The brothers adopted the name Louvin Brothers in the 1940s as they began their career in gospel music. Their first foray into secular music was the minor hit "The Get Acquainted Waltz", recorded with Chet Atkins. Other hits included "Cash on the Barrelhead" and "When I Stop Dreaming". They joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1955 and stayed there until breaking up in 1963.
Their songs were heavily influenced by their Baptist faith and warned against sin. Ira Louvin was notorious for his drinking, womanizing, and short temper. He was married four times; his third wife Faye shot him four times in the chest and twice in the hand after he allegedly beat her. Although seriously injured, he survived. When performing and drinking, Ira would sometimes become angry enough on stage to smash his mandolin; otherwise his style was heavily influenced by Bill Monroe.
As of 1963, Charlie was making enough money that he was able to start a solo career, and Ira also went on his own.
Ira died on June 20, 1965, at the age of 41. He and his fourth wife, Anne Young, were on the way home from a performance in Kansas City when they came to a section of construction on Highway 70 outside of Williamsburg, Missouri where traffic had been reduced down to one lane. A drunken driver struck their car head-on, and both Ira and Anne were killed instantaneously.[4] At the time, a warrant for Ira's arrest had been issued on a DUI charge.
Country-rock band The Byrds recorded the Louvin-penned "The Christian Life" for their 1968 release Sweetheart of the Rodeo.
In 2001, the Louvin brothers were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. The tribute CD Livin', Lovin', Losin': Songs of the Louvin Brothers, produced by Carl Jackson and Kathy Louvin and released in 2003, won the 2004 Grammy Award for Best Country Album.
Although the brothers are still remembered today for their musical talent, they are also remembered for the unusual cover used for their 1959 album, Satan Is Real. Designed by Ira Louvin, the cover features the brothers standing in a rock quarry in front of a 12-foot-tall (3.7 m) plywood rendition of the Devil as several hidden tires soaked in kerosene burn behind them as fire and brimstone. While some reviewers count this as being one of the "greatest iconic album covers of all time", the cover can also be found today on several Web sites celebrating unusual or bizarre album covers. The cover has also become an Internet meme on a number of Web sites such as Fark.com, where it has been posted in discussion threads as an example of religious views of the era.
The opening bars of the album's title track "Satan is Real" can be heard at the beginning of Hank Williams III's "Medley: Straight to Hell / Satan is Real", on his Straight to Hell album of 2006. It is also excerpted in Will Ferrell's 2009 one-man Broadway show, You're Welcome America. A Final Night With George W Bush.
My Baby's Gone
The Louvin Brothers Lyrics
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Make the wind lie still
Don't let the moonlight shine
Across the lonely hill
Dry all the raindrops
And hold back the sun
My world has ended
My baby's gone
The milkman whistles softly as he comes up to my door
The mailman brings the letters by just like he did before
They seem so busy all day long
As though there's nothing wrong
Don't they know the world has ended
My baby's gone
Hold back the rushing minutes
Make the wind lie still
Don't let the moonlight shine
Across the lonely hill
Dry all the raindrops
And hold back the sun
My world has ended
My baby's gone
I wake up sometimes in the night
And realize you're gone
And then I toss upon my bed
And wait for day to come
I try to tell my lonely heart
It must go on alone
But it cries "the world has ended
My baby's gone"
Hold back the rushing minutes
Make the wind lie still
Don't let the moonlight shine
Across the lonely hill
Dry all the raindrops
And hold back the sun
My world has ended
My baby's gone
The Louvin Brothers’ song “My Baby’s Gone” is a melancholic masterpiece that portrays the struggles and heartbreaks of losing a loved one. The song is a beautiful blend of heart-wrenching lyrics, with an almost haunting melody, that tugs on the heartstrings of the listener. The lyrics imply the singer's disbelief, despair, and longing for their loved one.
The first verse of the song paints a picture of a world where time seems to be standing still. The singer pleas that the minutes cease to progress, the wind stops blowing, and the moon remains still. The imagery portrays the feeling of being stuck frozen in time, unable to move forward from their loss. The second verse shows the everyday-ness of life, which continues to move forward without the presence of the loved one. The milkman and the mailman continue on as normal, but the singer is in disbelief that the world continues to move on despite their loss.
The chorus of the song repeats the same plea to hold back time and nature, the world has ended because their baby is gone. The last verse amplifies the singer’s grief, as they wake up in the night and realize their loved one is gone. The singer tries to convince themselves to move on, but their heartache is all-consuming, and they feel as though the world has ended.
Overall, the song is a deeply moving testament to the devastation of losing a loved one. The pleading lyrics and haunting melody act as a reminder that life moves forward, but grief has a way of holding us back.
Line by Line Meaning
Hold back the rushing minutes
I wish I could slow down the ticking clock and make time stand still.
Make the wind lie still
If only the wind would stop blowing, it feels like the world is constantly moving forward without me.
Don't let the moonlight shine across the lonely hill
I don't want to see any light shining in the darkness around me, it feels too empty and desolate.
Dry all the raindrops
I wish I could stop the tears from falling and wash away these feelings of sadness.
And hold back the sun
I don't want to see the sun rise and start a new day without my baby.
My world has ended
Losing my baby feels like the end of the world, and I can't imagine life without them.
The milkman whistles softly as he comes up to my door
The daily tasks of others continue like nothing has changed, but my world has stopped turning.
The mailman brings the letters by just like he did before
Even receiving letters, bills, and junk mail feels strange without my baby here to share them.
They seem so busy all day long
Everyone around me carries on with their lives, while I feel trapped in my loss.
As though there's nothing wrong
No one seems to understand how devastating this loss truly is for me.
I wake up sometimes in the night
Sleeping is difficult because my mind constantly returns to my grief and my baby.
And realize you're gone
The realization that my baby is really gone hits me like a ton of bricks over and over again.
And then I toss upon my bed
I can't find any comfort or rest, even in my own bed where I should feel safe.
And wait for day to come
With each passing night, I hope that somehow, the next day will feel less heavy and less painful.
I try to tell my lonely heart it must go on alone
I know I have to keep living without my baby, but the thought is almost unbearable.
But it cries 'the world has ended, my baby's gone'
No matter how hard I try to reason with myself, my heart is inconsolable, and I can't imagine life without my baby.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HAZEL MARIE HOUSER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind