Davis graduated at 16 from Lubbock High School in Lubbock, Texas. He spent his childhood years with his sister Linda, living and working at the former College Courts, an efficiency apartment complex owned by his father, T. J. Davis, located at the intersection of College Avenue and 5th Street. Davis describes his father, who was divorced from Davis's mother, as "very religious, very strict, and very stubborn." Though Davis was physically small, he had a penchant for getting into fistfights. "In those days, it was all about football, rodeo, and fistfights. Oh, man, I got beat up so much while I was growing up in Lubbock," Davis said in a March 2, 2008, interview with the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal newspaper. "I was 5 feet, 9 inches, and weighed 125 pounds. I joined Golden Gloves, but didn't do good even in my (own) division." After he finished high school, Davis moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where his mother lived, to get out of Lubbock.
Once he was settled in Atlanta, he organized a rock and roll group called the Zots, and made two singles for OEK Records, managed and promoted by OEK owner Oscar Kilgo. Davis also worked for the Vee Jay record company (home to such R&B stars as Gene Chandler, Jerry Butler, and Dee Clark) as a regional manager, and later also served as a regional manager for Liberty Records.
Davis became famous as a songwriter and got his start as an employee of Nancy Sinatra's company, Boots Enterprises, Inc. Davis was with Boots for several years in the late 1960s. During his time there, he played on many of Sinatra's recordings, and she worked him into her stage shows. Boots Enterprises also acted as Davis's publishing company, publishing songs such as "In the Ghetto", "Friend, Lover, Woman, Wife", "Home", "It's Such a Lonely Time of Year", and "Memories", which were recorded by Elvis Presley, Nancy Sinatra, B. J. Thomas, and many others. Davis left Boots Enterprises in 1970 to sign with Columbia Records, taking all of his songs with him.
One of the songs he wrote in 1968, called "A Little Less Conversation", was recorded by Elvis Presley (and would become a posthumous success for Presley years later). Presley recorded "In the Ghetto" in sessions in Memphis. According to maverick record producer Jimmy Bowen, "Ghetto" was originally pitched to Sammy Davis, Jr. Mac, guitar in hand, played the song in a studio, with onlookers such as Rev. Jesse Jackson and other members of the black activist community. Mac Davis, the only white man in the room at the time, eventually told Bowen, "I don't know whether to thank ya, or to kill ya." Mac Davis eventually recorded the tune after Presley's version became a success, and was released in a Ronco In Concert compilation in 1975. It was later released on a campy Rhino Records Golden Throats compilation in 1991. The song became a success for Presley and he continued to record more of Davis's material, such as "Memories", "Don't Cry Daddy", and "Clean Up Your Own Backyard". Bobby Goldsboro also recorded some of Davis's songs, including "Watching Scotty Grow", which became a #1 Adult Contemporary success for Goldsboro in 1971. Other artists who recorded his material included Vikki Carr, O.C. Smith, and Kenny Rogers and The First Edition. "I Believe in Music", often considered to be Davis's signature song, was recorded by several artists (including Marian Love, B.J. Thomas, Louis Jordan, Perry Como, Helen Reddy, and Davis himself) before it finally became a success in 1972 for the group Gallery.
Later, he also became known as a country singer. During the 1970s, many of his songs "crossed over", successfully scoring on both the country and popular music charts, including "Baby, Don't Get Hooked on Me" (a number one Grammy-nominated success), "One Hell of a Woman" (pop no. 11), and "Stop and Smell the Roses" (a no. 9 pop hit). Also, during the 1970s, he was very active as an actor, appearing in several movies, as well as hosting a successful variety show.
Davis soon decided to pursue a career of his own in country music; he was signed to Columbia Records in 1970. After several years of enriching the repertoires of other artists, his big success came two years after signing with Columbia. He topped the Country and Pop charts with the song "Baby Don't Get Hooked on Me". It sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc by the Recording Industry Association of America in September 1972.
Some of Davis's lyrics invoked overtly sexual relationships. In the song "Baby Don't Get Hooked on Me", he pleads with a woman not to become too enamored with him, because he does not want to commit to a full-time relationship. Other successful songs, such as "Naughty Girl" and "Baby Spread Your Love on Me", contained similar lyrics.
In 1974, Davis was awarded the Academy of Country Music's Entertainer of the Year award. Some of Davis's other successes include the songs "Stop and Smell the Roses" (a number one Adult Contemporary success in 1974) (pop no. 9), "One Hell of a Woman" (pop no. 11), "Rock'n'Roll (I Gave You The Best Years Of My Life)" (pop no. 15), and "Burnin' Thing" (pop no. 53). At the end of the 1970s, he moved to Casablanca Records, which was best known at the time for its successes with disco star Donna Summer and rock'n'roll band Kiss. His first success for the company in 1980 was the novelty song "It's Hard To Be Humble", a light-hearted look at how popularity and good looks could go to one's head. The song became his first Country music top 10 and a rare top 30 hit in the UK. (It was translated into Dutch as "Het is moeilijk bescheiden te blijven" and became a hit for the Dutch singer Peter Blanker in 1981). Later that year, he also had another top 10 song with "Let's Keep It That Way". In November, "Rock'n'Roll (I Gave You The Best Years Of My Life)" was played by KHJ in Los Angeles as its last song before it switched from Top 40 to Country music. He achieved other successful songs, such as "Texas In My Rear View Mirror" and "Hooked on Music", which became his biggest Country music success in 1981, going to no. 2. In 1985, he recorded his last top 10 country music success with the song "I Never Made Love (Till I Made Love With You)".
On January 19, 1985, Davis performed "God Bless the USA" at the 50th Presidential Inaugural Gala, held the day before the second inauguration of Ronald Reagan.
Davis was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2000.
Beginning To Feel The Pain
Mac Davis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Shrugged and poured myself
Another cup of coffee
Oh, you made good coffee
Too numb, too dumb to understand
You were really begging me to
Take command and make you stay
I'm just beginning to feel the pain
Clouds swelling up inside of me, Lord
And I think I'm gonna rain
Without my friends and my music
Lord, I would go insane
Like a dime in the pocket of a kid
There's a sad song
Burning a hole in my brain
(Burning a hole in my brain)
Last night I took a
Walk down the Sunset Strip
Found out that ain't half as hip
As it used to be, Lord
That ain't no place to be
Came home and wrote a song about you
But no one was there for me to sing it to
And the morning came
Somehow, morning's ain't the same
I'm just beginning to feel the pain
Clouds swelling up inside of me, Lord
And I think I'm gonna rain
Without my friends and my music
Lord, I would go insane
Like a dime in the pocket of a kid
There's a sad song
Burning a hole in my brain
(Burning a hole in my brain)
Woke up this morning
Drunk and disheveled
Looked in the mirror and there
Stood the Devil, plain as could be
Lord, was that really me
Got down and prayed to the Lord above
To send you back home and teach me
How to love and comfort you
Lord, what am I gonna do
I'm just beginning to feel the pain
Clouds swelling up inside of me, Lord
And I think I'm gonna rain
Without my friends and my music
Lord, I would go insane
Like a dime in the pocket of a kid
There's a sad song
Burning a hole (burning a hole)
Burning a hole (burning a hole)
In my brain
Beginning to feel that pain
(Beginning to feel)
Beginning to feel the pain
(Beginning to feel the pain)
Beginning to feel
(Beginning to feel)
Beginning to feel the pain
(Beginning to feel the pain)...
The lyrics of Mac Davis’s song Beginning To Feel The Pain describe the emotions and aftermath of a breakup. The singer expresses his regret and grief over not realizing that his partner was asking him to fight for the relationship. He admits to feeling numb and dumb at the time but is now beginning to understand the depth of his loss. Davis uses imagery to drive home the message of how the pain has affected him, likening himself to a storm cloud ready to burst and gravitating towards his friends and music to keep himself from going insane.
The Second verse takes a more introspective turn where the singer reflects on his current state of being. He takes a walk down the Sunset Strip but finds no solace there. His attempts at creative expression, like writing a song about his lost love, seem futile because there is no audience to share it with. He is left alone to face his demons and perhaps drown them in alcohol. The bridge, however, offers a glimmer of hope. The singer prays for his partner's return and begs for the wisdom to know how to make things right. The pain is still there, but he is now ready to confront it and learn from it.
Line by Line Meaning
I took the bad news standing up
I received the troubling news without much reaction
Shrugged and poured myself another cup of coffee
I tried to brush off the news and distract myself with a beverage
Oh, you made good coffee
Acknowledging that the coffee was the one good thing in the moment
Too numb, too dumb to understand
Feeling emotionally disconnected and unable to comprehend the situation
You were really begging me to take command and make you stay
Realizing in hindsight that my partner wanted me to take control and fight for the relationship
I just let you walk away
Admitting fault in not doing enough to keep the relationship together
I'm just beginning to feel the pain
Experiencing the initial waves of heartache and sorrow
Clouds swelling up inside of me, Lord
Feeling a growing sense of heaviness and sadness
And I think I'm gonna rain
Anticipating a release of emotions through tears
Without my friends and my music, Lord, I would go insane
Recognizing the value of having a support system and creative outlets during tough times
Like a dime in the pocket of a kid
Comparing the weight of the sadness to a small but notable coin
There's a sad song burning a hole in my brain
Feeling consumed by sad thoughts and emotions that are hard to ignore
Last night I took a walk down the Sunset Strip
Trying to distract myself with a change of scenery
Found out that ain't half as hip as it used to be, Lord
Realizing that even familiar places don't bring the same enjoyment when going through heartache
That ain't no place to be
Recognizing that being in a sad state of mind can make any place feel unwelcoming
Came home and wrote a song about you
Turning to music as a form of expression and catharsis
But no one was there for me to sing it to
Feeling isolated and alone in my pain
And the morning came
Acknowledging the passage of time, even though it feels like little progress has been made
Somehow, morning's ain't the same
Noticing how the mundanity of everyday life can feel different and less enjoyable when going through heartache
Woke up this morning drunk and disheveled
Feeling lost and out of control, turning to unhealthy coping mechanisms
Looked in the mirror and there stood the Devil, plain as could be
Seeing the flaws and negative parts of myself more clearly in the shadow of the breakup
Lord, was that really me
Questioning one's own actions and behaviors in the demise of the relationship
Got down and prayed to the Lord above
Seeking comfort and guidance from a higher power
To send you back home and teach me how to love and comfort you
Wishing for a second chance to show love and affection in a better way
Lord, what am I gonna do
Feeling lost and unsure of how to move forward in the aftermath of the breakup
Beginning to feel that pain
Coming to terms with the hurt and distress caused by the separation
Beginning to feel the pain
Realizing that the initial shock has worn off and the true waves of heartache are setting in
Beginning to feel
Starting to come to grips with the reality of the failed relationship
Beginning to feel the pain
Acknowledging that the pain is just beginning and will likely be a long process
Contributed by Connor J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Gregg Gregory
on Me 'n Fat Boy
I worked along side Bill Pruitt aka "fat boy" as an electrician in 1990 in NYC. Nicest guy yay ever wanted to meet ! And he wasn't fat anymore!