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.
Please Forgive Me
O.V. Wright Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But Mom and Dad went with their business
I think about it day and night:
Why is life so much a fight?
Generational trauma and lies
Paint a pretty little picture
Numbed the feeling from my brain
I don't feel a god damn thing.
Eat sleep bleed
Eat sleep bleed
Why don't you kill me please?
Eat sleep bleed
Eat sleep bleed
Eat sleep bleed
Give my soul sweet relief.
Yeah!
No remedy for dying
But death itself is a remedy.
My demons slaying my angels
Drinking kerosene for clarity.
Strike a f*n match up inside of me
Somewhere lays a street whore with animosity.
Dear southern preacher
Conversion's not a lesson.
Why can't you question
Heaven's a place for sin;
Hell's a solace inside my skin.
Take a sip, begin to spin;
Numbed the feeling from my brain
I don't feel a god damn thing.
Eat sleep bleed
Eat sleep bleed
Eat sleep bleed
Why don't you kill me please?
Eat sleep bleed
Eat sleep bleed
Eat sleep bleed
Give my soul sweet relief.
The strong do what they trust,
the weak go suffer what they must,
My mirror only shows disgust,
I don't know if death's enough.
Eat sleep bleed
Eat sleep bleed
Eat sleep bleed
Why don't you kill me please?
Eat sleep bleed
Eat sleep bleed
Eat sleep bleed
Why don't you kill me please?
If tonight's my last night:
So be it.
The lyrics of O.V. Wright's song "Please Forgive Me" are deeply emotional, raw and intense. The lyrics show the artist's struggle with his existence and how he wants to end his life because he feels numb inside. O.V. Wright sings about how he never wanted this life, but his parents went ahead and created it, leaving him to question the struggles and the generational trauma that he inherited. The artist seems to be questioning the point of living when life is so hard and how he can't feel anything anymore except pain. The lyrics "Eat sleep bleed" repeated over and over showcase his vivid desire for death.
The second verse of the song dives deeper into the thoughts of O.V. Wright. He sings about how though death is a remedy to end his suffering, there is no other remedy for death itself. He expresses how his demons are overpowering his angels and drinking kerosene for clarity. The imagery around his inner demons slaying his angels and taking refuge in Hell showcases his desperation for relief in his darkest hour. The lyrics "Why don't you kill me please?" repeated over and over again shows how much pain he is going through and how much he just wants an ending. The artist also takes a dig at the Southern preachers who don't question the existence of heaven and the lessons of conversion, which might not be helping those in need.
Line by Line Meaning
I never wished for this existence
I never asked to be born
But Mom and Dad went with their business
But my parents decided to have a child anyway
I think about it day and night:
I can't stop thinking about how hard life is
Why is life so much a fight?
Why is life so difficult and full of struggles?
Generational trauma and lies
My family has a history of painful experiences and dishonesty
Paint a pretty little picture
But they try to make everything seem okay
Numbed the feeling from my brain
I've become emotionally numb
I don't feel a god damn thing.
I don't feel anything anymore
Eat sleep bleed
My life is a repetitive cycle of basic needs and pain
Why don't you kill me please?
I am in so much pain, I wish I were dead
Give my soul sweet relief.
I crave peace and comfort for my soul
No remedy for dying
There is no cure for death
But death itself is a remedy.
Death can be a way to escape the pain of life
My demons slaying my angels
I struggle with internal conflicts and negative thoughts
Drinking kerosene for clarity.
I'm willing to do anything to clear my head
Strike a f*n match up inside of me
I am full of anger and self-destructive thoughts
Somewhere lays a street whore with animosity.
There is a part of me that is bitter and resentful
Dear southern preacher
Addressing a religious authority figure
Conversion's not a lesson.
Becoming religious won't solve my problems
Why can't you question
Why can't we question religious teachings?
Heaven's a place for sin;
Even in heaven, there is sin
Hell's a solace inside my skin.
My own personal hell is inside me
Take a sip, begin to spin;
I try to escape reality through drugs or alcohol
The strong do what they trust,
People who are confident and sure of themselves take risks
the weak go suffer what they must,
People who lack confidence face the consequences of their actions
My mirror only shows disgust,
I hate what I see in the mirror
I don't know if death's enough.
I don't know if death will truly end my pain
If tonight's my last night:
If I were to die tonight
So be it.
I accept it
Lyrics © DistroKid
Written by: Kristina Zergiotis
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind