Son of a Preacher Man
Collide Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Billy-Ray was a preacher's son,
And when his daddy would visit he'd come along.
When they gathered round and started talkin',
That's when Billy would take me walkin',
A-through the backyard we'd go walkin'.
Then he'd look into my eyes,
Lord knows to my surprise:
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, yes he was.

Being 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 all right,
He'd kiss and tell me everything is all right.
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 knows he was
Yes 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 knowing,
Lookin' to see how much we've grown.

And 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, yes he was.

The only one who could ever reach me,
He was the sweet-talking son of a preacher man.
The only boy who could ever teach me,
I kissed the son of a preacher man.
The only one who could ever move me,
The sweet-lovin' son of a preacher man




The only one who could ever groove me,
Ahh, ooh, ahh...

Overall Meaning

The song "Son of a Preacher Man" by Collide tells the story of a relationship between a girl and a boy who happens to be the son of a preacher. The opening lines introduce the character of Billy-Ray as a preacher's son who accompanies his father on visits. When they meet, Billy takes the girl for a walk in the backyard of the house where they can be alone. Here, they look into each other's eyes, and the girl is surprised by the feelings she experiences.


The song then goes on to describe the difficulty the girl has in doing what is right. Even though she tries to be good, when Billy starts sweet-talking her, everything seems all right, and she falls for him. They kiss and steal moments together while growing and learning from each other. The girl reflects on her relationship with Billy, stating that he was the only one who could ever reach her and teach her. He was the only boy who could ever move her and groove her.


"Son of a Preacher Man" is a song that is full of energy and evokes feelings of passion and love. The lyrics are simple yet powerful, and the melody is catchy and memorable, making it a classic hit song.


Line by Line Meaning

Billy-Ray was a preacher's son,
Billy-Ray was the son of a preacher who used to accompany his father whenever he would visit Collide.


And when his daddy would visit he'd come along.
Billy-Ray used to come with his father every time he visited Collide.


When they gathered round and started talkin',
When the people around would gather and start talking, Billy would take Collide for a walk in the backyard.


That's when Billy would take me walkin',
During the gatherings, Billy would take Collide for a walk in the backyard.


A-through the backyard we'd go walkin'.
Collide and Billy would walk through the backyard.


Then he'd look into my eyes,
Billy would look into Collide's eyes.


Lord knows to my surprise:
To Collide's surprise, only Billy was able to reach and teach her.


The only one who could ever reach me,
The only person who could connect with Collide was Billy.


Was the son of a preacher man.
Billy was the son of a preacher man.


The only boy who could ever teach me,
Billy was the only boy who could educate or mentor Collide.


Yes he was, he was,
Billy was the only one who had a significant impact on Collide.


Ooh, yes he was.
Collide affirms that Billy was the only one who had the power to influence her.


Being good isn't always easy,
Collide reflects on how challenging it can be to follow a righteous path.


No matter how hard I try.
Regardless of how much effort Collide puts into being good, it's still tough.


When he started sweet-talkin' to me,
When Billy started using endearing words while talking to Collide.


He'd come and tell me everything is all right,
Billy would come and reassure Collide that everything would be fine.


He'd kiss and tell me everything is all right.
Billy would kiss and tell Collide that everything would be okay.


Can I get away again tonight?
Collide wonders if she could escape again tonight like before.


How well I remember,
Collide recalls how things used to be with Billy.


The look that was in his eyes.
Collide remembers Billy's gaze.


Stealin' kisses from me on the sly,
Billy used to steal kisses from Collide secretly.


Takin' time to make time,
They would take and make time to be together.


Tellin' me that he's all mine,
Billy would tell Collide that he belonged to her.


Learnin' from each other's knowing,
Both of them learned from each other by sharing knowledge and experiences.


Lookin' to see how much we've grown.
They would compare their growth and progress with each other's.


The only one who could ever reach me,
Collide reiterates that Billy was the only one who could connect with her.


He was the sweet-talking son of a preacher man.
Billy was a charming and persuasive person despite being a preacher's son.


I kissed the son of a preacher man.
Collide kissed Billy who was a preacher's son.


The only one who could ever move me,
Billy was the only person who could bring out emotions and feelings in Collide.


The sweet-lovin' son of a preacher man
Billy was a loving individual despite being a preacher's son.


The only one who could ever groove me,
Billy was the only one who could make Collide dance or feel good.


Ahh, ooh, ahh...
Collide expresses her satisfaction and happiness with the relationship.




Contributed by Micah R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Comments from YouTube:

statiketernal

Props to Karin and Statik (the guy in the room with her). Years later this is still one of my favorite songs by the duo.

entropy156

It is impossible to overstate how much I love this video....

Nick-E Nicole

I will always love Collide's sound!

fox

What an awesomely insane video and a great rendition of the song, just goes to show ya, you can spice up any song regardless of genre :P

Nick Burris

We all need more Collide in our lives.

Alexander Alvarado

More music like this!!!!!!! Collide really rules!!!! Super band

worseorbetter

They had just released 'Two Headed Monster' a little while ago. But, you can probably go to their Youtube page "noiseplus" or even their homepage and inquire about when another work will be produced. It never hurts to ask.

larrylongjr82

i love collide

V, Love & Tarot

Great sound here, guys!

worseorbetter

I had just listened to the original version by Dusty Springfield just a few minutes ago. In comparison to the original, kaRIN and Statik give this song teeth =)

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