She moved to Nashville, Tennessee in 1991 with the goal of becoming a country artist. Songwriter Harlan Howard heard Sara as she sung a demo of one of his songs, "Tiger By the Tail" at County Q Studios**, and decided she should sing his music. She went under contract with RCA.
In 1997 Evans released her first album Three Chords and the Truth. Critics praised the album for returning to traditional country and recognized it on many of their top ten of the year lists. Unfortunately, it did not catch on with country radio at the time and none of the three singles made the top 40.
In 1998 Evans released her sophomore album No Place That Far. Critics slammed her for choosing a more pop/country oriented album. Her first single "Cryin' Game" hardly charted. It would be her next single "No Place That Far," a duet with Vince Gill, that would be her first number one single. The album has been certified gold. She actually had been a backup singer for Vince Gill, which definitely played a role in showcasing her talents and leading her ever growing popularity and success.
Evans released her "make it or break it" album, Born To Fly in 2000. Her first single "Born To Fly" hit the number one spot and proved to be her biggest hit until "Suds in the Bucket." The hits kept coming in as her next single "I Could Not Ask For More" hit the number two spot. "Saints and Angels," Evans' favorite song on the album, hit the number sixteen spot and the last single "I Keep Looking" made it to the number five spot. Thus far, the album has been certified double platinum.
Evans led the pack as the most nominated artist at the 2001 Country Music Association awards with seven nominations, and won her first CMA award when her song “Born to Fly” won the award for Video of the Year.
In 2003 Evans released Restless. This album showed her versatility as the songs combined different genres such as country, pop, blues, and soul. The album's first single "Backseat of a Greyhound Bus" went to number sixteen. The next single, "Perfect," went to number two. The next single "Suds in the Bucket" went to number one and became her biggest hit since "Born to Fly" and quickly became a fan favorite among her songs. The next single "Tonight" failed to reach the top 40. Restless has been certified platinum.
In 2004 Evans was the most played female singer on country music radio thanks to singles such as "Suds in the Bucket" and "Perfect."
In 2005, Sara Evans struck gold with the country ballad "A Real Fine Place to Start". With help from this single her album Real Fine Place was propelled to No.1 on the top of the country charts and No. 3 on the pop charts with over 130,000 copies sold in the first week, nearly tripling the sales from her last album debut Restless. Real Fine Place was the best debuting album of her career. The single from the album stood on top of the Billboard and Radio and Record Charts for two weeks. Evans was nominated for two CMA awards, including the prestigious "Female Vocalist of the Year" and prized "Musical Event of the Year" (the latter in part due to her duet with Brad Paisley, "New Again"). However, she lost in both categories. Sara went on the road with Brad Paisley and newcomers Sugarland on Brad's "Time Well Wasted Tour". Her current single "Cheatin'" has quickly become the fastest rising single of her career. Real Fine Place has recently been certified gold.
On December 6, 2005 Sara released Feels Like Home through Cracker Barrel stores. The album consists of alternate versions of some of her most memorable songs. For example, there is an acoustic version of "No Place That Far," a live version of "Born To Fly," and several other versions of her most popular songs.
Slow Me Down
Sara Evans Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't want to leave, but I might this time
Seconds from whispering goodbye
Yeah, the wheels are turning in my mind
If all that's left to do is walk away
Then, baby, I'm as gone as yesterday
But if there's something you still need to say
You need to say it now
Hurry up and slow me down
Slow me down
If you let this train roll down these tracks
Going to wish you tried to talk me back
Boy, you're going to miss everything we had
If you let this train roll down these tracks
If all that's left to do is walk away
Then, baby, I'm as gone as yesterday
But if there's something you still need to say
You need to say it now
Hurry up and slow me down
Slow me down
The wheels are turning in my mind
Don't want to leave, but I might this time
If all that's left to do is walk away
Then, baby, I'm as gone as yesterday
But if there's something you still need to say
You need to say it now (you need say it now)
Oh, you need to say it now (you need to say it now)
Hurry up and slow me down
Slow me down
Slow me down
The opening lines of Sara Evans's song Slow Me Down suggest that the singer is in a state of contemplation, as she evaluates whether or not she should leave. The repetition of the line “The wheels are turning in my mind” emphasizes this internal struggle. She acknowledges that she doesn't want to leave, but equally knows that it might be for the best. This sense of resignation is accentuated in the second verse, when the singer questions whether their relationship will survive at all, and declares that she's “as gone as yesterday” if she does choose to leave.
The chorus is the plea of the singer for the person she's leaving behind not to let her leave without giving themselves a chance. She asks him to stop her, to “hurry up and slow me down” before it's too late. The final lines repeat the idea of the wheels turning in her mind and the sense of uncertainty it brings. It's a poignant plea for a second chance, one that any listener can relate to.
Line by Line Meaning
Wheels are turning in my mind
I'm conflicted and unsure about whether I should stay or go.
Don't want to leave, but I might this time
I'm hesitant to leave, but I might do it this time.
Seconds from whispering goodbye
I'm very close to saying goodbye and leaving.
If all that's left to do is walk away
If there's nothing left to salvage from this situation,
Then, baby, I'm as gone as yesterday
then I'm just as gone as I was yesterday, ready to leave.
But if there's something you still need to say
But if there's still something you need to tell me,
You need to say it now
you have to speak up and tell me right now.
Hurry up and slow me down
I want you to slow me down and make me stay, but you need to do it quickly.
If you let this train roll down these tracks
If you don't try to stop me and let me leave,
Going to wish you tried to talk me back
you will regret not trying to convince me to stay.
Boy, you're going to miss everything we had
You will miss all the good times we shared.
Oh, you need to say it now (you need to say it now)
You have to speak up and tell me right now.
Hurry up and slow me down
I want you to slow me down and make me stay, but you need to do it quickly.
Slow me down
I need you to slow me down and make me reconsider leaving.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HEATHER LYNN MORGAN, MARV GREEN, JIMMY ROBBINS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind