microphone. Her favorite pastime instantly became singing along with country tunes by artists like Barbara Mandrell and Loretta Lynn. She preferably sang in front of an audience, with her older brothers' help.
Over the next few years, she gained experience singing at her family's church. At age 12, she entered a local talent contest and won. With a newfound confidence, she entered more contests, winning over and over. While still in her teens, she put together a band of her own called TC Country. The group appeared at fairs, weddings, and clubs.
She finished high school and took vocational training to be a secretary. In 1991, she moved to Nashville with her parents. In 1996 she married, but divorced after a few years. In 1998, she was introduced to Shane Decker after one of her performances. Decker worked for Warner-Chappell Music as a songwriter. He offered to help her get a demo ready. He also helped her land a job writing songs at Warner-Chappell. She signed to Sony Music Nashville, which released her first single, the very traditional "If You Can," in 2000. After a second single stalled, "Angels in Waiting" cracked the Top 10; Cochran co-wrote the song about her two brothers, who had died of cystic fibrosis. Her follow-up album included the single "Life Happened," but didn't sell well and she parted ways with the label shortly afterwards.
When Love Was Enough
Tammy Cochran Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Still the bills kept piling up
Had a car that was mostly rusting rubber
We didn't know we had it made
We were robbing Peter to keep Paul paid
We didn't have much, but we still had each other
We'd call in sick and head for the lake
I sure do miss those good ole days
When love was enough
When love was enough
The race with the Jones is right on track
The cars, the boat, and the pool out back
The swimming debt, and it's about to drag us under
We put in eighty hour weeks
To buy more stuff that we don't need
The things we buy can't satisfy our hunger
Why don't we call it quits and head for the lake?
I sure do miss those good ole days
When love was enough
When love was enough
Let's find our way back there again
Now is not that far from then
We had enough way back when
We didn't have a dime to spend
But, love was enough
When love was enough
When love was enough
When love was enough
In Tammy Cochran's song "When Love Was Enough," the lyrics describe the struggles of a couple who are working three jobs and still cannot make ends meet. The bills keep piling up, and they have a car that is mostly rusting rubber. Despite this, the couple realizes that they have each other, and even though they did not have much, they still have love. The lyrics speak to the idea that when they had each other, love was enough to sustain them, and they didn't need material possessions.
The second verse describes how the couple falls into the trap of keeping up with the Joneses. They work eighty-hour weeks to buy more things they do not need, and the things they purchase cannot satisfy their hunger for more. The couple realizes that they have lost their way and that they should return to the days when love was all they needed. The song highlights the idea that love is an essential ingredient to a happy life and that material possessions cannot replace it.
The lyrics of "When Love Was Enough" emphasize the idea that love can sustain a person and bring happiness that material possessions cannot. The song is a poignant reminder of the importance of valuing the people in our lives and cherishing the simple things in life. The song speaks to the idea that when we have love, we have everything we need.
Line by Line Meaning
Working three jobs, just the two of us
We had to work tirelessly working on multiple jobs to make ends meet as a couple.
Still the bills kept piling up
Despite our efforts to work, we were still struggling to keep up with the expenses of living.
Had a car that was mostly rusting rubber
Our car might not have been a luxury car, it might have been a little old and rusty, but it still helped transport us around as a family.
We didn't know we had it made
At the time, we didn't realize how content we were and how little we needed to live a happy life.
We were robbing Peter to keep Paul paid
We were trying to keep one thing going while neglecting the other, never quite catching up and always struggling to stay afloat financially.
We didn't have much, but we still had each other
Although we didn't have any luxuries of life, we still had the love and support of each other, which was more than enough.
We'd call in sick and head for the lake
Whenever we had enough of our working lives, we would take a break by calling in sick and having some family time by the lake.
I sure do miss those good ole days
I miss the simple things we used to do as a family, which used to bring us closer together.
The race with the Jones is right on track
We are in competition with others around us, always trying to outdo each other in the material possessions we have.
The cars, the boat, and the pool out back
The luxuries we have surrounded ourselves with - expensive cars, boats, and an in-ground swimming pool.
The swimming debt, and it's about to drag us under
The debt that we have accumulated in trying to keep up with our lifestyle, which is slowly overwhelming us.
We put in eighty hour weeks
We are working long and exhausting hours to try and sustain our materialistic lifestyle.
To buy more stuff that we don't need
We keep purchasing things that we think will make us happy but never do, leading to even more debt and hardship.
The things we buy can't satisfy our hunger
No matter how many things we buy, we are still never truly satisfied and always craving for more, leading to an unhappy life.
Why don't we call it quits and head for the lake?
Why not give up all of our materialistic cravings and spend some quality time with family?
Let's find our way back there again
Let's try to find our way back to those simple times where love was enough for us as a family.
Now is not that far from then
We can still go back to those simpler times if we choose to do so as a family.
We had enough way back when
Even though we had so little back then, we had enough to have a happy and fulfilling family life.
We didn't have a dime to spend
Even though we didn't have a lot of money or material possesions, we still had each other, which was enough for us as a family.
But, love was enough
We didn't have much as a family, but we had love, which was well and truly enough.
When love was enough
Looking back to those days, all we ever needed was love and family to make us truly content and happy.
When love was enough
When life was simple, and all we needed was love as a family, we were at our happiest.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: TAMMY LYNN COCHRAN, TOMMY POLK, VERLON THOMPSON, VERLON K. THOMPSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind