Like "Born to Lose," a number of Daffan songs were recorded by other artists. Among them were Ray Charles, Dean Martin, Ella Fitzgerald, Bob Willis, Fats Domino, Rosemary Clooney, Ringo Starr and Elton John.
In 1943, Daffan's "No Letter Today" topped the charts and competed with the Mills Brothers' "Paper Doll," Frank Sinatra's "It¹s Always You," and a song by fellow East Texan Al Dexter, "Pistol Packing Momma."
Other Daffan hits were "Worried Mind" in 1940, "I¹ve Got Five Dollars and It¹s Saturday Night" in 1950, and "I'm A Fool to Care" in 1954.
One of Daffan's biggest hits, "Truck Drivers' Blues," was written when he stopped at a roadside diner and made a prophetic observation. While chowing down, he noticed that every time a trucker parked his rig and strolled into the cafe, the first thing he did, even before ordering a cup of coffee, was push a coin in the jukebox.
It occurred to him that if he could write a song for those drivers, their nickels might make him rich and famous.
He went home and wrote a song recorded by western swing artist Cliff Bruner in 1939. It sold more than 100,000 copies -- which was a smash hit in the thirties -- and went on to become a part of James Jones' best-selling novel,"From Here to Eternity."
In 1949, Daffan received a rare gold record for his own recording of "Born to Lose" and a platinum disk in 1982 for Ray Charles' recording of the same song.
Before his 1996 death in Houston, Daffan was honored by the Academy of Country Music Hall of Fame, the Texas Swing Music Hall of Fame, the Western Swing Society, the Texas Steel Guitar Association, the State of Louisiana, and the Nashville Songwriters Association.
Born to Lose
Ted Daffan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've lived my life in vain
Every dream has only brought me pain
All my life I've always been so blue
Born to lose and now I'm losing you
Born to lose
It seems so hard to bear
You've grown tired and now you say we're through
Born to lose and now I'm losing you
Born to lose
My every hope is gone
It's so hard to face that empty dawn
You were all the happiness I knew
Born to lose and now I'm losing you
There's no use to dream of happiness
All I see is only lonliness
All my life I've always been so blue
Born to lose and now I'm losing you.
Ted Daffan's Born to Lose is a poignant and melancholic song about a person who feels like their life has been a succession of failures and disappointments. The first verse establishes this theme, with the singer lamenting that every dream they've had has only led to more pain, and that they've always been so unhappy. The second verse introduces a ray of hope into the song, with the singer expressing how they always wanted to have their loved one by their side, but now they are losing that person. The third verse ties the song up neatly, with the singer reflecting that all their happiness is gone, and that they can no longer dream of finding happiness because all they see is loneliness.
The chorus for Born to Lose is simple but effective, with the title line really driving home the theme of the song. It's clear that the singer feels like they were doomed from the start, and that they were always going to fall short of achieving their goals. The song is a powerful reflection on the human condition, and the inevitability of failure and heartache.
Line by Line Meaning
Born to lose
I was destined to fail in everything I do.
I've lived my life in vain
All of my efforts have been pointless and meaningless.
Every dream has only brought me pain
Every aspiration I've had has been accompanied by suffering and disappointment.
All my life I've always been so blue
I've been constantly sad and unhappy throughout my entire existence.
Born to lose and now I'm losing you
As expected, I'm losing you as well, which makes everything worse.
It seems so hard to bear
The situation is extremely difficult to handle.
How I longed to always have you near
I've always wanted to be with you, to have you by my side.
You've grown tired and now you say we're through
You're exhausted and have decided that our relationship is over.
My every hope is gone
I have lost any expectation of a positive outcome in any aspect of my life.
It's so hard to face that empty dawn
It's difficult to cope with the despair and hopelessness that the new day brings.
You were all the happiness I knew
You were my only source of joy and happiness.
There's no use to dream of happiness
It's pointless to think about finding joy and contentment.
All I see is only loneliness
All I can perceive and experience is isolation and desolation.
Born to lose and now I'm losing you
My life was always meant to be filled with failure and now, on top of that, I'm losing you as well.
Writer(s): Ted Daffan
Contributed by Jackson T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@rbrand9159
I just found my great aunt's diaries!! She writes on March 10, 1944, just two days after her true love was drafted, [I cried today. The girls were singing love songs such as, "If I knew then what I know now", "Goodbye little darling, I'm leaving" and "Born to Lose", and so forth.] Thank you for letting me experience this version of this song, just as she knew it. ❤
@andrewb731
I met Ted Daffan in his later years. Nice, cordial guy. "Born to Lose" was huge in 1943.
@thomasdorsey6197
i knew him also when he was elderly also. he was living in Houston. he was also a stonecutter and made jewelry for his grandchildren. he has a silver platinum record on his wall for BTL. it was right next to a plaque from NASA. BTL was neil armstrongs favorite song and he took a cassette to the moon with him with BTL on it. he was really proud of the nasa plaque. he called BORN TO LOSE the greatest B side single in history! it probably was. great man and great artist.
@royrush5374
Send this song on a gold record into space.
@blastboltthebolt3854
Bennett Foddy
@thomasdorsey6197
they did neil armstrong took a cassette to the moon with BORN To Lose on it (it was his favorite song)!
@frankchilds9848
This is one of the most iconic country songs ever. Almost everyone has heard it in one version or another.
@miguelosvaldofloresdomingu8911
I didn't knew there was a Ray Charles version!
This original version is great!
@jlassie
I will also note that the drummer for these February 1942 Daffan recordings is none other than Spike Jones - already recording with his City Slickers for Bluebird, but still working day-to-day as a studio musician!
@RoryVanucchi
Great old song. Ray Charles, of course, gave it life again.