Sam Phillips (born January 28, 1962 as Leslie Phillips) is a singer/songwr… Read Full Bio ↴Sam Phillips (born January 28, 1962 as Leslie Phillips) is a singer/songwriter from Glendale, California, United States.

Phillips began her musical career as a vocalist in the early 1980s, singing background parts for Christian artists such as Mark Heard, Randy Stonehill, and others. After a short time, Phillips was signed to a solo contract with Myrrh Records (under her given name) where she went on to record four Christian pop albums: Beyond Saturday Night, Dancing with Danger, Black & White in a Grey World, and, The Turning, which teamed her with producer and future husband T-Bone Burnett. Throughout the Myrrh period, Phillips wrote more and more of her own songs and several were Top 10 singles on Christian radio.

Since Cyndi Lauper was popular at the time and also had an high-pitched, idiosyncratic vocal style, Myrrh insisted on promoting her as "the Christian Cyndi Lauper." Phillips was never comfortable with this image, and it was a bone of contention between her and the label. She began using the name "Sam" professionally in 1988 when she left Myrrh Records and signed with Virgin Records, partially in order to distance herself from her somewhat embarrassing Myrrh-imposed persona.

Like many Christian artists before her, she expanded into more secular content at the new label. She released The Indescribable Wow, which featured the orchestrations of Van Dyke Parks. Cruel Inventions, which was released in 1991, included a guest appearance from close friend Elvis Costello, and she (with her husband) supported Costello on his 1991 tour. 1994's Martinis & Bikinis was widely praised by music critics and was even nominated for a Grammy Award; this was Phillips' first nomination.

In 1995, Phillips made her silver screen debut in the Bruce Willis blockbuster Die Hard With a Vengeance, in which she played a mute terrorist. She was originally supposed to have a speaking part in the film but it was decided that her character would be silent, since it made her appear much more imposing and lethal, although it also placed her in a more stereotypically femme fatale role at the same time.

In 1996, Phillips released Omnipop (It's Only a Flesh Wound Lambchop), which was more experimental musically and ended up being her worst-selling album to date. After releasing a contractual obligation "best-of" album for Virgin in 1999, the label dropped Phillips from their roster.

In 2001, Phillips signed with Nonesuch Records and released a stripped-down acoustic album called Fan Dance, which featured some of the most critically acclaimed songwriting of Phillips' career. Van Dyke Parks contributed string arrangements for a track or two. Phillips also began writing music for and scoring the television series Gilmore Girls, and even appeared on-screen during the final episode of season six, performing Taking Pictures. In 2004 she released A Boot and a Shoe, another collection of acoustic cabaret songs in the same vein as her previous album.

Sam returned with a new album don't do anything in 2008. In October 2009 Sam launched Long Play, an exclusively web-based membership site which promised subscribers 5 digital EPs and 1 full-length digital album over the course of about one year. A physical "best of" compilation of Long Play songs, titled Solid State, was released in June 2011.

One Day Late
Sam Phillips Lyrics

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Help is coming, help is coming
One day late, one day late
After you've given up and all is gone
Help is coming one day late

Help is coming, help is coming
One day late, one day late
After you've given up and all is gone

Help is coming one day late

Try to understand you try to fix your broken hands
But remember that there always has been good
Like stars you don't see in the day sky
Wait till night

For help is coming, help is coming
One day late, one day late
After you've given up and all is gone
Help is coming one day late

Life has kept me down
I've been growing on the ground
Now I'm coming up and when time opens the earth
You'll see love has been moving all around us, making waves

So help is coming, help is coming
One day late, one day late
After you've given up and all is gone
Help is coming one day late

Help is coming one day
Help is coming

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "One Day Late" by Sam Phillips speak to the idea that help, while not always timely, is still coming. The repeated phrase "help is coming, help is coming, one day late, one day late" suggests that even if we feel abandoned or isolated in our struggles, we can still hold onto hope that help will arrive.

The second verse acknowledges the effort put into trying to fix our own problems, while also reminding us of the possibility of good in the world. The comparison to stars in the day sky suggests that even when we can't see the help we need, it's still present and we just need to wait for the right time to see it.

The third verse picks up on the theme of perseverance, with lines like "life has kept me down" and "I've been growing on the ground." But again, the hope remains that eventually, love will prevail and help will come, even if it's not exactly when we want it.

Overall, the message of "One Day Late" is one of resilience and hope. The repeated refrain of "help is coming" serves as a reminder to keep holding on, even in the toughest of times.

Line by Line Meaning

Help is coming, help is coming
Assurance to not lose hope as help is going to arrive soon

One day late, one day late
Although there might be a delay, help will still come

After you've given up and all is gone
A time when everything seems hopeless and there is no other way to turn

Help is coming one day late
Help that arrives after we have given up but is still in time to change things

Try to understand you try to fix your broken hands
Even when things seem impossible, attempt to fix them

But remember that there always has been good
Despite feeling bad, there is always something positive which can bring hope again

Like stars you don't see in the day sky
Hope becomes concealed when it is difficult to find it but it will shine brightly in the end

Wait till night
Patience is a necessity for hope to succeed

Life has kept me down
Life has been tough

I've been growing on the ground
The hardships made this person stronger

Now I'm coming up and when time opens the earth
Time has come to face challenges and rise above them