Jim Reeves - The Shifting Whispering Sands Lyrics






I discovered the valley of the shifting whispering sands
While prospecting for gold in one of our western states.
I saw the silent windmills, the crumbling water tanks
The bones of cattle and burrows, picked clean by buzzards
Bleached by the desert sun.

I stumbled over a crumbling buckboard nearly covered by the sands
And stopping to rest I heard a tinkling whispering sound
And suddenly realised that even though
The wind was quiet the sand did not lie still.

I seemed to be surrounded by a mystery so heavy
And oppressive I could scarcely breath
For days and weeks I wandered aimlessly in this valley
Seeking answers to the many questions
That raced through my fevered mind.

Where was everyone why the white bones, the dry wells
The barren valley where people must have lived and died
Finally I could go no farther my food and water gone
I sat down and buried my face in my hands and resting thus
I learnt the secret of the shifting whispering sands.

How I escaped from the valley I do not know
But now to pay my final debt for being spared
I must tell you what I learned out there on the desert
So many years ago.

(When the day is oddly quiet
And the breeze seems not to blow
One would think the sand was resting
But you'll find this is not so.

It is whisp'ring softly whisp'ring
As it slowly moves along
And for those who stop and listen
It will sing this mournful song.

Of sidewinders and the horntoads
Of the Thorny Chaparral
In the sunny days and moonlight nights
The coyote's lonely yell.

How the stars seem you could touch them
As you lay and gaze on high
At the Heavens where we're hoping
We'll be going when we die.)..





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Jim Reeves The Shifting Whispering Sands Comments
  1. a.... b....

    Awesome song

  2. p.... d....

    JUST HEARD THIS TODAY. LOVE IT, SO WARM AND HEART FELT.

  3. j.... s....

    my late mom LOVED this song

  4. d.... ....

    This is my favorite rendition of this wonderful song.

  5. T.... T....

    'Still holding on...To 💘 love!

  6. F.... K....

    Who can forget that velvet voice? No one!

  7. I.... B....

    Lovely song by the velvet voice of the great Jim Reeves.

  8. J.... T....

    I loved this song as a kid. It's a joy to hear it again. A lot of decades have gone by since I last heard it. Thank you so much for preserving this beautiful song by Jim Reeves.

  9. S.... B....

    love Jim Reeves music...older brother turned me on to him back in 1970..older brother had just about every album he made....lost to a home robbery long ago...THANKS for having this music out there!!

  10. B.... E....

    A true masterpiece.

  11. z.... h....

    What a very sobering song from a very deep thinking mind? Live on Jim, even though you were gone long ago.

  12. z.... h....

    The voice that never dies!

  13. D.... J....

    another great song sung by the greatest singer ever, i recently heard Jim singing 'You are my Special Angel ' i think it was a live recording? it was out of this world.

  14. G.... L....

    One of the greatest singers,And great American R. I.P.

  15. A.... H....

    Jim Reeves the Southern Gentleman

  16. S.... G....

    Gives me chills, my parents would play records and this was one of my Father's favorites.

  17. B.... H....

    While this is a great song by Jim Reeves, I find the version by Billy Vaughn to be more realistic and haunting. I visited Death Valley several times while living in Calif. I found the place to be like it was described in the song, visiting Scotty's Castle is a must. It is amazing how it was air conditioned and they had no electricity.

  18. M.... C....

    Jim Reeves. Your voice and music will live Forever x

  19. L.... P....

    Very Old Memories of the Nullabour Plains

  20. M.... H....

    My cousin Max had a record player,and we would play this and other records.We were about five then.

  21. z.... h....

    YOU DIED JIM, BUT YOU LIVE ON

  22. d.... b....

    give me this kind of music to listen to today and i will

  23. d.... b....

    country music today sucks

  24. d.... b....

    this the kind of music I grew up with this is truly western music not the music they have today
    country music the song today sucks

  25. M.... K....

    I vaguely remember having  a Jim Reeves album, either in the late 60s or early 70s, and this song was on it. Seems there were several songs about the Shifting Whispering Sands. BUT .. During that time I lost a couple of albums and 8 track tapes. Never learned who 'borrowed' them. Thank you for sharing these wonderful songs and allowing me to hear them once again.

  26. m.... e....

    Jim reeves you are irriplacable

    m.... e....

    irreplaceable

    m.... e....

    Gordon ritchie thanks dear

  27. E.... ....

    I love this.I was raised on songs like this, great music, great songs. Always a listen to song.

    E.... ....

    EAGLESGHOST 98i*👌 ooo u i koo iuuüü hi iuuüü u hi hi 8jo koo koo kooíi up 8jo uu8 uu87in no

    E.... ....

    EAGLESGHOST 6

  28. G.... T....

    This is what rap music ought to be.

    G.... T....

    +HoneydewBlue - rap yes, heavy metal no. Iron Man is just alright with me.

  29. i.... ....

    You have to have the bitter with the sweet and this is as sweet as you can get!

  30. M.... H....

    reat story!

  31. j.... s....

    mom thinking of you as this plays  you loved this song so much  miss you

  32. M.... A....

    Nice to see all the great comments. My son had asked me to tell him about our family tree.right away I thought of my great grandpa Jackson. I must of been 9 years old when Jack passed in a nursing home. In Parkrose,.... Portland, Oregon. I haven't thought of grandpa for decades. But let my son know .. Jack wrote the song "Shifting Whispering Sands" and "Little Chapel by the Sea". My boy grinned from ear to ear when I told him what I remembered of grandpa jack. For one it wasn't grandpa ...it was just Jack.

  33. m.... k....

    A good oldie.

  34. J.... R....

    It's been 28 long years since my husband and I listened to jim reeves my husband died young  thank you for  programs like this I can sit and remember  our days together

  35. M.... G....

    Jim makes you see and hear everything - the sands covering all, then uncovering again - the settlers/miners fighting a force of nature they can't win against. Too beautiful for words.

    M.... G....

    talking to your heart

    M.... G....

    @George Fullerton exactly!

    M.... G....

    When I listen to this song I close my eyes and I am there I'm the man looking around at the Whispering Sands and I feel strange peaceful feeling deep in my soul this is definitely one of my top favorite songs of all time whoever wrote this was pure genius

  36. A.... C....

    Any idea what album this appeared on?

    A.... C....

    talking to your heart

    A.... C....

    @Andrew Carden 

    A.... C....

    @dave davies Album title talking to your heart.
    Almost a talking book its a great album cant play it any more as is 33 on vinyl worth a listen if you can.

    A.... C....

    +Andrew Carden it was also released in 2004 with a touch of velvet as 2 albums on 1 cd by BMG (UK & Ireland).

  37. L.... Z....

    Jim Reeves............There will never be a greater male vocalist......NEVER!
    Truly a voice of pure gold, 

    While the imbeciles of today, blare their irritating noise and other rotgut,
    I will be enjoying the magic of actual music.

    We miss you Gentleman Jim.

  38. D.... H....

    Good melodies, good lyrics and each word clear as a bell........,what has happened to good songs ?

  39. E.... K....

    I cant seem to listen to this enough!  Absolutely awesome! 

  40. m.... k....

    A song with a good story.

  41. L.... J....

    Škoda že neumím anglicky,,,náherný hlas takový co leze pod kůži..

  42. C.... P....

    Awesome !!!

  43. c.... s....

    Such a wonderful and tearful song for me. I could see my Dad sitting in his chair listening to The Shifting Whispering Sands.Thank you so much for this video.He probably would have loved to see this video but I am sure he can see it from heaven as I watch it and listen to it.

    c.... s....

    this was based on a true story as i recall

  44. c.... s....

    The shifting whispering sands is a favorite song my Dad used to sing when we were kids.Thank You so much for sharing

  45. p.... a....

    Always reminds me of my dear departed grandad

  46. J.... W....

    THANK YOU

  47. B.... R....

    JIM REEVES HAD SUCH A
     GREAT VOCALS..I LISTENED TO MANY OF HIS SONGS WITH MY DADDY. THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES

  48. b.... ....

    This is when country music still had soul, and spirit. There was no need for glitz and glamor, the artists from this era told us a story, their power was in their voices and in their words. What they call country music today is a very pale comparison to the great songs that came from this time in music history. These tunes are truly timeless.

  49. S.... W....

    i love all of his songs. a voice like velvet. i could listen to him for hours. so much better than the so called songs of today. where they just have hardly any songs that tell a story.don,t get me wrong i love most music. like meatloaf for exsample. but nothing beats these lovely old songs.susie white

  50. M.... M....

    The Shifting Whispering Sands is on the CD "Talkin' To Your Hear/A Touch of Velvet Album." It has the 2 BMG albums of Jim Reeves made in 1961 & 1962, which is 24 songs. This is on track #6. Only place I found it in stock online at cdUniverse. I've found rip offs of this CD released in 2004, but they strangely are missing this song. Enjoy the music with the great voice of Jim Reeves. I hope this Admiral helped you with old Boy Scout slogan "do a good turn daily."

  51. S.... T....

    Thank you for posting this song. One of my favourites.

  52. B.... D....

    Thanks for the upload - now too find the cd!!

  53. E.... L....

    Thanks for the upload Alan.

  54. E.... L....

    Try Isla Grant a country western singer from Scothland a very good singer, it's like the 50s and 60s all over again. Her husband sings Jims songs and he's really good.

    Just google Isla Grant on youtube

    E.... L....

    Edward Loudenslarger I agree with you about AL Grant singing Jim Reeves songs. He does a great tribute to Jim. But as we all know there will only ever be one Jim Reeves. I'm from New Zealand and there are a lot of Jim Reeves fans here.

  55. X.... ....

    We had friends who used to play this song when they invited us to their house for dinner. They called it "dinner music". Buzzards, bleached bones, and dinner. You can't beat that combination. A real classic. Thanks so much for posting this.

    X.... ....

    Al
    Grant
    Grandpa's little girl

  56. Y.... ....

    It would have been fitting if Reeves' plane had just vanished into a sand hill vs. the less pleasant truth.

  57. Y.... ....

    I agree. It has a nostalgic "yesteryear" sound. Reeve's style of clear diction has been lost in many singers who slur and cuss for effect.

    It also makes good music for driving in remote/rural areas where such things could have happened.

  58. f.... c....

    I think this is the best version of this song. The backing singers are amazing. Look up "Whisper" by Frank Curry.

  59. N.... M....

    It's true what you commented i feel this kind of music will die naturally

  60. s.... b....

    Zippy Zollar, an ex-alcoholic who worked in my hometown pool hall many years ago used to sing one line of this song that went "and the winos lost their bottles in the shifting whispering sands."

  61. c.... ....

    l think it was Eamon Andrews an lrish Announcer working for the B B C

  62. L.... ....

    music that will live forever, needs to be reintroduced to all quality music lovers, everywhere,

    for me this has been an earworm before, well, now again
    i beleive there's another that did a good job with this song, regards,

  63. W.... ....

    oh fuck off bwahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

  64. j.... d....

    i still have the old 78.somewear.its scratched and old but so am i

  65. j.... d....

    i remember this song when i was just a kid.just got it on ytube.luv it then luv it still.remindes me when times were good.o to go back to that time and place.

  66. T.... ....

    And I knew some people who knew your great Aunt and Uncle, and they said that your great uncle Jack got lost in the desert around Iron Mtn, which is south or Burns, Oregon. That is the area that inspired him to write the song. Just some info for you. Have a great day! :)

  67. r.... l....

    I've been thinking about this song for some time now I remember we had it on a 78 record when I was a boy but I don't think it was Mr Reeves. Who knows sure not me.lol

  68. G.... F....

    T think that a sidewinder mut have stung the old miner mortally wounding him and the buzzard that were circling when he fell. Probably a war party of native Indians wiped out the settlement

  69. G.... ....

    This has to be the strangest ballad ever recorded, doesn't it?
    Once you heard it back in '56 you never forgot it!
    It sounds even more bizarre and macabre nearly 60 years
    after I first heard it!
    Bones picked clean by buzzards, sidewinder snakes,
    horned toads and a genuine bleached skeleton of an old
    miner!
    There's a romping good mystery movie right in the words
    of this haunting old song!
    Loved "Gentleman Jim" Reeves, of course. We all did.
    Epitome of CLASS & TALENT.

  70. D.... ....

    WTF why would 2 people not like this, some people have no taste at all!

  71. B.... B....

    Great voice!

  72. t.... l....

    classic and well worth the listen.

  73. B.... ....

    @dakotasa1 If you search a bit you should be able to find songs by Jim sung in Afrikaans.

  74. J.... S....

    I grew up with his music in our home, and it still is ..music in our home,

  75. D.... E....

    There will never be another jim reeves.

  76. E.... ....

    Jim Reeves, we will never forget you...

  77. j.... ....

    Joe you nailed it. These folks were first class. I was a youngster when these folks were new. They never get old do they?

  78. d.... ....

    @tradeboy007 this is what memories are made of.....amazing lyrics that will live with me forever...love from sunny South Africa

  79. d.... ....

    music too cherish forever..thank you from sunny South Africa

  80. V.... ....

    Chilliwack ;- Jim is one of the very best, and this is a great song..Thank you...

  81. V.... ....

    Chilliwack ;- Jim is one of the very best, and this is a great song..

  82. A.... D....

    Don and Windsor :

    Don Estelle And Windsor Davies - Whispering Grass [totp2]

    Alan Douglas

  83. A.... ....

    2:58 to 3:14 is an amazing picture

  84. A.... ....

    This is a rather haunting song, and Jim Reeves' voice just sends chills up your spine. It's one of the most "relaxing" voices in country music history.

  85. c.... ....

    @Teflon65 l think that was Eamon Andrews

  86. B.... ....

    @andorionstar
    As near as I can determine the first version of this song was by Rusty Draper. The song was written in 1950 and over the years has been recorded by Billy Vaughn, Lorne Greene, Johnny Cash and Walter Brennan to name a few. AFAIK Cash's version is the most recent.

  87. c.... ....

    I think it is Johnny Cash

  88. M.... S....

    These songs were created during the innocent days of American culture, when there was family values.

  89. d.... ....

    Haven't heard this since my sister played it on the piano 50 years ago . Oh the sands of time. Wonderfully atmospheric.

  90. c.... ....

    You are almost there with him as you listen to the words

  91. B.... N....

    No problem David ( My son's name ) ...
    I once shared a drink with Charlie in a pub in Birkenhead where he grew up on Merseyside....A truly nice god fearing gentleman.... I also knew a singer called David Alexander who sadly passed away a few years ago...He too was a great artist...
    and a favourite of mine was his " Answer to Everything "

  92. D.... R....

    Thanks for the tip re Charlie Landsborough. I have 3 of his CD's an a month ago I sent his "My Forever Friend" to all my Youtube friends. I used to listen to "London Country Radio" while driving to and from work and his music which is where I dicovered his songs. Sadly the station stopped broadcasting some years ago.
    God Bless
    David

  93. B.... N....

    Gentleman Jim at his best...What a smooth mellow voice ..truly the best ....
    If you get a chance have a listen to ' Charlie Landsborough' ...... from the UK....Birkenhead ...

  94. D.... R....

    Jean, thanks for sharing.I've not heard this for a long time. Oh how his voice blends to the spoken word as well as his singing.
    God Bless
    David

  95. N.... E....

    It is a sound of intimate

  96. f.... ....

    This one stays with me always!Memories.

  97. B.... ....

    What a beautiful, peaceful voice. Masterful yet gentle at the same time. Thanks for posting

  98. M.... H....

    Great song,saw a program last week about the sand .

  99. W.... ....

    And I echo your sentiment. A great song. Great voice.

  100. j.... ....

    Been a long time sense I have heard this Alan.
    Thank you for posting.