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."
You Should Be Here With Me
James Wesley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Rodney Clawson
Andrew Dorff
Jon McElroy
5262006
I love the way your lipstick
Bet you're just as pretty
In the mornin' when your hair's a mess
Yeah that's a side of you
I'd really love to see
CHORUS:
You should be here with me
I should be holdin' your hand
I know that I could be your man
I could give you what you need
You should be here with me
Laughin' at some stupid joke
Me tellin' you I told you so
That certain things are meant to be
Yeah you should be here with me
I can see him lookin'
At every other girl in the room
How come he's not seein'
All the things I see in you
I'm sittin' here hatin'
That his hands there on your knee
The lyrics of James Wesley's "You Should Be Here With Me" is a love song about how the singer wishes his love interest was there with him. The opening lines about lipstick and a summer dress imply their affection for each other, with the singer admiring how beautiful his love interest looks. The lyrics show an intimate side of the singer’s thoughts, stating how he would love seeing the other side of her – “in the morning when your hair's a mess." The chorus reveals the singer’s regret for not having his love interest there with him. He insists he could be the man of her dreams and give her what she needs if she only was with him.
Throughout the song, he laments over lost opportunities as he pictures his love interest being with another guy. He becomes jealous when he sees the guy touching her knee and wishes he could give her the happiness he thinks she deserves. The song has a melancholic tone, with the lyrics serving as an invitation to his love interest to be with him: "You should be here with me," he sings, as if he's longing for her presence.
Overall, the song captures a particular moment in the love story, with the singer expressing his desire and admiration for his love interest while regretting not having her with him. It's a beautiful and relatable track about love and its ups and downs.
Line by Line Meaning
I love the way your lipstick
I am attracted to the way your lipstick matches your summer dress.
Matches your summer dress
Your lipstick complements your summer dress.
Bet you're just as pretty
I believe that you are beautiful.
In the mornin' when your hair's a mess
Even when your hair is messy in the morning, you are still beautiful.
Yeah that's a side of you
I am curious about that part of you.
I'd really love to see
I want to witness that side of you.
You should be here with me
I wish you were here with me.
I should be holdin' your hand
I want to hold your hand.
I know that I could be your man
I am confident that I could be the partner you seek.
I could give you what you need
I believe I could provide what you require.
Laughin' at some stupid joke
I imagine us laughing together at something silly.
Me tellin' you I told you so
I want to share a moment with you where I say 'I told you so.'
That certain things are meant to be
I believe that certain events are destined to happen.
Yeah you should be here with me
My desire for you to be with me is strong.
I can see him lookin'
I notice him staring at you.
At every other girl in the room
He appears to be ogling at every other woman in the room.
How come he's not seein'
I question why he is unable to recognize your worth.
All the things I see in you
I acknowledge and value the qualities that I see in you.
I'm sittin' here hatin'
I feel frustrated and resentful.
That his hands there on your knee
I dislike the fact that his hands are on your knee.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Andrew M Dorff, Jon McElroy, Rodney Dale Clawson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Melissa Hodges
This needs to be your next Hit!! It's my favorite of your songs and would love to able to sing along with it on the radio!!! Love James Wesley!! A true genuine down to eath guy!! Had the privilege of seeing him in concert when my friend's band opened for him. I met him before (didn't know it was him and was shocked to see him up on the stage lol) and after the show!! Can't wait to see him in concert again!!
Ron "The BaldViking" Mitchell
I just met him this weekend in his hometown of Mound Valley, KS. He is a genuinely nice guy. For those that are wondering about the song, it should be out on his CD, which is set to come out shortly.
will scott
wow truly awesome voice .. i love it
GREAT TALENT!!
FANTASTIC SINGER!!! WANT TO HEAR MORE & MORE OF THIS VOICE!! Where has he been~He has got one of best voices to come around for a long time.
diana80458
Great song James I love it...
Kathy Andrade
One of my favorite songs by this guy! 💖💖💖💖
GREAT TALENT!!
FANTASTIC SINGER!!! WANT TO HEAR MORE & MORE OF THIS VOICE!!
Jeffrey Frankenfield
Real country music...refreshing
Jayne Peitavino
That was Amazing,loved the song and the way he sang it..
Hope Lewis
Just saw him at Red White and Boom. he did awesome, made celebrating 4th of July that much better.