Byrd never intended becoming a singer. Byrd was never in Band or Choir in the Vidor School System. He began studying business at Texas State University (then called Southwest Texas State). One of his friends coaxed him into singing a cover of Hank Williams Sr's "Your Cheating Heart" at a local mall recording studio. The owner of the studio was so impressed with his version that he entered Byrd into a local talent contest. Byrd discovered on that stage that he really liked the attention and applause that came with performing.
Byrd began playing nightclubs in Southeast Texas, including working with then-struggling artist Mark Chesnutt. After Chesnutt secured a record deal, Byrd took over as the house band at Cutters Nightclub in Beaumont, landing his own record deal in 1992. His first three albums sold over 3 million copies.
His first No. 1 single was 1993's "Holdin' Heaven," although "The Keeper of the Stars" (1995) and "I'm From the Country" (1998) are considered his signature songs. Byrd finally scored his second No. 1 hit in the fall of 2002, with "Ten Rounds With Jose Cuervo." He is also known for covering two 1970s-era hits for country music legend Johnny Paycheck -- "Someone to Give My Love To" (1993, Byrd's second chart hit) and "Don't Take Her She's All I Got" (1997).
Byrd is an avid outdoorsman. He began fishing with his grandmother, Mavis Vaughn, when he was only three, and she bought him his first shotgun when he was six. His love of those sports has given him the opportunity to host two shows on the Outdoor Channel.
Byrd is the National Spokesperson for Special Olympics International for the Country Music Association. He developed a crank bait fishing lure marketed by Norman Lures called The Lifestyles Of The Not So Rich & Famous', named after his hit recording of the song written by Byron Hill and Wayne Tester. For every one of the lures sold Byrd donates ten cents to the Special Olympics.
Byrd also hosts an annual golfing/fishing/music event, "The Tracy Byrd Homecoming Weekend," in Southeast Texas to raise money for local charities, including the March of Dimes, the Children's Miracle Network, and culminating in the donation of money to fund the Tracy Byrd Hyperbaric Medicine and Wound Care Center at St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Beaumont. Byrd also raised money by soliciting pledges for his attempt to complete the 2001 Houston Marathon. He finished the marathon, and donated all of his pledges to the Children's Miracle Network.[1]
In 1994, he made a cameo appearance in the film Radioland Murders. He has also published Eat Like a Byrd: The Tracy Byrd Cookbook which "uses rubs and marinades to create memorable meals."[2]. He has also launched a line of spices, rubs, and marinades to go along with it, called "Tracy Byrd's Tiny Town Products." These are available at Wal-Mart and Kroger stores, Byrd donates five cents from each sale to the Children's Miracle Network.
Byrd and his wife, Michelle, have two sons and daughter. The family lives in Beaumont, Texas.
You Never Know Just How Good You've Got It
Tracy Byrd Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hey once I was a honky tonkin' talk of the town
Ridin' high in my bad Chevrolet
I had seven pretty women Lord hanging on me
A different one for every day
But look at me now all my women's left town
And a buck is getting hard to come by
I'm so low I could lay down and die
Well you never know just how good you've got it
Till you ain't got it no more
You never know just how high you're flying
Till you fall face down on the floor
All I can do is just moan the blues
And dream about what I had before
Hey you never know just how good you've got it
Till you ain't got it no more
Here lately I've become one pool sharkin' fool
Make my living on the buddies of mine
I was cookin' last night when the chips were all down
So I laid everything I had on the line
I knew I'd regret that hundred dollar bet
But you never learn until it's too late
We flipped and I lost and then I paid the cost
When the eight fell in on the break
Well you never know just how good you've got it
Till you ain't got it no more
You never know just how high you're flying
Till you fall face down on the floor
All I can do is just moan the blues
And dream about what I had before
Hey you never know just how good you've got it
Till you ain't got it no more
No you never know just how good you've got it
Till you ain't got it no more
Tracy Byrd's song "You Never Know Just How Good You've Got It" tells the story of someone who was once living the high life, surrounded by beautiful women and a lucrative career, but now finds himself struggling to make ends meet. The lyrics describe the regret and longing that come with losing what one once had, as the singer moans the blues and dreams about his past. The message behind the song seems to be that we often take our blessings for granted and don't appreciate what we have until it's gone. Byrd's soulful vocals and the bluesy guitar riffs give the song a mournful yet catchy quality that makes it easy to resonate with.
One interesting fact about the song is that it was co-written by Mark Nessler, who wrote several other hits for country stars like Neal McCoy and Jo Dee Messina. Another fun fact is that "You Never Know Just How Good You've Got It" was released in 1995 as the fourth single from Byrd's debut album, "Tracy Byrd." The song went on to become a top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and helped establish Byrd as one of the most promising new artists in country music. Additionally, the music video for the song features Byrd performing in a honky-tonk bar alongside his band and a group of enthusiastic dancers.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey once I was a honky tonkin' talk of the town
I used to be the life of the party and everyone knew me.
Ridin' high in my bad Chevrolet
I had a lot of money and could buy anything I wanted.
I had seven pretty women Lord hanging on me
I had many girlfriends and they were all beautiful.
A different one for every day
I couldn't keep track of all my girlfriends because there were so many.
But look at me now all my women's left town
Now I'm alone and all my girlfriends have left me.
And a buck is getting hard to come by
I don't have much money left and it's getting harder to earn it.
Well I must confess my life's a big mess
I have made many mistakes in my life and now everything is a disaster.
I'm so low I could lay down and die
I feel so terrible that I wouldn't mind dying.
Here lately I've become one pool sharkin' fool
Recently, I've been playing a lot of pool and I'm getting good at it.
Make my living on the buddies of mine
I'm making money by betting on my friends.
I was cookin' last night when the chips were all down
I was preparing dinner for my friends, but I was losing badly while betting on pool.
So I laid everything I had on the line
I risked everything I owned in the hopes of winning back my money.
I knew I'd regret that hundred dollar bet
I knew that betting so much money was a bad idea.
But you never learn until it's too late
I made a mistake and lost, but I won't learn from it until it's too late.
We flipped and I lost and then I paid the cost
I lost the bet and had to pay the price for it.
When the eight fell in on the break
I lost the game of pool when the eight ball was sunk on the first shot.
Well you never know just how good you've got it
You don't realize how good things are until they're gone.
Till you ain't got it no more
Until you lose what you had, you don't know how good it was.
You never know just how high you're flying
You don't realize how successful you are until you fail.
Till you fall face down on the floor
Until you experience a failure or setback, you won't know what it's like to be unsuccessful.
All I can do is just moan the blues
All I can do now is complain about what I have lost.
And dream about what I had before
I often daydream about how things used to be and how good my life was.
No you never know just how good you've got it
It's important to appreciate what you have because you never know when you might lose it.
Till you ain't got it no more
Once you lose something, you will understand how valuable it was.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Mark Nesler
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Taylor
on Watermelon Crawl
im not even gonna lie, i dont even like country music, but this song got me changin' my mind!!!!