The Story of “Don’t You Ever Get Tired (Of Hurting Me)”

“Don’t You Ever Get Tired (Of Hurting Me)” by Ronnie Milsap

You make my eyes run over all the time and you’re happy when I’m out of my mind
You don’t love me but you won’t let me be don’t you ever get tired of hurtin’ me
You must think that I look bad with a smile
For you haven’t let me have one in such a long long while
Still I keep running back how can this be don’t you ever get tired of hurtin’ me

You must think that I look bad…
Don’t you ever get tired of hurtin’ me

The people who are likely to cause us any sort of harm the deepest are likely going to be people we know. We are more likely to be aggressive to the people we know and love the most — not strangers. Whether it is because we spend the most time with them or our relationships with them are more significant, we do not really know. That is what the song is all about. The narrator is being hurt by the one he loves yet he keeps coming back.

Background of the Artist

The result was the 1989 LP Stranger Things Have Happened album. For the first single, Milsap elected to cover an old-time favorite, “Don’t You Ever Get Tired (Of Hurting Me)”. Ray Price was the first to bring it to prominence. The original version peaked at #11 in 1966. Fifteen years later, Price reached the exact same chart position with the song when Ray teamed with Willie Nelson for a duet. Milsap had not given any thought of covering “Don’t You Ever Get Tired (Of Hurting Me)” for the new album until he began working with Don Schlitz and Hank Cochran. The team-up was his effort to learn some of the basic techniques of songwriting.

Background of the Song

In the middle of the project with Cochran, Ronnie asked Hank what his favorite was of all his compositions. Hank answered “You Comb Her Hair,” which became a Top-Five hit way back 1963 for George Jones. Milsap replied that even though many modern-day fans would not remember that song, he was not about to touch George Jones’ record. Then, Cochran mentioned, “Don’t You Ever Get Tired (Of Hurting Me)”. Ronnie gave that one some thought and quickly decided to do it.

Ronnie Milsap’s great vocal range never failed to impress Tom Collins, his producer. Ronnie liked going for the really high notes at the end of just about every song he did. Collins, as a result, loved it. He felt that Milsap’s recordings were so unique that he could take any song. At any rate, Ronnie can even turn an old classic sound fresh and new by the way he sings it. And so, it was with “Don’t You Ever Get Tired (Of Hurting Me)”.

On March 11, 1989, Ronnie’s “new oldie” reached the summit of Billboard’s country singles chart. This gave him his next-to-last #1 hit. He had just one more, “A Woman In Love,” and finished his remarkable career with 35 chart-toppers, fourth-most in history.

In 2014, Milsap became a late inductee into the Country Music Hall of Fame. During the same year, songwriter Cochran also became a member of it.

Are you a fan of Ronnie Millsap? Share your thoughts and experiences about the artist or the song below. We are looking forward to hearing from you.