About The Song
Ray Price, known as the Cherokee Cowboy, delivered one of his notable hits in the early 1960s with “You Took Her Off My Hands (Now Please Take Her Off My Mind).” Released as the B-side to “Walk Me to the Door” on Columbia Records in late 1962, the single saw both sides chart successfully. “Walk Me to the Door” reached number seven on the Billboard country chart, while Price’s rendition of this track climbed to number eleven in 1963. The song was written by the trio of Harlan Howard, Skeets McDonald, and Wynn Stewart, a collaboration that brought together some of country music’s sharpest talents.
The composition had actually been recorded earlier by Wynn Stewart himself back in 1956 on Capitol Records. Stewart, a key figure in the Bakersfield sound, co-wrote the piece along with McDonald and the prolific Harlan Howard. Howard had already enjoyed major success with Price, having penned “Heartaches by the Number,” which became a major hit for the singer in 1959. This earlier connection likely made the song a natural fit for Price’s repertoire during a period of stylistic evolution.
By the time Price cut his version, he was beginning to move away from the raw honky-tonk shuffle beat that had defined much of his 1950s work and helped popularize what fans called the “Ray Price beat.” Sessions for the track took place in Nashville with producers Don Law and Frank Jones. The arrangement incorporated elements of the emerging Nashville Sound, featuring smoother production touches that appealed to a broader audience while still retaining Price’s distinctive baritone delivery.
The lyrics present a poignant and somewhat ironic plea from a man whose former love has moved on with another. The narrator acknowledges that his rival has successfully “taken her off my hands” by stepping into the picture and changing the dynamics of their social circle. Yet he implores the new partner to complete the job by removing her lingering memories and the emotional hold she still has. Lines like “Please take her photograph engraved on my heart so blue / And take all her memories, she now belongs to you” capture the lingering pain of heartbreak with a clever twist on everyday expressions.
This track later found a home on Price’s 1965 album *Burning Memories*, released by Columbia. The LP collected several of his recent singles and marked a fuller embrace of the countrypolitan style, complete with string sections. It debuted on the Billboard country albums chart in March 1965, peaking at number eight. Critic Thom Jurek of AllMusic later gave the album five stars, noting Price’s departure from pure honky-tonk while praising the strength of the material.
Throughout his long career, Price demonstrated a willingness to adapt his sound without losing his core appeal as a country traditionalist at heart. The inclusion of songs by writers like Buck Owens, Hank Cochran, and even early contributions associated with Willie Nelson, who had spent time in Price’s Cherokee Cowboys band, reflected this transitional phase. “You Took Her Off My Hands” stands as an example of how personal heartbreak could be transformed into relatable, radio-friendly country music.
The song remains a lesser-discussed gem in Price’s extensive catalog but illustrates the depth of songwriting coming out of Nashville and California scenes in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Its enduring appeal lies in the universal theme of trying to move on while memories refuse to fade.
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Lyric
You took her off my hands when you stepped in
You changed everything, we’re not even friendsDon’t leave the job half-done, leave nothing behind
You took her off my hands, now please take her off my mindPlease take her photograph engraved on my heart so blue
And take all her memories, she now belongs to youDon’t leave the job half done leave nothing behind
You took her off my hands, now please take her off my mindPlease take her photograph engraved on my heart so blue
And take all her memories, she now belongs to youDon’t leave the job half done leave nothing behind
You took her off my hands, now please take her off my mind