In 1923, Carter moved west to Calgary, Alberta, where he found work as a cowboy and made extra money singing and playing his guitar. It was during this time that he developed his own yodeling style, sometimes called an "echo yodel" or a "three-in-one".
Carter performed his very first radio broadcast on CFCN in 1930. Two years later, he was entertaining tourists as a trail rider for the Canadian Pacific Railway. The railroad company promoted horseback excursions into the Canadian Rockies, and Carter soon became popular.
His popularity grew such that in 1933 he was hired to be an entertainer on the maiden voyage of the British ship S.S. Empress. However, on the way to the ship he stopped off in Montreal and recorded two songs he had written: My Swiss Moonlight Lullaby and The Capture of Albert Johnson. By 1934 that record was a best-seller. By 1935 he was in New York City, performing on WABC radio. And that same year someone tagged him with the name Montana Slim," and it stuck.
In 1937 he left New York City and returned to Calgary, where he bought a ranch. He continued to appear on both American and Canadian radio shows, as well as doing live concerts. Carter seriously injured his back in a 1940 car accident. He was unable to tour regularly for much of the decade. He sold his ranch in 1949 and moved to a 180 acre (730,000m2) farm in New Jersey.
In 1952 he moved again, this time to Orlando, Florida, and opened the Wilf Carter Motor Lodge. That venture only lasted two years before he closed it.
He'll Have To Go
Wilf Carter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Let's pretend that we're together, all alone.
I'll tell the man to turn the jukebox way down low,
And you can tell your friend there with you he'll have to go.
Whisper to me, tell me do you love me true,
Or is he holding you the way I do?
Tho' love is blind, make up your mind, I've got to know,
You can't say the words I want to hear
While you're with another man,
If you want me, answer "yes" or "no,"
Darling, I will understand.
Put your sweet lips a little closer to the phone.
Let's pretend that we're together, all alone.
I'll tell the man to turn the jukebox way down low,
And you can tell your friend there with you he'll have to go.
In Wilf Carter's song "He'll Have To Go," the singer is speaking to their lover over the phone, asking them to put their lips closer to the phone in order to feel closer to each other. They pretend that they are together and alone, and that the jukebox is turned down low. The singer asks their lover if they truly love them or if the person they are with is holding them the way that the singer does. The singer wants their lover to make up their mind about their love for each other because he needs to know whether he should hang up or ask her to tell him to leave the other man.
The lyrics reveal a complicated situation of love, where the singer is in love with someone who is with another man. Their lover is unable to say the words that the singer wants to hear while they are with the other man. The singer gives their lover an ultimatum, asking them to choose between him or the other man. There is a sense of urgency and desperation in the singer's voice, wanting to know the truth about their lover's feelings for him.
Overall, the song is about love, longing, and heartbreak. It speaks to the universal experience of being in love with someone who may be with someone else. The lyrics are simple but powerful, and the melody is hauntingly beautiful, making it a timeless classic that continues to resonate with listeners today.
Line by Line Meaning
Put your sweet lips a little closer to the phone.
Come closer to the phone to communicate with me.
Let's pretend that we're together, all alone.
Imagine that we are together, away from everyone else.
I'll tell the man to turn the jukebox way down low,
I'll ask the man to decrease the jukebox's volume.
And you can tell your friend there with you he'll have to go.
Tell your friend, with whom you are, that he has to leave.
Whisper to me, tell me do you love me true,
Whisper softly, tell me if you love me truly.
Or is he holding you the way I do?
Is he holding you like I do?
Tho' love is blind, make up your mind, I've got to know,
Although love makes people ignore flaws, decide, I need to know.
Should I hang up, or will you tell him he'll have to go?
Should I end this call or will you ask him to leave?
You can't say the words I want to hear
You cannot say the words I desire.
While you're with another man,
When you're with someone else.
If you want me, answer "yes" or "no,"
If you want me, reply with either 'yes' or 'no.'
Darling, I will understand.
Honey, I'll comprehend.
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Joe Allison, Audrey Allison
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@bertandthel
great old song. I love it. thanks for sharing
@froggiechar
Very good! I liked and enjoyed! It's an another great version of the song that we know as a "Jim Reeve's" song. Cheers, Brother Charlie Pratt
@edgarheinz3990
I had to bury a picture of Wilf Carter with my Father.