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.
Iron
Sam Baker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He loves his work
He drives hours each day
He's never been hurt
Got burns on the sleeves of his shirt
He drinks too much when stuff gets heavy
He can't think straight his mind gets hazy
He stops at a sports bar and everybody knows he's a flirt
So he's driving to work
With his head split open
From last nights drinking and last nights smoking
And he never got home
And now there will be hell to pay
'Cause she'll be yelling and he'll be screaming
And the kids will be crying
Like a house full of demons
Says to himself, "Why do people live this way?'
She says to Lou Ann, "He's the father of my babies
I know you think I'm wrong, I know you think I'm crazy
Sticking around while he's drunk all over town
But you don't see he can be so sweet
He only gets mean when he gets in his drink
He's good to the kids
It's just sometimes he gets down"
Iron drops bad
You know it just seems to fit
He gets busted on his wells
He wants to just quit
He wants to curl up tight on a cold white ground and cry
But he works full shift
Picks up a six
It's almost Christmas
The roads are getting slick
She's gonna be at the door
Gonna be hell of a fight
So he's an hour out of Lincoln
No shoulder on the road
Its dark and its snowing
He oughtta go slow
But he pushes it forward
Planes and slides like a sled
The tires hit the edge
He spins at the top
The truck slides low in the ditch till it stops
It hurts where he banged his head
So he sits in the cab
He can't read the gauges
The wipers whip like wind over pagers
It's loud
There's static on the radio
It gets too light to see
He just stares
It gets too light to see
And then he gets scared
Then the light was gone
Just wipers, wind turned snow
Well she says to Lou Ann, "He's the father of my babies
I know you think I'm wrong, I know you think I'm crazy
Sticking around when he's drunk all over town
But you don't see, he can be so sweet
He only gets mean when he gets in his drink
He's good to the kids
Its just sometimes he gets down"
So he pulls back on
He drives real slow
Throws the last of the six out the window in the snow
Something's changed
Saw light, he should have seen dark
That's the last time he drank
Still a hell of a fight
She knew he wasn't lying when he told her about the light
She knew he wasn't lying about the light
(Girl)
"It's iron that he hangs
He loves his work
Drives hours each day
He's never been hurt
Got a back of steel
Got burns on the sleeves of his shirt"
The song "Iron" by Sam Baker tells the story of a man's struggles with alcoholism and the toll it takes on his relationships and daily life. The singer is a hard-working man who loves his job as a welder, but he often drinks heavily after work to cope with the stress. He frequently drives while under the influence, and the song ends with him getting into a car accident while trying to make it home for Christmas.
The lyrics paint a vivid picture of the man's life, showing both his strengths as a worker and his weaknesses as an addict. The image of him hanging iron and wearing burns on his sleeves conveys his toughness and resilience, while his tendency to flirt and get into fights at the sports bar highlights his reckless behavior when he drinks. The repeated refrain about the "light" that he sees on the road adds a haunting sense of foreboding to the song, suggesting that his addiction will inevitably lead to a tragic end.
Line by Line Meaning
Well it's iron that he hangs
This man is using iron to do his job.
He loves his work
Despite the hardships, he loves his work.
He drives hours each day
He travels a long distance every day for work.
He's never been hurt
Despite his dangerous job, he has never been injured.
Got a back of steel
His back is strong and able to endure physical strain.
Got burns on the sleeves of his shirt
His job involves high temperatures and is likely a physically demanding one.
He drinks too much when stuff gets heavy
When he's under a lot of stress, he resorts to heavy drinking.
He can't think straight his mind gets hazy
Due to his excessive drinking, he has difficulty thinking clearly.
He stops at a sports bar and everybody knows he's a flirt
He visits a local bar where he is a known flirt.
So he's driving to work
He is on his way to work.
With his head split open
He has a wound on his head.
From last nights drinking and last nights smoking
He got injured due to his actions from the night before.
And he never got home
He did not go home after drinking the previous night.
And now there will be hell to pay
He knows he will face severe consequences for his actions.
'Cause she'll be yelling and he'll be screaming
He knows there will be arguing and screaming at home.
And the kids will be crying
The children will be upset due to the fighting.
Like a house full of demons
The fighting at home will be chaotic and loud.
Says to himself, "Why do people live this way?'
He questions why people live such tumultuous lives.
She says to Lou Ann, "He's the father of my babies
She defends staying with him because he is the father of her children.
I know you think I'm wrong, I know you think I'm crazy
She acknowledges that her actions might seem irrational to others.
Sticking around while he's drunk all over town
She stays with him even though he drinks heavily and behaves recklessly.
But you don't see he can be so sweet
She emphasizes that he is not always aggressive and is capable of being kind.
He only gets mean when he gets in his drink
His aggression is primarily triggered by alcohol.
He's good to the kids
He is a good father.
It's just sometimes he gets down
He experiences emotional lows from time to time.
Iron drops bad
Something goes wrong while he is working with iron.
You know it just seems to fit
The weight of the situation seems appropriate given his line of work.
He gets busted on his wells
An incident occurs at his workplace.
He wants to just quit
He feels overwhelmed and wants to resign.
He wants to curl up tight on a cold white ground and cry
He feels miserable and wishes to numb his emotions.
But he works full shift
Despite his emotional distress, he continues to work his entire shift.
Picks up a six
He picks up a six-pack of beer.
It's almost Christmas
The situation is happening around the holiday season.
The roads are getting slick
Conditions on the road are becoming dangerous due to the weather.
She's gonna be at the door
He knows there will be a confrontation with his partner when he arrives home.
Gonna be hell of a fight
He expects an intense argument to take place.
So he's an hour out of Lincoln
He has been driving for an hour and hasn't reached his destination yet.
No shoulder on the road
The road he is driving on does not have a shoulder.
Its dark and its snowing
The weather conditions are making it difficult to see while driving.
He oughtta go slow
He knows it would be safer to drive slower.
But he pushes it forward
Despite the risks, he continues to drive aggressively.
Planes and slides like a sled
His vehicle skids on the slick road surface like a sled on snow.
The tires hit the edge
His tires come into contact with the side of the road.
He spins at the top
His car spins at the top of the ditch.
The truck slides low in the ditch till it stops
His vehicle moves down and comes to a stop in the ditch.
It hurts where he banged his head
The wound on his head starts to hurt.
So he sits in the cab
He stays in his car.
He can't read the gauges
He is unable to read the dials on his dashboard.
The wipers whip like wind over pagers
The windshield wipers move rapidly back and forth.
It's loud
The sounds around him are very loud.
There's static on the radio
The radio signal is poor and there is a lot of interference.
It gets too light to see
The visibility outside improves.
He just stares
He is too shocked to respond and just looks around.
And then he gets scared
He starts to feel frightened.
Then the light was gone
The moment of clarity disappears.
Just wipers, wind turned snow
The only sounds are the wipers and the wind-blown snow.
He pulls back on
He regains control of himself and the situation.
He drives real slow
He begins to drive cautiously and slowly.
Throws the last of the six out the window in the snow
He throws away the remainder of his beer out of guilt or shame.
Something's changed
He has gained a new perspective following the incident.
Saw light, he should have seen dark
He had an epiphany and realized what he was doing was wrong or misguided.
That's the last time he drank
He has made the decision to stop drinking.
Still a hell of a fight
Despite his resolve, he knows there will be a difficult confrontation at home.
She knew he wasn't lying when he told her about the light
She believes him when he says he has changed his behavior.
She knew he wasn't lying about the light
She believes him when he says he has changed his behavior.
(Girl)
"It's iron that he hangs
He loves his work
Drives hours each day
He's never been hurt
Got a back of steel
Got burns on the sleeves of his shirt"
This is a refrain that captures the essence of the man's job and his physical and emotional endurance.
Contributed by Kaitlyn C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.