Mark Chesnutt’s stature is easily gauged. He has 14 #1 hits, 23 Top 10 singles, four platinum albums and five gold records to his credit; he maintains a front-and-center presence with a hefty tour schedule year after year. Country music critics and fans alike need look no further when it comes to Country music basics. If you ask Chesnutt, he’ll tell you, “It’s the music and the fans that have kept me around this long.” In a creative forum that sometimes confuses style with substance, Mark Chesnutt possesses both.
Remaining true to himself as a traditional country artist, while keeping the pace with the ever-changing country recording landscape, Mark Chesnutt has a knack for picking great songs, delivering them with world-class style and a heart-felt emotion that’s lived-in. With a trademarked voice, Chesnutt has set the bar for his generation and those that follow in his footsteps shaping the music of today’s country music newcomers and the new country music format. Mark Chesnutt’s personal integrity combined with his principal to record a genuine country song has made him a fixture on radio and in honky tonks across the globe.
Chesnutt got his start in the honky-tonks of Beaumont, Texas, learning from his father, Bob Chesnutt, a singer, record collector and major fan of classic country music. Playing alongside his dad, Mark embraced his father’s influence one set at a time and to begin making a name for himself. Mark sang covers by Lefty, Merle, George and Waylon to develop his unmatched crowd-pleasing rapport and his authentic country style.
Bob Chesnutt often traveled to Nashville to record and to broaden his exposure. He began taking Mark along to record when he was just 17. After nearly a decade of recording on regional labels, word got out about this young country vocalist. Music Row executives came to hear Mark on his own Texas turf and recognized the depth of Mark Chesnutt’s raw talent.
In 1989, he was signed to MCA Nashville and his list of accolades tells the rest of his story. With the release of his first single“ Too Cold At Home,” Mark established himself as one of country’s most authentic and talented vocalists. He won the CMA Horizon Award attracting the attention of country legend [and Mark’s greatest mentor] George Jones who introduced him as “A boy from Beaumont, Texas who is the real deal.” That recognition and initial success opened the door to offer Mark his chance of a lifetime, to do what he loved most—sing country music for country fans; this time, on a national level. “The first couple years it was non-stop.” Mark says.
“I can remember one time during a tour, I didn’t step foot on the front porch for ten months, with exception of a day or a day-and-a- half, then, it was right back out again.” Mark’s dedication paid off. He developed a true blue fan base. Fans, he confides, “are the reason for my success.”
His fans helped his records to climb the charts one right after the other making him one of Billboard’s Ten Most-Played Radio Artists of the ‘90’s. Mark’s singles were some the decade’s most memorable; from the fun tempo “Bubba Shot The Jukebox” to emotional ballad “I’ll Think Of Something.” Mark is easily identified for his string of hits including “Brother Jukebox,” “Blame It On Texas,” “Old Flames Have New Names,” “Old Country,” “It Sure Is Monday,” “Almost Goodbye,” “I Just Wanted You To Know,” “Going Through The Big D,” “It’s A Little Too Late,” “Gonna Get A Life,” and one of his biggest, “I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing;” a song that held its position at the top of the charts for four consecutive weeks.
Of all the recorded highlights Chesnutt has enjoyed, they take a back seat to his first love; Mark Chesnutt lives to perform on stage. “I just make records because want people to come see my show,” he says with a grin. “Recording music for folks to just listen to music is great,” he says, “but I’ve got to be out there on stage making it.” Fans who have seen him perform agree. Known as one of the industry’s hardest-working concert performers, maintaining a hefty tour schedule and steady presence in front of his fans, Mark’s dedication to deliver live music is unsurpassed. Mark has been on the road since 1990. Whether you hear Mark Chesnutt with a new release on the radio, or see his face on the cover of a new CD, folks can always find Mark doing what he was born to do playing. “The clubs and honky tonks are home for me; it’s comfortable and I’m always with friends,” says Chesnutt.
Married since 1992, Mark and Tracie Chesnutt are the loving parents of three boys, Waylon, Casey & Cameron.
You Can't do Me This Way
Mark Chesnutt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You don't care how I've cried
You gotta learn you can't do me
This way and get by with it.
Well, I don't know, I don't know why
But everything you tell me is a lie
You gotta learn you can't do me
Well, it seems at first my thirst for love
Was satisfied by your sweet charms
But now and then you'd lend yourself to someone else's arms
If you can't, treat me right, well, at least won't you give me a try
You gotta learn you can't do me
This way and get by with it.
You know at first my thirst for love
Was satisfied by your sweet charms
But now and then you'd lend yourself to someone else's arms
If you can't, treat me right, well, at least won't you give me a try
You gotta learn you can't do me
This way and get by.
You gotta learn you can't do me
This way and get by with it...
The lyrics to Mark Chesnutt’s “You Can’t Do Me This Way” are about a flawed relationship where one partner is cheating and lying to the other. The singer expresses their hurt and frustration with their partner's dishonesty and lack of consideration for their feelings. The lines “Well, you don’t care how I hurt, You don’t care how I’ve cried” emphasize the partner’s apathy towards their significant other’s heartbreak.
The singer feels deceived by their partner’s false promises and lies as they sing, “everything you tell me is a lie.” The partner’s affair with someone else is evidence of their disrespect and disregard for the singer. The singer pleads with their partner to treat them right or at least give them a chance to make it work, but warns them that they cannot keep getting away with mistreating them.
Overall, the song is about the universal struggle of dealing with a cheating partner and the difficulty of letting go of a hurtful relationship. The lyrics express the singer’s pain and frustration, but also serves as a reminder that one should not tolerate mistreatment in a relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, you don't care how I hurt
You are indifferent to my pain
You don't care how I've cried
You are indifferent to my tears
You gotta learn you can't do me
This way and get by with it.
You must understand that mistreating me will have consequences.
Well, I don't know, I don't know why
But everything you tell me is a lie
I am confused by your deceitful words.
Well, it seems at first my thirst for love
Was satisfied by your sweet charms
Initially, you appeared to be loving and sincere
But now and then you'd lend yourself to someone else's arms
However, you occasionally cheated on me
If you can't, treat me right, well, at least won't you give me a try
If you are unable to treat me well, can you at least put forth effort to do so?
You know at first my thirst for love
Was satisfied by your sweet charms
Initially, you appeared to be loving and sincere
You gotta learn you can't do me
This way and get by.
You must understand that mistreating me will have consequences.
You gotta learn you can't do me
This way and get by with it...
You must understand that mistreating me will have consequences.
Contributed by Bentley Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.