Sam Shaber likes to make her fans happy. This is why, for the last two year… Read Full Bio ↴Sam Shaber likes to make her fans happy. This is why, for the last two years, she has been on a perpetual "Taper's Tour," inviting people to take home her unique blend of raw pop by recording the shows. She also likes to play "all-request" gigs where fans can email requests for their favorite Shaber songs in advance, effectively writing the set-list themselves.

Shaber took this one step further on February 18th, 2006 when she recorded her new live album, in my bones (live in chicago). Fans from all over the country were encouraged to email requests and the result is a collection of previously unreleased songs that have long been crowd favorites, such as the passionately yearning title track "In My Bones;" If I was alone on a desert island/ I wouldn't be alone/I'm never alone/'cause you're in my bones; the upbeat summer anthem "Jersey to O.C.;" Grab the great unknown/Lean in to every breeze/Unturn every stone/From Jersey to O.C.; and the most requested song, "Cryin' Shame," about a lovesick teenage Scottish boy (complete with accent!); It's a cryin' shame/That you don't even know my name/An' ah swear sometimes it smarts/To feel you breathing down my heart.

There are also some tracks of pure Shaber banter, covering everything from high school crushes to Grey's Anatomy to a dinner party filled with sexually charged guests. Always impromptu, these moments are another large reason people love to see Sam live in concert. She is known for sending the audience from roaring laughter to deep saddness and back again in a matter of minutes. After a recent show, an audience member put it best when she sighed, "That was a work-out." Gene Shay at WXPN-fm in Philadelphia says Shaber is "Stark, raving, great!" Folkweb.com calls her "a riveting performer," and Femmusic.com voted her Top Female Performer.

Touring nationally year 'round, Shaber has won awards in the John Lennon, Billboard, and USA Songwriting Competitions for her driving melodies, smart lyrics, and soaring voice. She also won the ear of Columbia recording artist/producer Shawn Mullins ("Lullabye"), who produced her last album, eighty numbered streets, released in 2003 to great critical acclaim. Said Paste Magazine, "eighty numbered streets is confessional and emotional, but Shaber's salty falsetto and the stark beauty of this CD won't leave you drowning in your own tears." Daughter of late-screenwriter David Shaber (The Warriors, Nighthawks) and artist Alice Shaber, Sam uses her observer's eye and sharp wit. Her strong guitar style and broad voice have won comparisons as diverse as Alanis Morissette, Joni Mitchell, and Stevie Wonder. And her passion for showing an audience a good time is never more clear than in this intimate, raw, live release. Because in my bones is put together without pauses, the listener lives an entire show from beginning to end, a true document of one night, one Shaber, in Chicago.

Hush-a-Bye
Sam Shaber Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Hush-a-bye Baby down
Just save your breath
Stop spinning 'round so
Just let time drip down
My back
Down down

Slow down

Why do you dance so fast
Like a hummingbird in a hicktown
Just let time drip down
My sides
Down down

Let me whisper slowly in your ear
Secrets spilled out close and clear
We could spend the next 36 years
Right here

'Cause I have watched the moon set
And I have seen the snow turn into rain and back to snow again
And I have watched the lights go out on the towers at the center of town

Hush-a-bye Baby down
Might as well save your breath
Velocity don't make you younger
Just let time drip down
My shoulders

Let me whisper slowly in your ear
Secrets spilled out close and clear
We could spend the next 43 years
Right here

Let me whisper slowly in your ear
Secrets spilled out close and clear

We could spend the next 69 years
Right here

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Sam Shaber’s “Hush-a-Bye” are a reminder to slow down and savor life, instead of rushing through it. The song opens with the singer urging the baby to calm down, to stop spinning around and just let time pass by. The second verse addresses someone else, perhaps an adult, who also moves too quickly, comparing them to a “hummingbird in a hicktown.” The singer then proposes spending years together, suggesting that they could make the most of their time and enjoy each other's company until the end. The repetition of the words “hush-a-bye” is soothing and lullaby-like, which reinforces the idea of slowing down, getting comfortable, and taking the time to appreciate life.

Throughout the song, the singer reminisces about seeing the moon set and watching the snow turn into rain and then back into snow again. These are moments that can pass us by if we don’t take the time to notice them. The final line about the lights on the towers suggests the passing of time and how even the brightest lights eventually go out. By using these images, the song encourages us to appreciate the fleeting moments of life before they disappear, and to spend that time with loved ones.

Overall, “Hush-a-Bye” is a gentle reminder to take life at a slower pace and cherish the time we have.

Line by Line Meaning

Hush-a-bye Baby down
Please calm down, baby.

Just save your breath
Don't waste your breath by being restless.

Stop spinning 'round so
Don't be so restless and take things slowly.

Just let time drip down
Be patient and let things happen naturally.

My back
I am here to support you.

Slow down
Take things slower.

Why do you dance so fast
Why are you in such a hurry?

Like a hummingbird in a hicktown
Like a busy bird in a small town.

Just let time drip down
Don't be impatient, let things happen at their own pace.

My sides
I am here for you, beside you.