released in 1999, peaking at #3 that year. His first No. 1 hit came in December, 1981, with "All Roads Lead to You."
However, his real popularity didn't take off until the mid-1980s, when he began recording for MCA Records. During his six-year stint with MCA, he scored 19 consecutive top 10 hits, eight of them going to No. 1 on Billboard magazine's Hot Country Singles chart. The most successful of those songs included "Some Fools Never Learn" (1985, his second No. 1 hit), "What I Didn't Do" (1985), "You Can Dream of Me" (1986), "Lynda" (1987) and "I Got Dreams" (1989).
In the early 1990s, Wariner continued his success with Arista Records, with several of his songs reaching the top 10. But his success soon tapered off, as radio programmers became more interested in newer performers.
Wariner, however, continued to maintain his popularity through his instrumental talents. One example was 1991's "Restless," a collaboration with Ricky Skaggs, Vince Gill and Mark O'Connor (from O'Connor's album The New Nashville Cats). "Restless" won Wariner (as well as Skaggs and Gill) his first Grammy Award in 1991 for Best Country Vocal Collaboration. In 1996, Wariner released an album of all instrumental tracks called No More Mr. Nice Guy. Though well-received by critics, it proved to be Wariner's last album for Arista.
Wariner also remained in the public eye with his songwriting talents. His composition, "Longneck Bottle" (a No. 1 hit by Garth Brooks), along with a No. 1 duet from early 1998 with singer Anita Cochran called "What If I Said" (his first No. 1 in more than eight years) reinvigorated Wariner's career.
The highlight of Wariner's career came in the spring of 1998. Now recording for Capitol Records, his song "Holes in the Floor of Heaven" - a song about dealing with grief of close friends and relatives - promptly shot to No. 2 and won the Country Music Association awards for Single of the Year and Song of the Year.
Wariner also collaborated with other well-known singers and songwriters, including Clint Black and Bill Anderson; he also scored several more hits, most notably 1999's "Two Teardrops" and "I'm Already Taken" (the latter a re-recording of his 1978 debut release).
[edit] Discography
Main article: Steve Wariner discography
[edit] External links
The Official Fan Club Website
Grand Ole Opry Bio
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Wariner"
High Time
Steve Wariner Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Then rewinding the tape
I've been hiding my colors from you
In a box of paints
I've been saving my poetry about you
On a written page
Now it's time to come on out¡Âno I can't wait
It's high time you knew
Everything you mean to me
What I feel for you
Coming up from underneath soul deep
I am breaking through this shy little boy
Inside of me
It's high time you knew (you saw)
Everything you mean to me
I can see you in the morning
Gentle in my arms
Or fillin' jars with lightning bugs
Chasing shooting stars¡Â
Clinging to me like a promise
Around me like a ring
I can see it so clearly my heart soars and sings
[Bridge:]
Through my eyes you'll be so surprised
[Chorus]
The lyrics of Steve Wariner's song High Time suggest a lover who has been holding back his true feelings from the person he loves. He has been keeping a record of his love for her and replaying them over and over again, but has been too timid to express his emotions. He has hidden his true self in a box of paints and has kept his poetry about her to himself, writing them down on paper. However, he recognizes that now is the time to come out of his shell and reveal his true feelings to her. The chorus emphasizes this message, as he declares that it's high time she knew everything she means to him and how he feels about her on a soul-deep level. The song ends with a bridge that suggests that the person he loves will be surprised through his eyes, hinting that he's about to show her a side of himself she has not yet seen.
Overall, this song explores themes of vulnerability, emotional expression, and the courage it takes to reveal one's true self to another person. The lyrics capture the butterflies and nerves that come with telling someone how you feel for the first time, as well as the freedom and joy that comes with finally being able to express those feelings.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been recording I love you
I have been saying 'I love you' to myself and recording it on tape.
Then rewinding the tape
After recording myself saying 'I love you,' I play it back and listen to it again and again.
I've been hiding my colors from you
I have been hiding my true self, my personality and character traits, from you.
In a box of paints
I have been hiding my true self inside my mind, like a painter hiding their paints in a box.
I've been saving my poetry about you
I have been writing poems about you, keeping them to myself and not sharing them with you.
On a written page
I am writing my feelings about you down on paper.
Now it's time to come on out, no I can't wait
I feel like it's time to reveal my true self and my feelings to you, and I can't wait any longer to do so.
It's high time you knew
It's long overdue for you to know the truth.
Everything you mean to me
You are incredibly important to me, and I want you to understand that.
What I feel for you
The intense emotions that I have for you.
Coming up from underneath soul deep
My feelings for you are deep within my soul, and they are finally bubbling to the surface.
I am breaking through this shy little boy inside of me
I am shedding my shyness and revealing my true, confident self to you.
It's high time you knew (you saw) everything you mean to me
It's time for you to fully understand the depth of my feelings and just how much you mean to me.
I can see you in the morning gentle in my arms
I can envision us having a tender moment together in the morning.
Or fillin' jars with lightning bugs chasing shooting stars
I can imagine us having fun and adventurous times together, like catching lightning bugs and chasing shooting stars.
Clinging to me like a promise around me like a ring
I can feel your love for me, and it envelops me like a promise and a bond.
I can see it so clearly my heart soars and sings
I can vividly imagine us together, and it makes my heart happy and fills me with joy.
Through my eyes you'll be so surprised
When you see me fully reveal myself to you, you will be pleasantly surprised.
[Chorus]
The chorus repeats the sentiment that it's high time for the other person to know just how much they mean to Steve Wariner.
Lyrics © HIPGNOSIS SONGS GROUP, BMG Rights Management
Written by: ANNIE ROBOFF, MARCUS HUMMON, STEVE WARINER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind