Released in 1975, “Don’t Cry Joni” stands out as one of Conway Twitty’s most memorable collaborations—not just because of its sweet, nostalgic storyline, but because he recorded it with his then 16-year-old daughter, Joni Lee. The duet became a sentimental favorite and marked one of Twitty’s few successful duets outside his famed partnership with Loretta Lynn. It reached No. 63 on the Billboard Hot 100, a notable crossover success for a country tune.
Penned by Twitty himself, the song tells the bittersweet tale of young, unrequited love. Fifteen-year-old Joni falls for her 22-year-old neighbor, Jimmy. With heartfelt innocence, she writes him a love letter, pleading for him to wait until she’s old enough to marry.
“Jimmy, please say you’ll wait for me. I’ll grow up someday, you’ll see…” she sings.
Jimmy gently turns her down, insisting that their age gap is too great:
“You’re just fifteen, I’m twenty-two. Joni, I just can’t wait for you.”
Heartbroken, Joni watches Jimmy leave town to chase his dreams. But time passes, and five years later, Jimmy realizes that Joni may have been the one he was searching for all along. He returns home, ready to profess his love—only to discover she’s already married… to his best friend, John.
The song’s narrative, filled with innocence, heartbreak, and a twist ending, resonated with fans and highlighted Twitty’s storytelling strengths. But the story behind the recording is just as touching.
Initially, Twitty had hesitations about letting Joni pursue music. After two of his other children, Kathy (aka Jessica James) and Mike (aka Charlie Tango), struggled to break into the industry, he was reluctant to let another child face the same challenges. Still, Joni was determined. Twitty eventually relented and invited her to the studio—telling her they were just recording a rough demo, which he planned to later re-record with a professional singer.
“I had no idea I was going to be on the actual record,” Joni told Billboard. “Dad kind of tricked me. He said he was going to replace my voice.”
To her surprise, the final version was released with her vocals intact—and it became a hit.
“I was going to college in Virginia when I found out,” she recalled. “I called the radio stations myself, asking them to play that new song by Conway Twitty and his daughter!”
While Joni Lee never reached the heights of her father’s legendary career, “Don’t Cry Joni” remains a special moment in country music history—a father-daughter duet that captured hearts with its sincerity and timeless coming-of-age theme.
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Lyrics
Jimmy please say you’ll wait for me
I’ll grow up someday you’ll see
Savin’ all my kisses just for you
Signed with love forever true
Joni was the girl who lived next door
I’ve known her I guess 10 years or more
Joni wrote me a note one day
And this is what she had to say
Jimmy please say you’ll wait for me
I’ll grow up someday you’ll see
Savin’ all my kisses just for you
Signed with love forever true
Slowly I read her note once more
Then I went over to the house next door
Her teardrops fell like rain that day
When I told Joni what I had to say
Joni, Joni, please don’t cry
You’ll forget me by and by
You’re just fifteen I’m twenty two
Joni I just can’t wait for you
Soon I left our little home town
Got me a job and tried to settle down
But her words kept haunting my memory
The words that Joni said to me
Jimmy please say you’ll wait for me
I’ll grow up someday you’ll see
Savin’ all my kisses just for you
Signed with love forever true
I packed my clothes and I caught a plane
I had to see Joni, I had to explain
How my heart was filled with her memory
And ask my Joni if she’d marry me
I ran all the way to the house next door
But things weren’t like they were before
My teardrops fell like rain that day
When I heard what Joni had to say
Jimmy Jimmy please don’t cry
You’ll forget me by and by
It’s been five years since you’ve been gone
Jimmy I married your best friend John.