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.
Truale
Sam Baker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
One long straight line
There's a ranch house out of nowhere
There's a crossroad, there's a sign
Her daddy slapped her alive
Her doctor still in town cause he's too drunk to drive
Signing Truale, Truale, Truale, true
There were horses horses horses to ride
Dapple of grace, wide open skies
There were pintos, bathed running in stride
Wind her face, it was like she could fly
Signing Truale, Truale, Truale, true
There was oil, oil, there was oil to be found
Everywhere you put a boot, there was oil in the ground
Oil in the ground and oil in the mud
You pump long enough it gets in the blood
Signing Truale, Truale, Truale, true
She turned 15 took a roughneck with a hand-done tattoo
They run off in his hotrod 442
And driving all night, drinking all day
Ended up down in Dallas in a family way
Signing Truale, Truale, Truale, true
Came back and turned 30
Her and the girls
Never said why she left
But she wore country pearls
Says to her father, "No questions, no lies"
She drove a t-bird with the top down
Cold beer between her thighs
Signing Truale, Truale, Truale, true
There were horses, horses, horses to ride
Dapples of grace wide open skies
There were pintos, bathed running full stride
The wind in her face it was like she could fly
Singing truale truale truale true
The lyrics to Sam Baker's song "Truale" tell the story of a woman's life journey from her birth on a ranch house to her eventual return back to her hometown. The first verse sets the scene on her birthplace at a ranch house, where she was born after her father slapped her alive. The lyrics indicate that her mother might have died during childbirth, and her doctor was too drunk to drive. However, the newborn girl had horses to ride, running free under the open skies. The chorus repeats the word "Truale" three times, which could be either a name or a call for something true.
As the woman grows older, the second verse describes how the town she was born in changed after the discovery of oil. Her future husband was a roughneck with a tattoo, and they ran off to Dallas, where they ended up having a child. However, she returned home alone many years later, still wearing her country pearls and driving a T-bird with cold beer between her thighs, which indicates that she lived life on her terms. Finally, the chorus repeats "Truale" three more times, bringing the song to a close.
In summary, "Truale" tells the tale of a woman's journey through life, with the lyrics filled with symbolism, metaphors, and significant events; it shows the challenges of growing up in a changing world and finding one's way back home.
Line by Line Meaning
Drive an hour outta dalhart
It takes a one-hour drive from Dalhart.
One long straight line
The road leading to the destination is one straight line.
There's a ranch house out of nowhere
Suddenly, out of nowhere, appears a ranch house.
There's a crossroad, there's a sign
After the ranch house, there is a sign and a crossroad junction.
She is born that ranch house
The girl was born in that ranch house.
Her daddy slapped her alive
Her father tried to bring her back to life by slapping her.
Her doctor still in town cause he's too drunk to drive
The doctor was still in town because he was too drunk to drive to deliver the baby.
Signing Truale, Truale, Truale, true
She repeatedly sings and signs 'Truale, Truale, Truale, true'.
There were horses horses horses to ride
There were plenty of horses to ride.
Dapple of grace, wide open skies
The horses had a smooth motion and the skies were spacious.
There were pintos, bathed running in stride
The pintos were bathed and ran together in a rhythm.
Wind her face, it was like she could fly
The wind in her face made her feel like flying.
There was oil, oil, there was oil to be found
There was plenty of oil to be found everywhere.
Everywhere you put a boot, there was oil in the ground
There was oil everywhere, even under your boots.
Oil in the ground and oil in the mud
There was oil in the ground and mud.
You pump long enough it gets in the blood
If you pump oil long enough, it gets into the blood.
She turned 15 took a roughneck with a hand-done tattoo
At 15, she fell in love with a roughneck who had a hand-done tattoo.
They run off in his hotrod 442
They drove away in his hotrod 442.
And driving all night, drinking all day
They drove all night and drank all day.
Ended up down in Dallas in a family way
They ended up in Dallas, pregnant.
Came back and turned 30
She returned at the age of 30.
Her and the girls
She and her girlfriends.
Never said why she left
She never told anyone why she left.
But she wore country pearls
She wore country pearls.
Says to her father, 'No questions, no lies'
She tells her father not to ask questions or lie.
She drove a t-bird with the top down
She drove a T-bird convertible with the top down.
Cold beer between her thighs
She had a cold beer between her thighs while driving.
There were horses, horses, horses to ride
Again, there were plenty of horses to ride.
Dapples of grace wide open skies
The horses had the same smooth motion with the wide open skies.
There were pintos, bathed running full stride
The same pintos were running at full stride.
The wind in her face it was like she could fly
Again, the wind in her face made her feel like flying.
Singing truale truale truale true
One more time, she sang and signed 'Truale, Truale, Truale, true.'
Contributed by London V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.