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.
Whoever Finds This I Love You
Mac Davis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In the city
A littleold man walked along
Shufflin' thru the autumn afternoon
And the autumn leaves reminded him
Another summer's come and gone
He had a lonely night ahead
Waitin' for June
Then among the leaves
Near the orphan's home
A piece of paper caught his eye
And he stooped to pick it up with trembling hands
As he read the childish writing
The old man began to cry
'Cause the words burned inside of him
Like a brand
Whoever finds this I love you
Whoever finds this I need you
I ain't even got no one to talk to
So whoever finds this I love you
The old man's eyes searched the orphan's home
And came to rest upon a child
With her nose pressed up against the window pane
And the old man knew he'd found a friend at last
So he waved at her and smiled
And they both knew they'd spend the winter laughing at the rain
And they did spend the winter laughing at the rain
Talkin' thru the trees and exchanging little gifts
They'd made for each other
The old man would carve toys for the little girl
And she would draw picture for him of beautiful ladies
Surrounded by green trees and sunshine
And they laughed a lot
But then on the first day of June
The little girl ran to the fence to show
The old man a picture she had drawn
But he wasn't there
And somehow the little girl knew he wasn't coming back
So she went back to her little room
Took a crayon, piece of paper and wrote:
Whoever finds this I love you
Whoever finds this I need you
I ain't even got no one to talk to
So whoever finds this I love you
The song "Whoever Finds This I Love You" by Mac Davis tells a moving story about an old man who finds a note while walking down a quiet street in the city. The old man is reminded of the passing of another summer, and the loneliness of his future evenings. Then he sees a piece of paper among the autumn leaves, and stoops to pick it up with trembling hands. He reads the childlike handwriting on it, and starts to cry, as the words burn inside of him like a brand. The note says "Whoever finds this I love you, Whoever finds this I need you, I ain't even got no one to talk to, So whoever finds this I love you."
The old man searches for the writer of the note and finally spots a little girl with her nose pressed against the window pane of an orphan's home. He waves at her and smiles, and they quickly become friends. They spend the winter talking and exchanging little gifts, with the old man carving toys for the little girl and she drawing pictures for him. They laugh a lot, but one day when the little girl runs to show the old man a picture she drew, he's not there. The little girl realizes he's not coming back and writes a note just like the one he found: "Whoever finds this I love you, Whoever finds this I need you, I ain't even got no one to talk to, So whoever finds this I love you."
The song is a touching story that shows how even in the face of loneliness, we can find friendship and love where we least expect it. It tells us that the simplest acts of kindness can make all the difference in the world and that connections between souls can form irrespective of age, gender, or social backgrounds.
Line by Line Meaning
On a quiet street
The story begins on a serene and peaceful street
In the city
The street is located in a city
A little old man walked along
An elderly gentleman was walking down the street
Shufflin' thru the autumn afternoon
He was dragging his feet while walking on a fall afternoon
And the autumn leaves reminded him
The falling leaves brought back memories for the old man
Another summer's come and gone
He reminisces about how quickly another summer had passed
He had a lonely night ahead
He knows that he will be alone that night
Waitin' for June
He eagerly looks forward to June
Then among the leaves
As he walked through the autumn leaves
Near the orphan's home
He discovers something near an orphanage
A piece of paper caught his eye
He found a piece of paper that caught his attention
And he stooped to pick it up with trembling hands
He nervously picked up the paper
As he read the childish writing
He read the youthful handwriting on the paper
The old man began to cry
The old man started sobbing upon reading the paper
'Cause the words burned inside of him
The message on the paper intense stirred him up emotionally
Like a brand
The words and their impact were seared into his mind
Whoever finds this I love you
The message on paper reads, whoever finds it, I love you
Whoever finds this I need you
The note conveys that whoever reads it, the writer needs them
I ain't even got no one to talk to
The writer of the paper doesn't have anyone to confide in
So whoever finds this I love you
The writer signs off with lots of love for whoever discovers the paper
The old man's eyes searched the orphan's home
The old man looks around the orphanage
And came to rest upon a child
He finds a little girl he is drawn to
With her nose pressed up against the window pane
The girl was looking out the window with her nose touching it
And the old man knew he'd found a friend at last
The elderly gentleman discovered a friend in the little girl
So he waved at her and smiled
He gives her a friendly wave and smile
And they both knew they'd spend the winter laughing at the rain
They look forward to spending time together and enjoying each others' company during the rainy winter months
And they did spend the winter laughing at the rain
The pair spent lots of time amusing themselves throughout the rainy winter
Talkin' thru the trees and exchanging little gifts
They would talk to each other while near the trees and exchange small gifts
They'd made for each other
The gifts exchanged were things they made themselves
The old man would carve toys for the little girl
The old man makes toys for the girl
And she would draw picture for him of beautiful ladies
The girl would draw pictures of beautiful women for the old man
Surrounded by green trees and sunshine
The pictures depict lovely ladies amidst luscious green trees and sunshine
And they laughed a lot
They laughed and had a wonderful time together
But then on the first day of June
However, on 1st June
The little girl ran to the fence to show
The girl runs to the fence to show
The old man a picture she had drawn
She wanted to show the old man a new picture she had made
But he wasn't there
Unfortunately, he wasn't around
And somehow the little girl knew he wasn't coming back
The girl had a gut feeling that the old man wasn't returning
So she went back to her little room
She returns to her small quarters
Took a crayon, piece of paper and wrote:
She grabbed a crayon and a piece of paper to write a message
Whoever finds this I love you
Her message echoes the earlier one - she loves whoever discovers the paper
Whoever finds this I need you
The girl wants the reader of the message to know that she needs them
I ain't even got no one to talk to
The girl shares that she doesn't have anyone to talk to
So whoever finds this I love you
She signs off with lots of love again
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: MAC DAVIS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
BJ Haussler
I lived in a children's Home for several years in the early 60's and this was almost my own story since I wrote notes and dropped them around for people to find....saying the exact thing. Then when Mac Davis, a very favorite of mine, came out with this song, I secretly believe it was for me. Either way, it was a good part of my life doing it.☺
Emily Grace
<3
Lorrie Bennett
God Bless You!
Melinda Carris
❤️
Blessed Trinity
Nice story
bljames2362
I am BJ too.... Much love....I SEE YOU!!!!
Jerry
I'm surprised that this song was never a huge hit. The words are so sweet and tender and although it is a difficult song to sing, Mack certainly did a masterful job with the unequalled resonance and tonal quality of his voice. One of my all-time favs!
David Kemery
I don't know if it ever was released as a single .
Tracie Vaughn
Rest In Peace, Mac Davis! Such a wonderful gift to this world.
Jimmy Anderson
Hard to listen to this without tears. Mac Davis was the king of writers and he sang these songs he wrote with such conviction. Thanks Mac, you're the best.