A Promise of Forever in Collin Raye’s “Love, Me”
Love Me by Collin Raye
I read a note my Grandma wrote back in 1923
Grandpa kept it in his coat, and he showed it once to me
He said, “Boy, you might not understand, but a long, long time ago,
Grandma’s daddy didn’t like me none, but I love your Grandma so.
We had this crazy plan to meet and run away together
Get married in the first town we came to and live forever
But nailed to the tree where we were supposed to meet instead
I found this letter, and this is what it said,
“If you get there before I do
Don’t give up on me
I’ll meet you when my chores are through
I don’t know how long I’ll be
But I’m not gonna let you down
Darling wait and see
And between now and then
Til I see you again
I’ll be loving you
Love, Me.”
I read those words just hours before my Grandma passed away
In the doorway of the church where me and Grandpa stopped to pray
I know I’ve never seen him cry in all my fifteen years
But as he said these words to her, his eyes fill up with tears
“If you get there before I do
Don’t give up on me
I’ll meet you when my chores are through
I don’t know how long I’ll be
But I’m not gonna let you down
Darling wait and see
And between now and then
Til I see you again
I’ll be loving you
Love, Me.”
Released in the last quarter of 1991, “Love, Me” remains as one of country artist Collin Raye’s most popular songs. The said track serves as the sophomore single of his second album, entitled “All That I Can Be”. At the time of the song’s promotion, it has topped the Billboard Country Charts, the first one that Raye has ever achieved. The song’s popularity continued to skyrocket as it received a nomination for Song of The Year at the Country Music Association Awards.
A simplistic and heartwarming song, “Love, Me” is a country song that is accompanied by an acoustic guitar and an electronic piano on the background. This setup fully blends well with the lyrical content of the song as it presents a quite bittersweet but touching story. The song is centered around Raye’s grandparents and their love story. The first part of the song is about the grandfather showing a note that his grandmother wrote to him around 1923. On this part, we get to discover that the romance between his grandparents was a tough one as there has been disapproval between them getting together. It also tells how they plan to get away from all of those oppositions by agreeing to meet in a certain tree. This narrative continues until the chorus where they constantly remind each other to fulfill their promise.
At the second verse, the story fast forwards to the present. Raye and his grandfather are seen in the church to pray. This was hours before the grandmother has passed away. In the church, the grandfather rereads the letter and reminisces they things that they have gone through as a couple over the years. This part of the song also shows the unending and unconditional love the grandfather has for his partner – that his love for her will transcend physical life and will remain eternal until the end of time.
The classic and touching love story of “Love, Me” made the song a very popular choice to play during funerals. This is due to the fact that the song holds the promise of eternal love. Its message is very powerful that it transcends age limits. It serves as a loving tribute to that person as it holds a promise of a love that will never end – no matter what the circumstances be.