In My Tribe. Merchant joined 10,000 Maniacs at the age of 17 and became the band's driving artistic force. After a pair of successful independent releases, they signed to Elektra in 1985 and briefly became one of the most popular acts in alternative rock, shooting into the Top 40 with 1987's In My Tribe and charting even higher with their follow-up effort, Blind Man's Zoo. Merchant's desire to launch a solo career increased alongside the band's growing reputation, however, and by the time the group sat down to record 1992's Our Time in Eden, she gave her bandmates two years' notice. Following the release of MTV Unplugged in 1994, she publicly announced she was leaving the group's ranks.
OpheliaMerchant made her solo debut with 1995's Tigerlily, a self-produced album that debuted at number 13 and scored a Top Ten single with "Carnival." Two additional singles, "Wonder" and "Jealousy," also cracked the Top 40, prompting Tigerlily to sell over five million copies in the U.S. alone. It was followed in 1998 by Ophelia, another platinum-selling effort that was supported by Merchant's inclusion in the second Lilith Fair tour. Live in Concert, recorded at New York's Neil Simon Theatre, appeared a year later. A prominent social activist, Merchant also drew notice by campaigning in the name of such hot-button issues as animal rights, domestic violence, and homelessness.
MotherlandMerchant launched a folk tour in 2000, with members of progressive folk band the Horse Flies joining her on the road. She then returned to her solo career with Motherland. Two years later, Merchant left Elektra's roster and formed her own independent label, Myth America, in order to issue House Carpenter's Daughter, a collection of traditional and contemporary folk music inspired by the 2000 tour. A long period of silence followed, during which a pair of greatest-hits releases -- the 10,000 Maniacs collection Campfire Songs and Merchant's own Retrospective: 1995-2005 -- kept fans relatively sated. As the decade drew to a close, though, Merchant signed with Nonesuch Records and began making plans for a new album, which eventually arrived in the form of the ambitious, double-disc neo-children's album, 2010's Leave Your Sleep. Merchant returned to straight-ahead pop music with a self-titled album in May 2014.
Son Of A Preacher Man
Natalie Merchant Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Billy Ray was a preacher's son
And when his daddy'd visit he'd come along
When they gathered round and started talking
That's when Billy would take me walking,
all through the backyard we'd go walking,
then he'd looked into my eyes,
CHORUS:
The only one who could ever reach me
Was the son of a preacher man
And the only boy who could ever teach me
Was the son of a preacher man
Yes he was, was, yes he was
Bein' good isn't always easy,
no matter hard I try,
when he started sweet talking to me,
he'd come and tell my everything is allright
he'd kiss it down and everything's allright
Can I get away again tonight ?
Chorus
Oh yes he was
How will I remember
The look within 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'
Looking 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, oh yes he was
The only boy who could ever reach me
Was the sweet-talkin' son of a preacher man
In Natalie Merchant's version of Son of a Preacher Man, the lyrics tell the story of a young girl who falls in love with Billy Ray, the son of a preacher man. The song begins with a description of Billy Ray as a preacher's son and how he would often accompany his dad when he visited. Whenever they gathered round and started talking, Billy would take the girl, who remains unnamed, out to the backyard where they would walk and he would look into her eyes, to her surprise. The chorus is a repetition of the idea that only the son of a preacher man could ever reach and teach the girl.
The second verse talks about how being good is not always easy, no matter how hard one tries, and when Billy Ray would start sweet talking to the girl, she could never resist him. He would come and tell her everything is alright, kiss her down, and make everything alright again. She wonders if she can get away with seeing him again tonight. The third and final verse describes the stolen kisses they share on the sly, the time they took to make time for each other, and how they learned from each other's knowing. The song ends with a repetition of the idea that only the son of a preacher man could ever reach and teach the girl.
Line by Line Meaning
Billy Ray was a preacher's son
The person Billy Ray is being referred to came from a background with religious connections
And when his daddy’d visit he'd come along
Whenever Billy Ray's father would go out, he would go alongside with him
When they gathered round and started talking
Whenever people gathered and started having conversations
That's when Billy would take me walking
That's the time when the person Billy is associated with would engage in walking with another person
all through the backyard we'd go walking,
Both people would walk through a yard
then he'd looked into my eyes,
Then Billy would initiate eye contact
lord knows to my surprise
It was a surprise to the person being referred to
The only one who could ever reach me
There was only one person who could deeply connect with the person singing
Was the son of a preacher man
That person happened to be the son of a preacher
And the only boy who could ever teach me
Again, there was only one individual who could educate the person singing
Yes he was, was, yes he was
He, in fact, was that person
Bein' good isn't always easy,
Trying to live up to certain expectations isn't a simple task
no matter hard I try,
Despite all effort put into being good and living a certain way
when he started sweet talking to me,
Once the person referred to as he would use sweet language and talk to the person singing
he'd come and tell my everything is allright
He would arrive and communicate to her that everything will be okay
he'd kiss it down and everything's allright
By kissing, he would soothe the situation and make everything alright
Can I get away again tonight ?
Is it possible for them to go away for the night?
Oh yes he was
He was, without a doubt, the person for the person singing
How will I remember
How can the person singing keep memories
The look within his eyes
The expression on his face
Stealin' kisses from me on the sly
He would sneak in kisses secretly
Takin' time to make time
Take time out to have some alone time
Tellin' me that he's all mine
Assuring the person singing that they exclusively belong together
Learnin' from each other's knowin'
They are both growing and acquiring knowledge from one another
Looking to see how much we've grown
Taking a moment to observe and reflect on how much both individuals have advanced together
And the only boy who could ever reach me
Reiterating that there was only one individual who could connect with the person singing on such a deep level
Was the son of a preacher man
Again, that person happened to be the son of a preacher
Yes he was, he was, oh yes he was
Again, he was unarguably that person for the person singing
The only boy who could ever reach me
The only boy who could connect with the person singing on this level
Was the sweet-talkin' son of a preacher man
It turns out, that person was the one with a way with words who happened to be a preacher's son
Contributed by Lily W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Blake Woods
Jen Turner is the most talented person to ever appear on C-SPAN
Robbie G
I've been playing guitar for a long time and love beautiful phrasing over shred.
So today I finally looked up who played Carnival as it's a perfect example of fantastic guitar work. Jen Turner should have been huge, she's the whole package.
Mark Johnson
Agreed; loved her style from the first time I heard Tigerlily.
Marty DiBergi
I'm here for Jen. To me she is the star🎸
jsamc
There is no band without a decent front person period.
O.S M
I'm here for both.
CobraStatus510
Who?
Fabrizio Alpino
Who's ??
Brandon Thompson
Yep, she is amazing. But Natalie’s voice is pretty good also.
668toejam
Jen Turner rocks this!! Love NM but oh my, JT needs more exposure. Such a talent.