As songwriters go, Don Schlitz was among the most talented and the most prolific. For more than 45 years, Schlitz became the writer behind some of country music’s biggest hits.
Schlitz tragically passed away on April 16. A member of the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Grand Ole Opry, we’re taking a closer look at three songs that prove he is one of the greatest songwriters of all time.
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“The Gambler”
There might not be a song that Schlitz is known for more than “The Gambler”. Not only is it his first hit single, but he also wrote it by himself. Made popular by Kenny Rogers, Bobby Bare recorded the song first. But it’s Rogers who made it a country music classic, a song that also spawned a series of TV movies starring Rogers.
It’s the last eight lines of “The Gambler” which Schlitz later said made some people not want to be part of the song. The lyrics say, “And when he finished speaking / He turned back toward the window / Crushed out his cigarette / And faded off to sleep / And somewhere in the darkness / The gambler he broke even / But in his final words / I found an ace that I could keep.”
“Forever And Ever, Amen” by Randy Travis
Schlitz wrote a few songs for Randy Travis, including “Forever And Ever, Amen”. The catchy song, out in 1987 on Travis’s Always & Forever record, was written by Schlitz and Paul Overstreet.
A sweet song about enduring love, “Forever And Ever, Amen” says, “I’m gonna love you forever, forever and ever, amen / As long as old men sit and talk about the weather / As long as old women sit and talk about old men / If you wonder how long I’ll be faithful / I’ll be happy to tell you again / I’m gonna love you forever and ever, forever and ever, amen.”
“When You Say Nothing At All”
A Keith Whitley classic, “When You Say Nothing At All” is also written by Don Schlitz and Overstreet. On Whitley’s sophomore Don’t Close Your Eyes project, “When You Say Nothing At All” became Whitley’s second No. 1 single.
“When You Say Nothing At All” says, “The smile on your face lets me know that you need me / There’s a truth in your eyes saying you’ll never leave me / A touch of your hand says you’ll catch me if ever I fall. Now you say it best, when you say nothing at all.”
In 1994, Alison Krauss had a Top 10 single with “When You Say Nothing At All” for a Whitley tribute album. She sings the song with Whitley, who passed away in 1989.
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