James Wesley puts those core values into his music with a whiskey-smooth voice and a timelessly winning way with a great country song. Wesley sings directly to real people about real things that profoundly affect real lives—and from his small-town upbringing to his blue-collar work ethic, he has a deep understanding of what those folks are longing to hear.
"I know there's more people out there than just me who want to hear something that grabs you and makes you go, 'Wow, that's me—that's how I feel, that's my day, that's my family,'" he says. "When you swing a hammer every day, when you're out there doing what you have to do, you learn a lot of compassion for the people that do it day in and day out."
Wesley grew up in tiny Mound Valley, a community of about 200 people in Southeastern Kansas. He first discovered country music via his grandmother's record collection, which included heaping helpings of classic crooners like Marty Robbins, George Jones and Ray Price. "We'd go over there on the weekends," he recalls. "She'd have the console set up and the records stacked up and we'd listen to them as they dropped. Those guys back then, they could sing. I thought, 'That's what I want to do.'"
His mother was the first to notice Wesley's own talent for singing when she overheard him belting out his favorite songs behind his bedroom door. "I thought if I shut my door I blocked everybody out, but evidently I didn't block Mom out," he says with a chuckle. "She heard me and said, 'I'd love to have you sing in church.' So that's what I did." Soon he taught himself to play guitar on an old Stella practice model. "I've got it to this day," he says. "You can still see where I wore down the D, C and G chords on the fretboard."
By his late teens he was singing in local nightclubs and beginning to think about making music his life. "I'd sit in my bedroom and stare out of the window and dream of being out there, getting to see the world," he remembers. His first move in that direction was to Eureka Springs, Arkansas, where he performed in a nightly music and variety show.
There he met his wife, Mindee, with whom he now has two young children—and finally set his sights on Nashville. "I could have stayed in Eureka Springs for the rest of my life, but I just had to chase the dream," he says. "I had to follow my gut." He and Mindee sold their house and almost everything in it, rented a moving truck and headed for Music City. Once there, Wesley took a construction job to make ends meet and began learning the ropes of the Nashville music business. He met hit songwriter Rodney Clawson and producer Dan Frizsell, and the three began recording together.
Their work caught the attention of Broken Bow Records, which signed Wesley in December and quickly released the very first song on his original demo, "Jackson Hole," as his debut single. The tune (penned by Clawson and Monty Criswell) immediately began racing up the charts, driven by listeners who loved its vivid story of fleeting love in a snowy setting. "Jackson Hole" offered fans an upfront introduction to the more vulnerable aspects of Wesley's personality. "Growing up with three sisters, I've got a sensitive side too," he says with a smile. "But I'm proud that I have that side, that I'm not callous. The only thing calloused about me is my hands."
The breakout success of "Jackson Hole" instantly validated the enormous risk Wesley took in uprooting his family from Eureka Springs for an uncertain future in Nashville was worth it. "My family has seen all the ups and downs," he says. "There's been a lot of hard work. There's been times it wasn't easy, and they've been there the whole time. They're great." It also meant that Wesley's days of construction work were over. "Thank God I get to put the hammer down, at least for a while," he says with a laugh. "It's nice to be able to do what I love to do."
James Wesley hopes to do what he loves to do for a long time to come. "I want to be in it for the long haul," he says. "I want to do those songs that everybody wants to hear, and that everybody can feel. I want to be the guy who tells the stories, and tells it like it is."
Didn`t I
James Wesley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There'd be a river running through this house
If our love was like a circus
I'd be the sad-faced clown
Walking with my head down
Wondering where you are now
[Chorus]
Stare in your eyes and swear I loved you
Didn't I, baby didn't I
Give you everything you ever wanted
Love you like crazy let's be honest
Didn't I, baby didn't I
Didn't I
I thought we were like a stone wall
Solid all the way around
I never knew you'd be the wrecking ball
To bring us tumbling down
Till I woke up that Friday morning
To find you gone, you were gone
[Chorus]
Didn't I wrap my arms around you
Stare in your eyes and swear I loved you
Oh baby didn't I
Give you everything you ever wanted
Love you like crazy, let's be honest
Didn't I, baby didn't I
Didn't I, baby didn't I
Oh baby didn't I
The lyrics of James Wesley's song "Didn't I" narrate the feeling of regret and betrayal that comes after a relationship ends. The first stanza speaks of the overwhelming feeling of regret and how it seems to fill every corner of the house, just like raindrops filling up a river. The second line of the stanza makes a comparison between the relationship and a circus, where the singer sees himself as the sad-faced clown, walking around aimlessly and wondering where his love went away. The chorus then follows, where the singer asks his ex-partner whether he did not do everything to make the relationship work. He questions whether he did not wrap his arms around her, stare deep into her eyes, and swear his love, whether he did not give her everything she wanted and love her like crazy. By asking these questions, the singer shows that he is in denial and struggling to come to terms with the fact that he failed to keep the relationship together.
In the second stanza, the singer compares the relationship to a stone wall, something that was solid and seemingly indestructible. However, the next line reveals the betrayal and shock he feels upon realizing his partner has left him, comparing her to a wrecking ball that brought everything crashing down. The last line of the stanza emphasizes the abruptness and unexpectedness of the situation, as the singer wakes up on a Friday morning to find his partner gone. The chorus repeats, emphasizing the singer's regrets and guilt for being unable to keep the love he once had.
Overall, the lyrics of the song "Didn't I" depict the painful process of moving on after a relationship ends. It captures the denial, regret, and betrayal that comes with the end of a significant connection.
Line by Line Meaning
If regrets were like raindrops
If every mistake we made together was visible like raindrops
There'd be a river running through this house
Our house would be full of regrets and we would be overwhelmed with them
If our love was like a circus
If our love was unique and active like a circus performance
I'd be the sad-faced clown
I would be the one who ends up unhappy in the end of our love story
Walking with my head down
Feeling sad and ashamed of the situation
Wondering where you are now
Trying to figure out why did you leave and where you are now
Didn't I wrap my arms around you
I remember holding you tightly and feeling love for you
Stare in your eyes and swear I loved you
Looking into your eyes and expressing with words how much I cared about you
Give you everything you ever wanted
I went out of my way to make sure you got what you wished for
Love you like crazy let's be honest
I loved you beyond measure, I was crazy about you
Didn't I, baby didn't I
Did I not do all these things for you, didn't I?
I thought we were like a stone wall
I thought our relationship was sturdy and solid, we had each other's back
Solid all the way around
It was a secure bond all around
I never knew you'd be the wrecking ball
I never imagined that you'd be the one to cause damage and destruction to our once solid relationship
To bring us tumbling down
Our relationship, which seemed unbreakable, was shattered and fell apart
Till I woke up that Friday morning
It came as a shock and surprise when I woke up on that Friday morning, alone
To find you gone, you were gone
You left, and I was left to deal with the reality of it all
Didn't I wrap my arms around you
I held you close, when you needed it most
Stare in your eyes and swear I loved you
I looked you in the eyes, and made a firm promise to love and care for you
Oh baby didn't I
Why can't you see how much I cared?
Didn't I, baby didn't I
I highligh my love for you, didn't I?
Didn't I, baby didn't I
My feelings for you were crystal clear, weren't they?
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., MIKE CURB MUSIC, CAPITOL CHRISTIAN MUSIC GROUP
Written by: RANDY MONTANA, KYLE JACOBS, BEN GLOVER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jscountrygirl85_326
Great song! This should've been a much bigger hit. I remember this being one of my favorite songs when it came out, but unfortunately it was when the bro-country trend was just getting started, and songs like this were being played less. I've enjoyed this guy's music ever since he released "Life Goes On" in 1999 under the name James Prosser.
@JLillard5
How does this song only have so little of views? This song is amazing.
@kaylalynnallen1
I've been in love with this song since the 1st time I heard it. How could someone not love this song? This song makes you think a little. <3
@miked7212
I agree !
@professionalfitnessmodelac8426
Heard this while going thru Divorce CRANKED IT UP!!! Now I cover this song 😊 Funny how things turn out
@foofighterfan90
song is perfect, anyone whos ever been given up on or had a love slip away...this is the song that fits
@RWWRENTAL
how does he only have 3k subs i mean this is real true music
@brandialps
He hung up his guitar and isn’t singing anymore 😢
@mohottie30
I hope this song goes big because it's great lyrically and musically and James sings it perfectly. I hope he goes far. Too bad it doesn't get much radio play.
@kraiger84
This song is ringing a little too true for me. Going through a divorce and I did everything i could. This awesome song has a lot of meaning!