1) The Highwaymen was an Am… Read Full Bio ↴There are two artists sharing this name;
1) The Highwaymen was an American country music supergroup, composed of four of the genre's biggest artists, known for their pioneering influence on the outlaw country subgenre: Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, and Kris Kristofferson. Active between 1985 and 1995, the group recorded three major label albums as The Highwaymen: two on Columbia Records and one for Liberty Records. Their Columbia works produced three chart singles, including the number one "Highwayman" in 1985.
Between 1996 and 1999, Nelson, Kristofferson, Cash, and Jennings also provided the voice and dramatization for the Louis L'Amour Collection, a four-CD box set of seven Louis L'Amour stories published by the HighBridge Company, although the four were not credited as "The Highwaymen" in this work.
Besides the four formal members of the group, only one other vocal recording artist appeared on a Highwaymen recording: Johnny Rodriguez, who provided Spanish vocal on "Deportee", a Woody Guthrie composition, from "Highwayman".
The four original members starred in a movie together: the 1986 film Stagecoach.
2) The Highwaymen were a collegiate folk group from the 1960s who had a significant impact on the folk scene of that time and remain famous for the song "Michael" and "Cotton Fields." Formed in 1958 while the band members were at college, the group broke up in 1964 after releasing eight albums and ten singles. They reunited in 1987, minus Chan Daniels (who died in 1975), for a concert for their 25th college reunion. Between then and 2009, the band has performed ten to twelve concerts a year. Today, two of the original five members (Steve Butts and Steve Trott) are still alive, with Dave Fisher dying on May 7, 2010, Gil Robbins (father of actor Tim Robbins) dying on April 5, 2011, and Bob Burnett dying on December 8, 2011.
Cindy Oh Cindy
The Highwaymen Lyrics
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All right, knock it off
Cindy, Oh Cindy
Bye Mom
One-two, a one-two-three
I joined the Navy to see the world
A girl as sweet as Cindy
The girl I left behind
I've searched the wide world over
Can't get her out of my mind
Cindy, oh Cindy
(C-Cindy, C-Cindy)
Cindy don't let me down
(C-Cindy, C-Cindy)
Write me a letter, dear
(C-Cindy, C-Cindy)
And I'll be homeward bound
(C-Cindy, C-Cindy)
I see her face in every wave
Her lips kiss every breeze
Her loving arms reach out to me
Through calm and stormy sea
At night I face the lonely day
Caressed by memories
Cindy, oh Cindy
(C-Cindy, C-Cindy)
Cindy don't let me down
(C-Cindy, C-Cindy)
Write me a letter, dear
(C-Cindy, C-Cindy)
And I'll be homeward bound
(C-Cindy, C-Cindy)
I know my Cindy's waiting for me
As I walk the decks alone
Her loving arms reach out to me
Soon I'll be heading home
Then my sailing days will be over
No more will I roam
Cindy, oh Cindy
(C-Cindy, C-Cindy)
Cindy don't let me down
(C-Cindy, C-Cindy)
Write me a letter, dear
(C-Cindy, C-Cindy)
And I'll be homeward bound
(C-Cindy, C-Cindy)
(C-Cindy, C-Cindy)
(C-Cindy, C-Cindy)
(C-Cindy, C-Cindy)
(C-Cindy, C-Cindy)
(C-Cindy, C-Cindy)
The Highwaymen's "Cindy, Oh Cindy" is a touching ballad about a sailor who joined the Navy to see the world but left behind his sweetheart, Cindy. Despite traveling the world, he finds no one who matches Cindy's sweetness, and he misses her terribly. He imagines seeing her in every wave and feeling her arms around him through calm and stormy seas. As he faces his nights alone with only memories of Cindy's love, he urges her to stay faithful and write him letters. Then he expresses his longing to return home to Cindy's loving embrace, which would enable him to end his days of wandering.
The song is a classic representation of the genre of popular music known as the "sentimental ballad," which was popular in the early to mid-twentieth century. What makes this song stand out is its evocative nature; it's easy to feel nostalgic for one's own past loves and desires when listening to it. The use of rhythm and melody supports the heartfelt lyrics and even nostalgic tone of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
I joined the Navy to see the world
I thought that by joining the Navy, I would get to see many different parts of the world and encounter sweet girls, but I was wrong.
But nowhere could I find
Despite travelling many places, I couldn't find anyone as sweet as Cindy.
A girl as sweet as Cindy
Cindy is an exceptionally sweet girl.
The girl I left behind
Cindy is the girl that I had to leave behind when I joined the Navy.
I've searched the wide world over
I've travelled all over the world searching for someone like Cindy, but I couldn't find anyone.
Can't get her out of my mind
I can't stop thinking about Cindy and she's always on my mind.
Cindy, oh Cindy
I miss Cindy very much and I want to see her soon.
(C-Cindy, C-Cindy)
I'm repeating Cindy's name, as if calling to her.
Cindy don't let me down
I'm asking Cindy not to disappoint me and to continue waiting for me.
Write me a letter, dear
I'm asking Cindy to send me a letter to let me know how she's doing and to keep in touch.
And I'll be homeward bound
If Cindy writes back, I'll be able to return home to see her.
I see her face in every wave
Every time I look at the waves, I imagine Cindy's face in them.
Her lips kiss every breeze
I imagine that the breeze carries kisses from Cindy to me.
Her loving arms reach out to me
I feel as though Cindy is embracing me with her love, even though we're apart.
Through calm and stormy sea
Whether the sea is calm or rough, I imagine that Cindy's love is always with me.
At night I face the lonely day
I feel lonely at night because I'm away from Cindy and I miss her.
Caressed by memories
I find comfort in remembering the time we spent together and the memories we made.
I know my Cindy's waiting for me
I'm confident that Cindy is still waiting for me and that we'll be reunited soon.
As I walk the decks alone
As I move around the ship, I'm reminded that I'm alone without Cindy by my side.
Soon I'll be heading home
I believe that I'll be able to return home to Cindy soon.
Then my sailing days will be over
Once I've returned home and reunited with Cindy, I won't need to spend long periods of time sailing away from her anymore.
Writer(s): Bob Barron, Burt Long
Contributed by Addison P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.