1. Sam Baker was a blac… Read Full Bio ↴There are at least two artists by this name:
1. Sam Baker was a black Southern Soul artist born 1941 in Jackson, MS, who began his career singing secular music rather than in gospel like most other of his kind at the time. However, he was influenced by gospel as well as blues performers, and performed with the likes of Jimmy Reed, Clyde McPhatter, and others early in his career. He went on to become one of the memorable artists on the legendary Sound Stage 7 label, releasing more sides for the label than any other artist except Joe Simon. The Soulscape reissue label recently re-released this SS7 material on CD. The streamable tracks on this page are a few of his cuts. Sam was also known as Lord Sam Baker when John R and Hoss Allen and others would play his records on WLAC deep in the heart of Dixie, Nashville, TN.
2.: Sam Baker is a country singer-songwriter out of Austin, Texas. Here’s a man who can’t really sing, but mostly just speaks. Who’s deaf on one side, partially deaf on the other. And who can’t use all his fingers while playing guitar anymore. And yet Sam Baker manages to make what has got to be one of the finest Americana albums in recent years. He believes in storytelling and that everyone is at the mercy of another one's dream.
Change
Sam Baker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A flower shop
A barber with no nose
One alcoholic cop
Where they sit in chrome chairs
Smells like they burned some poor ladies hair
There were toys in the window
5 and dime
Little girl staring
Little boys whine
Half the toys in the window of the 5 and Dime
Things change
They change a lot
Things change
They grow cold they grow hot
And if looking back that's all you got
It don't matter anyway
Those same little girls go to work in those stores
Those same little boys they went away to wars
And when they came home
All the jobs gone away
Back to the places where they fought so far away
Things change, they change a lot
Things change
They grow cold, they grow hot
And looking back if that's all you got
It don't matter anyway
There was a dry goods store
A flower shop
A barber with no nose
There was one drunk cop
A beauty parlor
Where they sit in chrome chairs
Theyd hide beneath the dryers
They just sit there
They stare
Things change
They change a lot
Things change
They grow cold they grow hot
And if looking back that's all you got
They don't matter anyway
And if looking back that's all you got
The lyrics of Sam Baker's song Change depict the transformation that occurs in small towns over time. The verses describe the different stores and businesses that once existed in the town, such as a dry goods store, a flower shop, and a beauty parlor. There is also mention of an alcoholic cop and a barber with no nose, which adds to the gritty realism of the narrative. However, the chorus emphasizes the fact that these things change, and they change a lot. This is reminiscent of the passage of time and the inevitability of growth and transformation.
The second verse adds additional context to the narrative, stating that "those same little girls go to work in those stores, those same little boys they went away to wars". This illustrates how the town's occupants grew up and moved on, but also highlights the struggle of those who returned from war to find their jobs gone. The closing verse serves to summarize the themes of the song, a reminder that the past is out of reach, and there is no point dwelling on it.
Overall, the lyrics of Change highlight the transitory nature of life and how it unavoidably progresses. Despite this, the song does so in a way that is both poignant and nostalgic.
Line by Line Meaning
There was a dry goods store
The singer is describing a scene that he remembers - a store that sells fabric, clothes, and other similar items.
A flower shop
There was also a shop that sold flowers - this could be taken as a symbol of beauty and transience.
A barber with no nose
The singer describes the people that he saw in this memory - specifically noting the unusual appearance of the barber with a missing nose.
One alcoholic cop
Amidst this scene is also a cop, who is struggling with alcoholism. This could symbolize the corruption and decay of the society that the singer remembers.
A beauty parlor
Another shop is a beauty parlor, where people sit in chrome chairs to get their hair done. This emphasizes the idea of transience and superficial beauty.
Where they sit in chrome chairs
This line refers back to the beauty parlor, and emphasizes the similar, superficial displays that the singer remembers throughout the town.
Smells like they burned some poor ladies hair
The singer remembers the smell of burnt hair from the beauty parlor, which could symbolize the negative effects of societal obsession with appearance.
There were toys in the window
The singer also remembers a window with toys in it, which could symbolize the idea of childhood and innocence.
5 and dime
The toys were in the window of a store that sold cheap, inexpensive items. This could symbolize the lack of economic opportunity and the focus on cheap items as opposed to quality.
Little girl staring
The singer recalls a little girl looking at the toys, which could symbolize the loss of innocence and naivete.
Little boys whine
Alongside the little girl, the singer remembers a little boy whining about not being able to get the toy he wants. This could symbolize the lack of satisfaction and perpetual desire that people experience.
Half the toys in the window of the 5 and Dime
The singer notes that many of the toys in the window were cheap and looked ephemeral. This could symbolize the transience and lack of lasting value in the material world.
Things change
The singer notes that things change - this could symbolize the passage of time, and the idea that everything is temporary.
They change a lot
The singer emphasizes that things change so much that they become unrecognizable.
They grow cold they grow hot
The singer notes that things can become cold and distant, but also hot and intense - this could symbolize the changing nature of human relationships and emotions.
And if looking back that's all you got
The singer emphasizes the idea of memory, and suggests that even though everything changes, the past is what we have to hold onto and remember.
It don't matter anyway
The singer notes the seeming insignificance of memory - despite treasuring it, the past can ultimately seem irrelevant or unimportant.
Those same little girls go to work in those stores
The singer notes the cyclical, repeating nature of life - the little girls who once looked at toys now work in the very stores where they saw them.
Those same little boys they went away to wars
In contrast, the singer notes that little boys often go away to war - this could symbolize the idea of societal destruction and instability.
And when they came home
The singer notes the idea that war changes people irrevocably, and that coming home can never be the same.
All the jobs gone away
The singer notes that not only do things change, but that they also disappear - in this case, the jobs that people previously held have vanished.
Back to the places where they fought so far away
The singer notes the cyclical nature of life again - despite fighting wars, people must inevitably return to the place they came from.
Theyd hide beneath the dryers
The singer describes a memory of people hiding under dryers in the beauty parlor - this could symbolize the idea of hiding from the changing nature of the world around them.
They just sit there
The people in the beauty parlor just sit there, perhaps awaiting something that will never come - this could symbolize the stagnancy and apathy that arises when facing change.
Contributed by Colin P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.