Bennett was born October 9, 1964 in Las Vegas, Nevada to country music loving parents. After living in Conroe, Texas for the first 5 years of his life, and a year more in southern California, the family settled in
the small Northwest-logging town of Cougar, Washington, which is nestled at the foot of Mt. St. Helens. By age 16, Gary was playing bass for a gospel band and began to get a taste of the musician's life on the road.
After high school and a series of logging jobs, Bennett began performing as a solo act in hometown bars every weekend, playing the traditional country songs he had learned as a boy from his parent's record
collection, along with a growing repertoire of original songs.
In 1993, he loaded his pickup truck and headed for Nashville. Unfortunately, he arrived at a time when "real country music" had been all but forgotten.
After attending many fruitless songwriter nights, Gary began hanging out in the honky-tonks of the historic "Lower Broadway" area of downtown Nashville. "I felt that though it was a destitute scene, it was also
wide open for something to happen there," he reminisced. Within a month, Bennett took a solo gig at a bar there. Eventually, he fronted a band at Roberts' Western World, a boot store by day, honky-tonk by night. It was about this time that he met singer-songwriter Chuck Mead, and the duo quickly realized they had similar interests and styles. The chemistry was perfect for an updated approach to traditional country music.
The two formed the group, which after various personnel changes, became BR549. Less than six months after arriving in Nashville, they were on their way to becoming the darlings of Music City. BR549 graced
the cover of Billboard magazine before they even had a record deal. Shortly thereafter, the band was
hounded by every major record label in town, eventually signing with Arista Records.
After five major album releases and years of constant world wide touring, Gary felt as though the musical freedom BR549 once enjoyed had become stagnant due to the "retro" pin tagged to them. Wanting to make original & more progressive music, Bennett made a decision in to step away from the group and let his head clear. Gary Bennett left BR549 in 2002 and retreated from music for a short while, only to return to writing and performing in 2006 with the release of his first solo record "Human Condition".
Human Condition was praised by critics and fans all over the world. After a string of short concert tours and the release of a DVD, "Inside and Out", Bennett took a break to focus heavily on songwriting. A batch of great songs have been written since then with many more to come. Bennett is currently focused on a career as a songwriter. Gary recently produced a record for nephew Jason Capps and the two are performing live together in the McNeills.
Even If It's Wrong
Gary Bennett Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I drink my coffee on the run
Working for the man just the way my daddy done
But the money I'm maken ain't buyin' much bacon
but when payday comes along,
sometimes I gotta do somethin' even if its wrong
The telephone keeps ringin' and it gits under my skin
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 getting rougher, as I roll
on up the hill.
High times are passin' by me
just like I was standin' still
But I'm almost to the top & I'm going 'til I drop
Some fall by the way side, but I've gone to far to stop
The woman of my dreams, she was like a livin' dog
I sent her far away when she set me for a fall
She was a digger and the bill got bigger
And I was up against the wall.
Sometimes you gotta do somethin' even if it's wrong
Seems the road is getting rougher, as I roll
on up the hill.
High times are passin' by me
just like I was standin' still
But I'm almost to the top & I'm going 'til I drop
Some fall by the way side, but I've gone to far to stop
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 grave stone is it really worth it all
Sometimes I gotta do somethin' even if it's wrong
The song 'Even If It's Wrong' by Gary Bennett is about the struggles of a man who finds himself caught up in the cycle of working hard just to make ends meet. The song depicts him going through his daily routine, waking up early and rushing to work, and dealing with bills constantly piling up on him. The lyrics "But the money I'm making ain't buying much bacon, but when payday comes along, sometimes I gotta do something even if it's wrong" clearly showcase his frustration with the situation he's in. Although he knows that the things he's doing might not be right, he feels like he has no other choice.
The song also speaks about the man's failed relationship with the woman of his dreams, who had betrayed and deceived him. He sent her away, but the bills continued to pile up, and he was left alone to face his troubles. The chorus of the song "Sometimes you gotta do something even if it's wrong" is repeated multiple times throughout, emphasizing that even though he's aware that what he's doing might not be right, he has no other option but to keep going.
Overall, 'Even If It's Wrong' is a powerful reminder of the tough situations that many people find themselves in, where a lack of opportunity and resources force them to make difficult choices that they might not be proud of.
Line by Line Meaning
I roll out every morning,
Every morning, I get out of bed and start my day
I drink my coffee on the run
I barely have any time to enjoy my coffee, so I drink it while I'm on the go
Working for the man just the way my daddy done
I have a job just like my father did, working for someone else
But the money I'm maken ain't buyin' much bacon
I don't make much money, and what I do make doesn't go very far
but when payday comes along,
When I get paid on payday,
sometimes I gotta do somethin' even if its wrong
sometimes I have to do something that may not be right, but I have no other choice to make ends meet
The telephone keeps ringin' and it gits under my skin
I get annoyed by the constant ringing of the phone
they all call to ask me when I'll send the money in.
Creditors call me repeatedly to inquire about when I will pay them back
But AT&T does a favor for me and takes a message at the tone,
I have a voicemail service, and my creditors can leave a message there
sometimes I gotta do somethin' even if it's wrong
sometimes I have to do something that may not be right, but I have no other choice to make ends meet
Seems the road is getting rougher, as I roll on up the hill.
Life is getting harder for me as time goes on
High times are passin' by me just like I was standin' still
Good times are passing me by, and I feel like I'm not making any progress in life
But I'm almost to the top & I'm going 'til I drop
I'm almost at the top of the hill, and I'm going to keep pushing myself until I can't anymore
Some fall by the way side, but I've gone to far to stop
Some people give up when faced with difficult circumstances, but I have come too far to quit
The woman of my dreams, she was like a livin' dog
The woman I loved was like a persistent burden, always around and bothering me
I sent her far away when she set me for a fall
When she betrayed me, I sent her away from my life
She was a digger and the bill got bigger
She was a gold digger, and as time went on, she kept asking for more and more money
And I was up against the wall.
I was in a difficult situation and didn't know how to get out of it
Sometimes you gotta do somethin' even if it's wrong
Sometimes you have to do something that may not be right, but you have no other choice to get yourself out of trouble
Now I hear those wolves a-howlin' I can't get no sleep at all
I am kept awake by the constant fear of being taken advantage of or losing everything
The Good Lord knows I'm tired of robbin' Peter to pay Paul
I am exhausted from constantly juggling my finances and using money intended for one thing to pay for another
From the grind stone to the grave stone is it really worth it all
From working hard every day to the end of life, is it really worth the struggles and hardships?
Sometimes I gotta do somethin' even if it's wrong
Sometimes I have to do something that may not be right, but I have no other choice to make ends meet
Writer(s): Gary Lee Bennett
Contributed by Ryan V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.