Born in Bristol, Tennessee, to Clarence Thomas Ford and Maud Long, Ford began his radio career as an announcer at station WOPI in Bristol, leaving in 1939 to study classical music and voice at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. 1st Lieut. Ford served in World War II as the bombardier on a B-29 Superfortress flying missions over Japan. After the war, Ford worked at radio stations in San Bernardino and Pasadena, Calif. In San Bernardino, hired as a radio announcer, Ernest J. Ford did the news and general announcing. He was assigned the job of hosting an early morning country music disc jockey programme titled "Bar Nothin' Ranch." To differentiate himself, he created the personality of "Tennessee Ernie," a wild, madcap exaggerated hillbilly. He became popular in the area and was soon hired away by Pasadena's KXLA radio.
At KXLA he continued doing the same show and also joined the cast of Cliffie Stone's popular live KXLA country show "Dinner Bell Roundup" as a vocalist while still doing the early morning broadcast. Stone, a part-time talent scout for Capitol Records, brought him to the attention of the label. In 1949, while still doing his morning show, he signed a contract with Capitol. He also became a local television star as the star of Stone's popular Southern California "Hometown Jamboree" television show. He released almost fifty country singles through the early 1950s, several of which made the charts. Many of his early records, including "The Shot Gun Boogie", "Blackberry Boogie", and so on were exciting, driving boogie-woogie records featuring exciting accompaniment by the Hometown Jamboree band which included Jimmy Bryant on lead guitar and pioneer pedal steel guitarist Speedy West. "I'll Never Be Free", a duet pairing Ford with Capitol Records pop singer Kay Starr, became a huge country and pop crossover hit in 1950.
Ford eventually ended his KXLA morning show and in the early 1950s, moved on from Hometown Jamboree. He took over from bandleader Kay Kyser as host of the television version of the NBC quiz show "College of Musical Knowledge" when it returned briefly in 1954 after a four-year break. He also portrayed the country bumpkin Cousin Ernie on I Love Lucy.
Ford scored an unexpected hit on the pop charts in 1955 with his rendition of Merle Travis' "Sixteen Tons", a sparsely arranged coal-miner's lament that Travis wrote in 1946, based on his own family's experience in the mines of Muhlenberg County, Kentucky. With a unique clarinet-driven pop arrangement by Ford's Musical Director, Jack Fascinato, "Sixteen Tons" spent ten weeks at number one on the country charts and eight weeks at number one on the pop charts, and made Ford a crossover star. It became Ford's signature song.
Ford subsequently helmed his own primetime variety programme, The Ford Show, which ran on NBC from 1956 to 1961. Ford's programme was notable for the inclusion of a religious song at the end of every show; Ford insisted on this despite objections from network officials who feared it might provoke controversy. It quickly became the most popular segment of the show. He earned the nickname "The Ol' Pea-Picker" becafter his catch-phrase, "Bless your pea-pickin' heart!"
In 1956 he released Hymns, his first gospel album, which remained on Billboard's "Top Album" charts for a remarkable 277 consecutive weeks; his album Great Gospel Songs won a Grammy Award in 1964. After the NBC show ended, Ford moved his family to Northern California and from 1962 to 1965, hosted a daytime talk show The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show from San Francisco, broadcast over the ABC TV network.
Over the years, Ford has been awarded three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, for radio, records, and television. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1984 and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1990.
Ford, who offstage contended with a serious alcohol problem that never affected his professional work, began suffering increasing liver problems in the 1980s that worsened in 1990, the year he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. He fell ill in 1991 after leaving a state dinner at the White House hosted by President George Bush, and died in a Virginia hospital on 17th October, exactly thirty-six years after "Sixteen Tons" was released and one day shy of the first anniversary of his induction into the Hall of Fame.
Ford was posthumously recognized for his gospel music contributions by being added to the Gospel Music Association's Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1994.
Stand By Me
Tennessee Ernie Ford Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Stand by me (stand by me)
When the storms of life are raging
Stand by me (stand by me)
When the world is tossing me
Like a ship upon the sea
Thou Who rulest wind and water
Stand by me (stand by me)
In the midst of tribulation
Stand by me (stand by me)
In the midst of tribulation
Stand by me (stand by me)
When the hosts of hell assail
And my strength begins to fail
Thou Who never lost a battle
Stand by me (stand by me)
In the midst of faults and failures
Stand by me (stand by me)
In the midst of faults and failures
Stand by me (stand by me)
When I do the best I can
And my friends misunderstand
Thou Who knowest all about me
Stand by me (stand by me)
4.
In the midst of persecution
Stand by me (stand by me)
In the midst of persecution
Stand by me (stand by me)
When my foes in battle array
Undertake to stop my way
Thou Who savèd Paul and Silas
Stand by me (stand by me)
When I'm growing old and feeble
Stand by me (stand by me)
When I'm growing old and feeble
Stand by me (stand by me)
When my life becomes a burden
And I'm nearing chilly Jordan
O Thou "Lily of the Valley,"
Stand by me (stand by me)
The lyrics of Tennessee Ernie Ford's song "Stand By Me" express the singer's plea to God to be with him during difficult times in his life. The metaphor of a raging storm is used to represent the trials and tribulations of life that can make us feel tossed about like a ship on the sea. In the face of all obstacles, the singer asks that God stand by him and provide the strength and courage needed to face any challenge. The lyrics suggest that even when our best efforts fail, God knows us and our struggles intimately and will always be by our side.
The lyrics then move on to acknowledge that sometimes we face persecution and even our friends may misunderstand us. However, God is seen as a faithful companion who has never lost a battle and will always be there to save us, as he saved Paul and Silas. Finally, the singer reflects on growing old and feeble, facing death and the tricky Jordan River, and again turns to God for comfort and strength. The final line referring to God as the "Lily of the Valley" is an allusion to the biblical Song of Solomon, where God is described as a beautiful flower that gives fragrance and beauty to its surroundings.
Line by Line Meaning
When the storms of life are raging
Stand by me (stand by me)
In times of trouble and chaos, please support and stand with me
When the world is tossing me
Like a ship upon the sea
Thou Who rulest wind and water
Stand by me (stand by me)
When life is throwing me in every direction and I'm struggling to maintain my balance, please be my anchor and guide me to safety
In the midst of tribulation
Stand by me (stand by me)
During times of hardship and suffering, please be there to comfort and console me
When the hosts of hell assail
And my strength begins to fail
Thou Who never lost a battle
Stand by me (stand by me)
When evil forces attack me and I'm losing my strength, please remind me that you have never been defeated and stand with me in my fight
In the midst of faults and failures
Stand by me (stand by me)
Even when I make mistakes and fall short, please stand by me and offer me your forgiveness and support
When I do the best I can
And my friends misunderstand
Thou Who knowest all about me
Stand by me (stand by me)
When I'm giving my all and my friends still don't understand me, please continue to stand by my side and know me for who I truly am
In the midst of persecution
Stand by me (stand by me)
During times of mistreatment and oppression, please be my advocate and stand up for me
When my foes in battle array
Undertake to stop my way
Thou Who savèd Paul and Silas
Stand by me (stand by me)
When my enemies are trying to halt my progress, please come to my aid and save me like you did for Paul and Silas
When I'm growing old and feeble
Stand by me (stand by me)
As I age and become weaker, please stay by my side and support me through my physical and emotional challenges
When my life becomes a burden
And I'm nearing chilly Jordan
O Thou "Lily of the Valley,"
Stand by me (stand by me)
As I near the end of my life and face death, please be there to ease my burdens and guide me to the other side, as a symbol of hope and life
Writer(s): ERNEST TUBB
Contributed by William Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Nancy Foix
The Lord has stood by me in the midst of my trials and tribulations.
In the midst of a collapsed basement wall that insurance did not cover
and a rare disease that has left me in severe pain,
on disability and taking chemo for over 6 years
the good Lord has stood by me.
The Lord has certainly been good to me.
I first heard this song "Stand By Me" at the end of a little house on the prairie episode
where many had died from an epidemic while they were waiting for the medicine
and the medicine was delayed because someone stole the wagon the supplies were on.
Eventually Pa caught up with the wagon. The ones who stole the wagon were sick and Pa convinced them to come with him so that all who needed the medicine could get it. But the delay was devestating and left many with dead loved ones. This song was sang when many needed encouragement to go on. It was sang by the negro woman who ran the blind school in town. If anyone knows where I could get this song sang by her let me know.
póg mo thóin 2
This Hymn has always made me cry. I adore Ernie Ford.
Andy D
Agreed!
M.
Tears every time I listen.
Robert Kadow
What a blessing to humanity He was
M.
If ever there was a rich baritone, his was the one. What a beautiful hymn.
therealdiehl
My dad used to wake us up on Sunday morning before church to Tennessee Ernie's albums. This song came to mind while I was working. Glad to find it here. Thanks for posting.
Jon R
Thou who rulest wind and water, Thou who never lost a battle, Thou who knowth all about me, Oh the Lily of the Valley, stand by me!
Lisa A
Great song. I love his voice too.
Duke Cheston
Thanks for posting! What a great song and great artist.
Robert Mowen
growing up he was and still a great christian loving man so sorry there is no one like him to carry on his gospel music