The first known public appearance of the Osborne Brothers was in 1951. They joined the cast at WCYB Bristol, Virginia, to perform on a program called "Farm and Fun Time", along with other Bluegrass bands, such as, The Stanley Brothers, Jimmy Martin, Carl Story and his Rambling Mountainers. Other members of "Farm and Fun Time" included, Jim & Jesse, Little Robert Van Winkle, Curly King and the Tennessee Hilltoppers, and country recording artist Red Kirk. The live program aired five days a week, Monday through Friday from 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm on WCYB Radio, and covered five states.
Upon their breakout into the bluegrass scene, the Osborne Brothers quickly became noted for their virtuosic instrumentation and tight, melodic vocal harmonies. Their first country chart appearance was "Once More", a 1958 trio with Red Allen, with a then-novel inverted stacked harmony: Bobby singing the lead line highest, then Sonny singing baritone, and finally the third singer (in this case Red Allen) singing the tenor as the lowest part. This placed Bobby's distinctive voice as the lead, and made the third voice a somewhat interchangeable part. As a result, the brothers could hire a series of guitarist/singers without changing their overall sound. This "high lead" vocal trio became their signature sound, used to great effect in the country market, with songs like "Blame Me", "Sweethearts Again", and a remake of the Carter Family's "Fair and Tender Ladies".
During their breakout period of the mid 1950s, Sonny's banjo and Bobby's mandolin styles became distinctive and easily-identifiable with their overall sound. The band was inducted as members of the Grand Ole Opry on August 8, 1964.
The Osborne Brothers have the distinction of having recorded two songs that would go on to be officially voted as "state songs." The first, "Rocky Top," was named a Tennessee state song in 1982. The other, "Kentucky," was named a state song for the brothers' home state of Kentucky.
In 1994, The Osborne Brothers were inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Association's Hall of Honor. The induction is considered bluegrass music's highest honor.
Bluegrass Express
The Osborne Brothers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The way my broken heart is hurtin' me
I′ve got my pride and I know how to hide
All my sorrow and pain
I'll do my cryin' in the rain
If I wait for cloudy skies
You won′t know the rain from the tears in my eyes
You′ll never know that I still love you so
I'll do my cryin′ in the rain
Rain drops fallin' from Heaven
Could never wash away my misery
But since we′re not together
I look for stormy weather
To hide these tears I hope you'll never see
Some day when my cryin′s done
I'm gonna wear a smile and walk in the sun
I may be a fool but till then darling you'll
Never see me complain
I′ll do my cryin′ in the rain
I'll do my cryin′ in the rain
I'll do my cryin′ in the rain
The Osborne Brothers' Bluegrass Express has a painful melody and heartbreaking lyrics. The singer is hiding their broken heart from the person they love. They don't want their lost love to know how much they're hurting. The singer says they have pride, and they know how to hide their emotions. They'll cry in the rain instead of letting their lover see them cry. The singer is hopeful that when their tears are done and they've healed, they'll walk with a smile in the sun again. Until then, they'll keep their tears hidden.
The song is relatable to anyone who has ever gone through heartbreak. When we love someone, we risk giving them the power to hurt us. The singer in this song is trying to take some semblance of control back by hiding their pain. While it's a classic country heartbreak song, it's also a reminder that sometimes we have to be easy on ourselves and allow ourselves to feel pain to grow.
Line by Line Meaning
I'll never let you see
I will never allow you to witness the effects of your actions on me.
The way my broken heart is hurtin' me
My heart is shattered from the pain that you have caused me.
I've got my pride and I know how to hide
I have my dignity intact and I am fully capable of concealing my distress.
All my sorrow and pain
Every last bit of my grief and agony.
I'll do my cryin' in the rain
I will only express my sorrow in isolation, where no one can see or judge me.
If I wait for cloudy skies
Delaying my expression of grief will help me avoid detection and maintain composure.
You won't know the rain from the tears in my eyes
You will not be able to distinguish if the moisture you see on my face when it is raining is due to the rain or my tears.
You'll never know that I still love you so
I will keep my feelings of love for you a secret that you will never uncover.
Though the heartaches remain
Despite the pain that I feel, I must keep it to myself.
Rain drops fallin' from Heaven
Even if rain falls directly from the heavens, it will not be able to purge me of my sadness.
Could never wash away my misery
No amount of rain can cleanse me of my woe.
But since we're not together
Now that we are no longer united.
I look for stormy weather
I search for tempestuous weather to cloak my crying.
To hide these tears I hope you'll never see
So that I can conceal these tears that I pray are hidden from your view.
Some day when my cryin's done
In the future, when I have ceased grieving.
I'm gonna wear a smile and walk in the sun
I will once again wear a cheerful grin and bask in the sun.
I may be a fool but till then darling you'll
I could be called foolish, but that won't matter until then.
Never see me complain
You will never see me whine or express my pain if I can help it.
I'll do my cryin' in the rain
I will limit the scope of my grief to only when it is raining.
I'll do my cryin' in the rain
I will always keep my tears to myself, often during rainfall when I am alone.
Writer(s): Bob Osborne
Contributed by Elena T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.