Your Cheatin' Heart
by Hank Williams
"Whereas I am
privileged to tell any truth that existed during my life
with my husband, my wish is not to hurt anyone. All
living things have problems, even the dead; most
certainly, Hank was no different. He laughed and he
cried. I saw both. Like all of us, he had a past, some
good and some bad. What man don't? Out of his past and
present came ideas for songs as did 'Cheatin' Heart.'
Hank and I became engaged in Nashville, Tennessee. We
decided to drive down to my home in the bayou country in
Louisiana to tell my and
dad that we were to be married. I didn't know much about
Hank's past and didn't really care, but I was young and
had not experienced misery. Hank started telling me
about his problems with his ex-wife, Audrey. He said
that one day her 'cheatin' heart' would pay. Then he
said, 'Hey, that'd make a good song! Get out my tablet,
baby; me and you are gonna write us a song.' Just about
as fast as I could write, Hank quoted the words to me in
a matter of minutes. Then he looked over at me, my hair
flying in his convertible car, eating an ice cream cone,
and said, 'one thing baby, Ole Hank could never be
ashamed of you.' Once again his eyes brightened as he
said, 'Write this down for Ole Hank.' And so it was —
another thought from the heart of a gentle man with the
soul of a giant and the needs of a child —
tender love."
—
Billie Jean Williams Horton
Your Cheatin' Heart
Your cheatin' heart,
Will make you weep,
You'll cry and cry,
And try to sleep,
But sleep won't come,
The whole night through,
Your cheatin' heart, will tell on you...
When tears come down,
Like falling rain,
You'll toss around,
And call my name,
You'll walk the floor,
The way I do,
Your cheatin' heart, will tell on you...
Your cheatin' heart,
Will pine some day,
And crave the love,
You threw away,
The time will come,
When you'll be blue,
Your cheatin' heart, will tell on you...
1952,
renewed 1980 by Acuff-Rose-Opryland Music, Inc.
