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That'll Be The Day Lyrics
That’ll be the day - when you say goodbye
that’ll be the day - when you make me cry
you say you’re gonna leave - you know it’s a lie cause
that’ll be the day when I die
Well, you give me all your loving and your turtle-dovin’
all your hugs and kisses and your money too, we-hella
you know you love me baby - until you tell me maybe
that someday well, I’ll be through
When Cupid shot his dart - he shot it at your heart
so if we ever part and I leave you
you sit and hold me and you tell me boldly
that someday well, I’ll be blue
That’ll be the day - woo hoo
that’ll be the day - woo hoo
that’ll be the day - woo hoo
that’ll be the day
that’ll be the day - when you make me cry
you say you’re gonna leave - you know it’s a lie cause
that’ll be the day when I die
all your hugs and kisses and your money too, we-hella
you know you love me baby - until you tell me maybe
that someday well, I’ll be through
so if we ever part and I leave you
you sit and hold me and you tell me boldly
that someday well, I’ll be blue
that’ll be the day - woo hoo
that’ll be the day - woo hoo
that’ll be the day
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No one can understand the lyrics of this song without first watching the John Wayne/John Ford film, "The Searchers". That is the film that the line "that'll be the day" was originally drawn from. In the film, "that'll be the day" is the signature phrase of John Wayne's tired, world-weary gunman; not a phrase that's at all about bravado, but a phrase that denote bitterness and loss of hope and resignation. In the masterpiece of film-making that was "The Searchers", the phrase was a characteristic of an important character. Buddy Holly raised it to a cultural icon.
"That'll be the day", in the days of the Hawks Code, was an aphorism for 'fuck no, not going to happen'. The phrase originated in Old Western films, and is used here as it always was: a way to indicate defiance, even in an atmosphere where defiance might not have been acceptable.
I love that classic rock from the 50s & early 60s. Great song.
I don't know how true it is, but I have heard this was the number one song on the day that Buddy Holly died in a plane crash. Could be a rumor though.
@Ferthuko It actually topped the charts exactly 500 days before he died
@Ferthuko It actually topped the charts exactly 500 days before he died
It is criminal that I am only the 5th person to post for this song.
The meaning is fairly obvious however.
I've always liked Buddy Holly even though he's about the earliest thing I listen to. The song American Pie, or whatever its called, references this song and Buddy Hollys death along with two other artists cause I'm pretty sure the name of the plane that crashed was miss american pie.
@PlutonianDoll No it wasn't.
@PlutonianDoll No it wasn't.
It's good Buddy’s getting this attention. :)
Don McLean’s song “American Pie” did make reference to this song and to the day of the plane crash; however, please let me make two notes about the comments above:
The plane was not named “American Pie” or “Miss American Pie.”
This was not the #1 song on the day of the plane crash.
Since I wrote the post, I have read that the name of the plane was not American Pie, (thanks to snopes) and Don McLean did not name the song after Miss America. The other two people in the plane were Ritchie Valens and J.P. Richardson. And Im sure this is true but Valens switched with Waylen Jennings to go on the plane.
@PlutonianDoll Valens bugged Jennings all night to take his seat because he had never been on a plane.Jennings finally flipped the coin near the end of the night and Valens won the toss.
@PlutonianDoll Valens bugged Jennings all night to take his seat because he had never been on a plane.Jennings finally flipped the coin near the end of the night and Valens won the toss.
PlutonianDoll, another thing I heard about Waylon Jennings is that Buddy was joking around with Waylon saying that he hoped he froze on the bus, and Waylon joked back to Buddy saying, "Well I hope your plane crashes". That's really sad. It crushed Waylon for the longest time... he felt horrible for saying it.
Great song, an enduring classic! I bet more people have heard this song and dont even know who it was sun by.
My ringtone.