Taylor's career in music performance and recording has taken a circuitous path. Born in Chicago 1948, and growing up in Denver after his family relocated there, he began listening to blues and folk-blues in his teens. Through Denver's Folklore Center, he began to play the blues. By 1977, though, he "retired" from music and had a successful antiques business. He returned to music when he was nearly 50, and having immersed himself in the history of the folklore of the blues, he traced the migration of both the blues and the banjo from its roots in Africa to its "birth" in the American south.
His music is uncompromising and fierce, and it walks the line of gritty and gorgeous well. He incorporates elements of the blues masters Johnson, Jefferson, McTell and others, but always makes the resulting music his own.
His return to performance and recording began in 1995, but it was his acceptance of a Sundance Festival composition fellowship in 2000 that sparked his emergence as a preeminent bluesman with When Negroes Walked The Earth. His song, 'Nasty Letter', plays over the credits at the end of the 2007 Mark Wahlberg film Shooter.
Nasty Letter
Otis Taylor Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But they didn't, sign their name
I think I know, I know who wrote it
Well I recognize, recognize that hand
It's getting warm
Oh so warm
It's so warm
On a winter's day
I'm reading backwards, reading backwards,
On this page
Hoping that the end
Will never come
I've been wrongly, wrongly accused
Been wrongly, I've been wrongly,
I've been wrongly, wrongly accused.
The lyrics of Otis Taylor's song "Nasty Letter" tackle the issue of receiving a negative message without knowing the identity of the sender. The opening line "Somebody wrote me a nasty letter, but they didn't sign their name" suggests that the recipient of the message is unsure about who the sender is, leaving them feeling frustrated and powerless. However, the line "I think I know who wrote it, well I recognize that hand" indicates that the recipient has a hunch about the potential sender, possibly due to recognizing handwriting or style of language.
The second half of the first paragraph describes the feeling of warmth on a winter's day, which contrasts with the coldness of the message that the artist has received. This could be interpreted as a metaphor for the artist's own feelings, possibly suggesting that although the message they received was negative, they are still able to find warmth in a difficult situation.
The second paragraph sees the artist reading backwards on the page, hoping that the end will never come. This may suggest that the artist is trying to make sense of the message they have received and perhaps doesn't want to reach the end of the letter and face its full impact. The final lines, "I've been wrongly accused, been wrongly, I've been wrongly, I've been wrongly accused," underlines the artist's sense of injustice and undeserved criticism, perhaps indicating that they feel like a victim of a personal attack.
Overall, "Nasty Letter" is a poignant and emotional song that taps into the universal feeling of being unfairly targeted or criticized, and the frustration of not knowing who the critic is.
Line by Line Meaning
Somebody wrote me, a nasty letter,
An anonymous person sent me a mean message.
But they didn't, sign their name
The sender chose to not identify themselves.
I think I know, I know who wrote it
I have a suspicion about the identity of the writer.
Well I recognize, recognize that hand
I can tell from the handwriting that I know this person.
It's getting warm
I'm starting to feel angry or upset.
Oh so warm
My emotions are escalating even further.
It's so warm
I'm feeling very angry now.
On a winter's day
The timing of this negative message is unexpected and adds insult to injury.
I'm reading backwards, reading backwards,
I'm rereading the message over and over again.
On this page
The words on the page are causing me distress.
Hoping that the end
I'm dreading what else the message might say.
Will never come
I don't want to have to face whatever else this person has to say to me.
I've been wrongly, wrongly accused
The nasty letter contained false accusations about me.
Been wrongly, I've been wrongly,
I'm emphasizing how unfair and untrue the accusations are.
I've been wrongly, wrongly accused.
The message was hurtful and not based in reality.
Contributed by Aiden S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@MrSirDrew
Lyrics
Somebody wrote me, a nasty letter,
But they didn't, sign their name
I think I know, I know who wrote it
Well I recognize, recognize that hand
It's getting warm
Oh so warm
It's so warm
On a winter's day
I'm reading backwards, reading backwards,
On this page
Hoping to defend
If the devil come
I've been wrongly, wrongly accused
Been wrongly, I've been wrongly,
I've been wrongly, wrongly accused.
@RichardFeynmanRules
SUCH AN AMAZING SONG...WHAT INCREDIBLE GUITAR PLAYING. WHAT POWER AND PASSION! THANK YOU FOR POSTING.
Somebody wrote me, a nasty letter
But they didn't, sign their name
I think I know, I know who wrote it
Well I recognize, recognize that hand
It's getting warm
Oh so warm
It's so warm
On a winter's day
I'm reading backwards, reading backwards
On this page
Hoping that the end
Will never come
I've been wrongly, wrongly accused
Been wrongly, I've been wrongly
I've been wrongly, wrongly accused
@ThEWarpstr
7 years later. The world has gone to shit but this song is timeless.
@maxwazorick5114
Youre goddamn right brotha
@bojanboskovic6744
Stay blessed my friend...
@16cliffedge
dam right
@Luca-hf6ty
Warp wtf >.>
@SkeligMichael
No. The World IS still going to shit. It will become worser and worst.
@moneyraylucas7161
1st time I heard this song was at the end of Shooter 13 years later I'm still in love with it ❤️
@arfawassim
Same as you till today
@colonel.norris
Same. Just watched "Shooter" once again today and it was just as awesome. This song at the end makes it a wrap.
@TravisMcGee151
@@colonel.norrisSame. Just watched it again. That’s what brings me here.