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.
My Aching Heart
The Osborne Brothers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That I was glad to see you go
I could hate you for the way I'm feelin'
My lips could tell a lie, but My Heart Would Know.
It's a sin to make me cry
When you know I love you so
I could tell my heart that I don't miss you
I could give you all the blame
But I'm sure the truth would show
I could tell this world I've found a new love
My lips could tell a lie, but My Heart Would Know.
I can't fool my cryin' heart
'Cause it knows I need you so
I could tell my heart I'm glad we parted
My lips could tell a lie, but My Heart Would Know.
The Osborne Brothers & Red Allen's song My Aching Heart is a heart-wrenching ballad that captures the emotional turmoil of a broken heart. The singer of the song is struggling to move on from a relationship that has ended, and is dealing with conflicting emotions. Throughout the song, the singer contemplates lying to themselves and others about their feelings, but ultimately realizes that their heart will always know the truth. The singer acknowledges that they could say that they are over the relationship and glad that their partner is gone, but their heart would know that it's not true. They could even try to blame their partner for the breakup, or pretend that they have found someone new, but their heart would still feel the pain of the loss. In the end, the singer admits that they can't fool their heart and that they still need their partner.
The song's message is a universal one: when it comes to matters of the heart, our true feelings are impossible to hide from ourselves, no matter how much we try to deny or mask them. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of the struggle that many people go through after a painful breakup, highlighting the internal battle between what the head wants and what the heart feels. The use of the phrase "My lips could tell a lie, but My Heart Would Know" throughout the song emphasizes the idea that actions speak louder than words when it comes to matters of the heart.
Line by Line Meaning
I could say it's over now
I am able to declare that the relationship has ended
That I was glad to see you go
Implying that the character is happy to move on
I could hate you for the way I'm feelin'
The character is going through a difficult time and could choose to assign blame
My lips could tell a lie, but My Heart Would Know.
Saying that even though they might be able to hide their true emotions, internally, they know the truth
It's a sin to make me cry
The person being spoken to is responsible for causing the character pain
When you know I love you so
Even though the character is hurt, they still have love for the other person
I could tell my heart that I don't miss you
Trying to push away feelings of longing
My lips could tell a lie, but My Heart Would Know.
Once again reinforcing that the character cannot hide their true emotions
I could give you all the blame
Continuing to discuss the option of assigning fault
But I'm sure the truth would show
The truth will ultimately be revealed
I could tell this world I've found a new love
Trying to move on by telling others that there's another love interest
My lips could tell a lie, but My Heart Would Know.
Once again emphasizing that the character's true emotions cannot be hidden
I can't fool my cryin' heart
Acknowledging that they cannot deceive their own heart
'Cause it knows I need you so
Understanding that they cannot deny their need for the other person
I could tell my heart I'm glad we parted
Trying to convince themselves that ending the relationship was for the best
My lips could tell a lie, but My Heart Would Know.
Once again, admitting that they cannot hide their true emotions
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Hank Williams Sr.
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind