The band was formed in Nashville by co-leads Gary Bennett and Chuck Mead. Their music, referred to as alternative country or neotraditional, contains elements of western swing and rockabilly. They eschew modern Top 40 pop-country for a more raw, honky-tonk sound, with songs about 50s pin-up/dominatrix Bettie Page and The Ramones. They took their name from a telephone number regularly used in a Junior Samples sketch on the television show Hee Haw.
BR549 toured with Bob Dylan, the Mavericks, Junior Brown, the Black Crowes, and Brian Setzer. Whike on hiatus, multi-Instrumentalist Don Herron is touring with Bob Dylan, and lead vocalist Chuck Mead is performing with the honky-tonk country supergroup The Hillbilly All-Stars, along with Robert Reynolds and Paul Deakin of the Mavericks and solo recording artist/actor Mark Collie. Former co-lead vocalist, and co-founder, Gary Bennett released his solo debut, Human Condition, in February of 2006, and former bassist Geoff Firebaugh is a member of the Nashville based rockabilly outfit Hillbilly Casino. Despite shows in Europe in 2007 it's unclear if the band will return to its capacity as a full-time touring band.
The group disbanded, and Chuck, Shaw and Donnie returned to Lower Broadway to play weekly gigs with musical collective The Hillbilly All-Stars. The three were soon revitalized to again play music within an unpredictable scene, leading them to reform BR549 in 2004 with bassist Geoff Firebaugh and singer/guitarist Chris Scruggs for their Dualtone debut Tangled In The Pines. But following victorious tours of the U.S. and Europe (marred only by two separate thefts of their instruments and gear), BR549 was faced with their ultimate challenge when Donnie Herron was invited by Bob Dylan to become the new fiddle and steel guitar player in his band.
โIt was a real test of our abilities as a family,โ admits Mead. โDonnie went on the road with Dylan. Shaw moved to Arizona. Iโd moved on to other projects. But for us, BR549 had always been something that needs to be respected and nothing we could ever take lightly.โ Following months of heart-to-heart phone calls, plate-spinning scheduling and the addition of new bassist Mark Miller, the band finally convened in Athens to record in a way they never had before. โIn the past, weโd always made a record coming off the road, with songs weโd been played for weeks and sometimes months on tour,โ Chuck remembers โBut this time, we were all coming in fresh, making the record then and there. Itโs an album thatโs truly in the moment.โ
BR549 released six albums and two EPs, including three albums on Arista Nashville and two on Dualtone Records. The band's self-titled debut album produced three singles on the Billboard country charts in 1996. The band was nominated three times for the Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.
Even If It's Wrong
BR5-49 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Working for the man just the way my daddy done
Well the money I'm makin' ain't buyin' much bacon but when payday comes along
Sometimes I gotta do somethin' even if it's wrong
The telephone keeps ringin' and it gets under my skin
They all call to ask me when I'll send the money in
But AT&T does a favor for me and takes a message at the tone
Seems the road is gettin' rougher as I roll on up the hill
High times passin' by me just like I was standin' still
But I'm almost to the top and I'll go until I drop
Some fall by the wayside but I've gone too far to stop
The woman of my dreams she was like a livin' doll
I sent her far away when she set me for a fall
She was a digger and the bills got bigger and I was up against the wall
Sometimes you gotta do somethin' even if it's wrong
Now I hear those wolves a howlin' I can't get no sleep at all
The good Lord knows I'm tired of robbin' Peter to pay Paul
From the grind stone to the gravestone is it really worth it all
Sometimes you gotta do somethin' even if it's wrong
Seems the road is gettin' rougher...
[ guitar - steel ]
The lyrics of "Even If It's Wrong" by BR5-49 describe the daily life of a hard-working man who is struggling to get by. He wakes up early every morning, drinks his coffee on the run, and works for a living, just like his father did. Despite his efforts, he doesn't earn much money and can barely afford to buy food. But when payday comes along, he sometimes has to resort to doing something wrong, like skipping a bill or two, just to make ends meet.
The man is constantly harassed by creditors who call him to demand payment, but he avoids their calls by letting his answering machine take the message. He feels overwhelmed by the challenges of life and worried about the future, but he remains determined to succeed. Even though the road is getting rougher as he climbs up the hill, he won't give up until he reaches the top. He has come too far to stop now.
The lyrics also touch on the man's failed relationship with a woman who betrayed him. He loved her deeply, but she was a gold-digger who took advantage of his kindness and generosity. She left him with huge bills to pay, and he found himself up against the wall. He acknowledges that sometimes you have to do something wrong, even if it is to move on from a painful past.
Line by Line Meaning
I roll out every mornin' I drink my coffee on the run
Every morning I wake up and rush to start my day, grabbing coffee on the go.
Working for the man just the way my daddy done
I work for a living just like my father did before me.
Well the money I'm makin' ain't buyin' much bacon but when payday comes along
I'm not making much money, but when payday comes I have to make do with what I have.
Sometimes I gotta do somethin' even if it's wrong
I have to make tough decisions even if they're not the right ones.
The telephone keeps ringin' and it gets under my skin
The constant ringing of the phone bothers me.
They all call to ask me when I'll send the money in
People call me to ask when I'm paying them back.
But AT&T does a favor for me and takes a message at the tone
Luckily, AT&T takes messages for me when I can't answer the phone.
Sometimes I gotta do somethin' even if it's wrong
I have to make decisions even if they're not the best ones.
Seems the road is gettin' rougher as I roll on up the hill
The journey is becoming harder as I climb the hill of life.
High times passin' by me just like I was standin' still
Good times seem to be passing me by while I feel stuck.
But I'm almost to the top and I'll go until I drop
I'm almost to my goal and I won't stop until I reach it.
Some fall by the wayside but I've gone too far to stop
Some people give up, but I've come too far to quit now.
The woman of my dreams she was like a livin' doll
The woman I loved was like a perfect doll.
I sent her far away when she set me for a fall
I pushed her away when she betrayed me.
She was a digger and the bills got bigger and I was up against the wall
She took advantage of me financially until I had no choice but to act.
Sometimes you gotta do somethin' even if it's wrong
Sometimes you have to make tough decisions even if they're not the best ones.
Now I hear those wolves a howlin' I can't get no sleep at all
I'm restless and worried about my problems, keeping me up at night.
The good Lord knows I'm tired of robbin' Peter to pay Paul
I'm tired of borrowing money from one person to pay off another.
From the grind stone to the gravestone is it really worth it all
Is it worth working hard all your life just to eventually die?
Sometimes you gotta do somethin' even if it's wrong
You have to make tough decisions even if they're not the best ones.
Lyrics ยฉ HIPGNOSIS SONGS GROUP
Written by: GARY LEE BENNETT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Charles
I roll out every mornin' I drink my coffee on the run
Working for the man just the way my daddy done
Well the money I'm makin' ain't buyin' much bacon but when payday comes along
Sometimes I gotta do somethin' even if it's wrong
The telephone keeps ringin' and it gets under my skin
They all call to ask me when I'll send the money in
But AT&T does a favor for me and takes a message at the tone
Sometimes I gotta do somethin' even if it's wrong
Seems the road is gettin' rougher as I roll on up the hill
High times passin' by me just like I was standin' still
But I'm almost to the top and I'll go until I drop
Some fall by the wayside but I've gone too far to stop
The woman of my dreams she was like a livin' doll
I sent her far away when she set me for a fall
She was a digger and the bills got bigger and I was up against the wall
Sometimes you gotta do somethin' even if it's wrong
Now I hear those wolves a howlin' I can't get no sleep at all
The good Lord knows I'm tired of robbin' Peter to pay Paul
From the grind stone to the gravestone is it really worth it all
Sometimes you gotta do somethin' even if it's wrong
Seems the road is gettin' rougher...
[ guitar - steel ]
andyinoregon
Incredible musicians and video performers. These guys could do it all.
Jay Eiben
One of the best live bands ever.....
Pete Roberts
Love it !! First track from a great album called BR5-49. Very clear recording quality. Two thumbs up !!
Dennis O'Connor
THIS IS CLASSIC COUNTRY AT IT'S BEST!! THESE DUDES ARE GOOD...
John Werner
Only saw 'em once and then they were gone. Gone baby gone. Glad we have videos like this. These guys rule!
Case Southerland
BR549's self-entitled album is definitely in my top 10 favorite albums of all time! I listened to it all the time when I was a kid!
Charles
I roll out every mornin' I drink my coffee on the run
Working for the man just the way my daddy done
Well the money I'm makin' ain't buyin' much bacon but when payday comes along
Sometimes I gotta do somethin' even if it's wrong
The telephone keeps ringin' and it gets under my skin
They all call to ask me when I'll send the money in
But AT&T does a favor for me and takes a message at the tone
Sometimes I gotta do somethin' even if it's wrong
Seems the road is gettin' rougher as I roll on up the hill
High times passin' by me just like I was standin' still
But I'm almost to the top and I'll go until I drop
Some fall by the wayside but I've gone too far to stop
The woman of my dreams she was like a livin' doll
I sent her far away when she set me for a fall
She was a digger and the bills got bigger and I was up against the wall
Sometimes you gotta do somethin' even if it's wrong
Now I hear those wolves a howlin' I can't get no sleep at all
The good Lord knows I'm tired of robbin' Peter to pay Paul
From the grind stone to the gravestone is it really worth it all
Sometimes you gotta do somethin' even if it's wrong
Seems the road is gettin' rougher...
[ guitar - steel ]
andyinoregon
Thanks a bunch, Charles!
Tim Fitzgerald
I need more BR549 in my life !! ๐
Billy Gibbons
I love the nod to Paul Burlison at 2;44. Great band.