In 1999, Clarke released Inside Out, a romantic / adult contemporary cover album. It had a peculiar twist: Clarke subtly modified certain lyrics to sing under his own perspective as a gay man.
Son Of A Preacher Man
Cam Clarke Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And when his daddy would visit he'd come along
When they gathered around and started talkin'
That's when Billy would take me walkin'
Out through the back yard we'd go walkin'
Then he'd look into my eyes
Lord knows to my surprise
Was the son of a preacher man
The only boy who could ever teach me
Was the son of a preacher man
Yes he was, he was, ooh, he was
Bein' good isn't always easy
No matter how hard I try
When he started sweet-talkin' to me
He'd come and tell me everything is alright
He'd kiss and tell me everything is alright
Can I get away again tonight?
The only one who could ever reach me
Was the son of a preacher man
The only boy who could ever teach me
Was the son of a preacher man
Yes he was, he was, ooh, lord no's he was
How well I remember
The look that was in his eyes
Stealin' kisses from me on the sly
Takin' time to make time
Tellin' me that he's all mine
Learnin' from each other's knowin'
Lookin' to see how much we're growin'
An the only one who could ever reach me was
A son of a preacher man
The only boy who could ever teach me
Was the son of a preacher man
Yes he was, he was, oh yes he was
The only one who could ever reach me
he was a sweet talkin'son of a preacher man
The only boy who could ever teach me
I guess he was the son of a preacher man
the only one was a sweet talkin' son of a preacher man
Cam Clarke's "Son Of A Preacher Man" is about a young woman who falls in love with Billy Ray, the son of a preacher. She finds it difficult to be good all the time, but when Billy Ray sweet-talks to her, she feels like everything is alright. They steal kisses on the sly, take time to make time, and learn from each other. She can't help but love Billy Ray, who is the only one who can ever reach her and teach her anything. He is the sweet-talking son of a preacher man.
The song delves into the idea of forbidden love and the struggle to stay true to one's values while giving in to temptation. The preacher's son is an interesting choice for a love-interest, as he is perceived as being good and pure. The woman also faces difficulties in maintaining her composure, despite trying her best to be good.
Line by Line Meaning
Billy-Ray was a preacher's son
The boy referred to as Billy-Ray is the son of a preacher
And when his daddy would visit he'd come along
Billy-Ray always went with his father whenever his father visited
When they gathered around and started talkin'
When they came together as a group and started having a conversation
That's when Billy would take me walkin'
That was the time Billy would ask me to go for a walk with him
Out through the back yard we'd go walkin'
We would walk through the backyard while we were out walking
Then he'd look into my eyes
He would gaze into my eyes
Lord knows to my surprise
I was surprised at how he looked at me
The only one who could ever reach me
Billy-Ray was the only person who could truly understand me
Was the son of a preacher man
He was the son of a preacher and that is what sets him apart
The only boy who could ever teach me
He was also the only one who could teach me things
Bein' good isn't always easy
It’s not always easy to be good
No matter how hard I try
Even if I try hard to be good, it’s still a challenge
When he started sweet-talkin' to me
When he began to speak to me in a smooth and pleasing way
He'd come and tell me everything is alright
He would come to me and reassure me that all was well
He'd kiss and tell me everything is alright
He would show me that everything was alright by kissing me
Can I get away again tonight?
I am asking him if we can spend time together again tonight
How well I remember
I remember vividly
The look that was in his eyes
I remember the expression in his eyes so well
Stealin' kisses from me on the sly
He would surreptitiously kiss me
Takin' time to make time
We took the time to be with each other
Tellin' me that he's all mine
He would tell me that he was all mine
Learnin' from each other's knowin'
We learned from each other's knowledge
Lookin' to see how much we're growin'
We were checking to see how much we had grown
An the only one who could ever reach me was
He was still the only person who could ever truly understand me
A son of a preacher man
Once again emphasizing that what sets him apart is the fact that he is the son of a preacher
he was a sweet talkin'son of a preacher man
He was very smooth and pleasing when he spoke, and also the son of a preacher
I guess he was the son of a preacher man
I think his being the son of a preacher is what made him so special
the only one was a sweet talkin' son of a preacher man
He was the only one that was both very smooth when he spoke and the son of a preacher
Contributed by Natalie M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Julie Porter
Definitely, a great reinterpretation of the song. What starts as a simple love of a wild girl reformed by a religious boy, becomes a defiant love song between two men who love each other despite religious restrictions.
Curt Clark
I have this album. I could have sworn I was the only one. This is my favorite track by far. :D
Buggy 8134
Cam is quite the performer.
Ashley Corinne
Cam Clarke is a legend!!! If you can find him on the original soundtrack of Saturday's Warrior as Jimmy Flinders, that's where it's at. (That's why in Metal Gear Solid 1, he's credited as James Flinders.)
Ray Eisenstein
Cam Clarke was on The King Family Show 1964-1965 and again 1972
Greg Hardin
Great song Cam this one was meant to be!
Mikayla Blumpkin
Thank you for posting this.
James Fabiano
I'd never thought there'd be a connection between TMNT and Dusty Springfield!
mitchell durden
just do it longer.
Tim pike
KANEDEA!!!!