Born in Leno, Tennessee, Wright, as a youngster, began singing in the church. In 1956, while still in high school, he joined The Sunset Travelers as one of the lead singers for the gospel group. He later fronted a gospel music group, the Harmony Echoes. It was during this time that he was discovered (along with James Carr) by Roosevelt Jamison a songwriter and manager. Their first pop recording in 1964 was "That's How Strong My Love Is," a ballad later covered by Otis Redding and the Rolling Stones. It was issued on Goldwax, the label Wright signed to after leaving his gospel career. It was later determined that Don Robey still had him under a recording contract, due to his gospel group having recorded for Peacock. After his contract was shifted to Don Robey’s Back Beat label, further R&B hits followed. Working with record producer Willie Mitchell, success continued on songs including "Ace of Spades" and "A Nickel and a Nail".
Wright's hits were much more popular in the deep South. His biggest hits were "You're Gonna Make Me Cry" (R&B #6, 1965), "Eight Men, Four Women" (R&B #4, 1967) "Ace of Spades" (R&B #11, 1970), "A Nickel and a Nail" (R&B #19, 1971). The remainder of his 17 hits charted higher than #20 on the R&B charts.
However, Wright was imprisoned for narcotics offenses during the mid-1970s, and, despite signing for Hi Records and releasing a series of recordings, his commercial success failed to recover after his release. A continuing drug problem weakened his health and he died from a heart attack, in Mobile, Alabama at age 41.
Wright is among the most remembered voices of soul music, perhaps mostly for being sampled frequently in hip hop music. In 1996, his song, "Motherless Child" was sampled on the Ghostface Killah album Ironman on a song also called "Motherless Child." It and another Wright recording, "Let's Straighten It Out" have been published on Shaolin Soul, a compilation of tracks that have been sampled by the Wu Tang Clan and its members. "Let's Straighten It Out" was sampled in a Wu-Tang Clan song called "America" from the charity compilation album America Is Dying Slowly. "Ace of Spades" was sampled by Slim Thug and the Boss Hogg Outlawz on a song named "Recognize A Playa".
Johnny Rawls joined Wright's backing band in the mid-1970s, and played together with Wright until the latter's death in 1980. The band then continued billed as the O.V. Wright Band for another 13 years, and toured and performed with other musicians over this time span. These included B.B. King, Little Milton, Bobby Bland, Little Johnny Taylor, and Blues Boy Willie.
Drowning On Dry Land
O.V. Wright Lyrics
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I'm going down, down, baby. My nose is in the sand
A cloud of dust just came over me and I think I'm drowning on dry land.
You know, my father told me, son don't rush to be a man
You know, my father told me, son don't you rush to be a man
But I went ahead on, and now I think I'm drowning on dry land
You know my mother told me the story, about that li'l dog that couldn't see too well
He was crossing a railroad track one day, when the train cut off a part of his tail
And she said he lost his whole head, trying to find a little piece of tail
That's why I'm going down, my nose is in the sand
A could of dust just came over me
And now I think I'm drowning on dry land
In "Drowning on Dry Land," O.V. Wright sings about being overwhelmed with emotion and feeling trapped. The opening lines "I'm going down. My nose is in the sand" imply that the singer is struggling to keep afloat and is being overcome by something they can't avoid or escape. The image of drowning on dry land is a metaphor for feeling powerless and unable to cope. The next lines, "A cloud of dust just came over me and I think I'm drowning on dry land," suggest that this feeling was sudden and unexpected.
The song then shifts to the singer reflecting on the advice that their parents gave them. The lines "You know, my father told me, son don't rush to be a man / But I went ahead on, and now I think I'm drowning on dry land" suggest that the singer ignored their father's advice and is now facing the consequences. This back-and-forth continues with the story the singer's mother told them about a dog who lost its head trying to find its tail. The story implies that sometimes chasing after something can lead to destruction. The final chorus brings the theme back around to the feeling of being overwhelmed and trapped, with the singer still feeling like they are drowning on dry land.
Overall, "Drowning on Dry Land" is a song that deals with heavy themes of powerlessness, regret, and the consequences of our actions. The metaphors and stories used throughout the song paint a vivid picture of drowning both physically and emotionally. The song speaks to the common human experience of feeling overwhelmed and trapped, and the significance of the metaphor of drowning on dry land conveys the depth of the feelings being portrayed.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm going down. My nose is in the sand
I'm sinking and can't breathe properly
I'm going down, down, baby. My nose is in the sand
I'm sinking faster and deeper into the sand
A cloud of dust just came over me and I think I'm drowning on dry land
I'm suffocating due to the dust that has fallen over me
You know, my father told me, son don't rush to be a man
My dad advised me not to try and grow up too fast
You know, my father told me, son don't you rush to be a man
My father warned me against being too eager to become an adult
But I went ahead on, and now I think I'm drowning on dry land
Despite my father's warning, I still pushed forward and now I feel like I'm struggling in life
You know my mother told me the story, about that li'l dog that couldn't see too well
My mother shared a story with me about a small dog with poor vision
He was crossing a railroad track one day, when the train cut off a part of his tail
The dog got injured crossing the railroad track and had a part of his tail cut off
He turned around but never looked up, just to peep over the rail
The dog didn't even bother to look up and just kept moving forward
And she said he lost his whole head, trying to find a little piece of tail
The dog was fixated on finding his lost tail piece and ended up losing his life in the process
That's why I'm going down, my nose is in the sand
I'm falling apart like the dog due to fixation on something trivial
A could of dust just came over me
Something else came along to add to my problems
And now I think I'm drowning on dry land
All of these issues have caused me to feel like I'm struggling and can't breathe
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ALLEN ALVOID JR. JONES, MICKEY GREGORY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind