The Carter Family was a country music group that performed and recorded bet… Read Full Bio ↴The Carter Family was a country music group that performed and recorded between 1927 and 1943. Their music had a profound impact on later bluegrass, country, pop and rock musicians, as well as on the U.S. folk revival of the 1960s.

The original group consisted of Alvin Pleasant Delaney Carter (A.P.; 1891-1960), his wife, Sara Dougherty Carter (autoharp and guitar; 1898-1979), and Maybelle Addington Carter (guitar; 1909-1978). Maybelle Carter (later popularly known as Mother Maybelle Carter) was married to A.P.'s brother Ezra (Eck) Carter. All three were born and raised in southwestern Virginia where they were immersed in the tight harmonies of mountain gospel music and shape note singing. Maybelle Carter's distinctive and innovative guitar playing style quickly became a hallmark of the group.

The Carters got their start on July 31, 1927 when A.P. convinced Sara and Maybelle (pregnant at the time) to make the journey from Maces Springs, Virginia to Bristol, Tennessee to audition for record producer Ralph Peer who was seeking new talent for the relatively embryonic recording industry. They received $50 for each song they recorded.

In the Fall of 1927 the Victor recording company released a double-sided 78 rpm record of the group performing "Wandering Boy" and "Poor Orphan Child". In 1928 another record was released with "The Storms Are on the Ocean" and "Single Girl, Married Girl". This one proved very popular.

They stopped touring and recording in 1943.

In 1987, the three daughters of Maybelle Carter - June Carter (also known as June Carter Cash, following marriage to Johnny Cash), Helen Carter and Anita Carter, along with June Carter's daughter Carlene Carter, appeared as the Carter Family and were featured on a 1987 television episode of Austin City Limits along with Johnny Cash.

The Carters were elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1970 and were given the nickname "The First Family of Country Music". In 1988, the Carter Family was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and received its Award for the song "Will the Circle Be Unbroken". In 1993, the U.S. Postal Service issued a commemorative postage stamp honoring A.P., Sara, and Maybelle. In 2001, the group was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor. In 2005, the group received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

The Carter Family III carries on the tradition. The group consists of A.P. Carter and Sarah Carter’s grandson Dale Jett, Maybelle Carter’s grandson John Carter Cash and his wife Laura Cash.

For more details, see the Carter Family biography at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/carterfamily/peopleevents/p_carters.html

Will You Remember
The Carter Family Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

When death shall close these eye lids
And this heart shall cease to beat
And they lay me down to rest
In some flowery bound retreat

Will you miss me?
(Miss me when I'm gone)
Will you miss me?

(Miss me when I'm gone)

Will you miss me?
(Miss me when I'm gone)
Will you miss me when I'm gone?

Perhaps you'll plant a flower
On my poor unworthy grave
Come and sit along beside me
When the roses nod and wave

Will you miss me?
(Miss me when I'm gone)
Will you miss me?
(Miss me when I'm gone)

Will you miss me?
(Miss me when I'm gone)
Will you miss me when I'm gone?

One sweet thought my soul shall cherish
When this fleeting life has flown
This sweet thought will cheer when dying
Will you miss me when I'm gone?

When these lips shall never more
Press a kiss upon thy brow
But lie cold and still in death
Will you love me then as now?

Will you miss me?
(Miss me when I'm gone)
Will you miss me?
(Miss me when I'm gone)

Will you miss me?

(Miss me when I'm gone)
Will you miss me when I'm gone?

Overall Meaning

The Carter Family's song Will You Miss Me When I'm Gone is a melancholic ode to the reality of death and the loss that accompanies it. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of a person pondering whether their loved ones will remember them after they pass away. The opening lines of the song suggest that the singer is aware of their mortality and that they are soon to face their final rest. They ask whether their loved ones will miss them when they are gone, suggesting a deep-seated desire to be remembered and loved even in death.

The lyrics continue to depict the singer's desire to be remembered long after they are gone. They suggest that perhaps their loved ones will plant a flower on their grave or come to sit beside them as the roses nod and wave. The imagery here is poignant and creates a vivid picture of someone longing for connection even in death. The song goes on to suggest that the singer's soul will cherish the memory of being missed, even as they face dying. They finish by asking whether their loved ones will continue to love them even when they are cold and still in death.

Overall, the lyrics to Will You Miss Me When I'm Gone are deeply touching and evoke a sense of longing, loneliness, and the universal human desire to be remembered even after death.

Line by Line Meaning

When death shall close these eye lids
When I die and my eyes close

And this heart shall cease to beat
And my heart stops beating

And they lay me down to rest
And they bury me

In some flowery bound retreat
In a peaceful and beautiful place

Will you miss me?
Do you care enough about me to miss me?

(Miss me when I'm gone)

Perhaps you'll plant a flower
Maybe you will plant a flower

On my poor unworthy grave
On my undeserving burial site

Come and sit along beside me
Sit with me in silence

When the roses nod and wave
When the roses sway in the breeze

One sweet thought my soul shall cherish
One comforting thought I will hold onto