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.
Mary-Anne
Sam Shaber Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Like a distant tower blinking in a smooth night sky
Like the final chord ringing from a baby grand
Like the moment when he first met Mary-Anne
There's a certain color like a slow September sunrise
Like a southern ocean softly touched by moonlight
Like the perfect shell smiling up from the sand
He felt a certain peace like a house by the sea
As he took her hand
Like such a lucky man
To share the love song with Mary-Anne
There's a certain power like a river rushing free
Like an ancient lighthouse guarding over the sea
Like a midnight train speeding over land
Like his heartbeat the day he married Mary-Anne
The lyrics to Sam Shaber's song Mary-Anne express a sense of peacefulness and contentment that comes with certain experiences or moments in life. The opening lines compare this feeling to a quiet Sunday morning drive, a distant blinking tower, and the final chord ringing from a baby grand. This suggests that the feeling is one of calmness and harmony. The second verse compares this feeling to a slow September sunrise and a southern ocean touched by moonlight, emphasizing the gentle and peaceful nature of it. The final verse describes a sense of power and strength, akin to a river rushing free, an ancient lighthouse guarding the sea, and a midnight train speeding over land.
The repeated mention of Mary-Anne implies that this sense of peace and contentment is tied to a single person or relationship. The lyrics describe the moment when he first met Mary-Anne, the blood in his veins when he first kissed her, and the day he married her, alluding to a love that has been present throughout different stages of his life. The final lines express gratitude and a feeling of being lucky to share the love song with Mary-Anne.
Overall, the lyrics to Mary-Anne are a beautiful representation of how certain experiences and moments can evoke a sense of peace and contentment. By tying the feeling to a specific person or relationship, the song suggests that love and connection are a fundamental part of this sense of harmony.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a certain quiet like a Sunday morning drive
There's a stillness that resembles a calm, peaceful drive on a Sunday morning
Like a distant tower blinking in a smooth night sky
There's a remote tower flickering in a tranquil night sky
Like the final chord ringing from a baby grand
There's a harmonious final note sounding from a baby grand piano
Like the moment when he first met Mary-Anne
There's an indescribable feeling akin to the moment he encountered Mary-Anne
There's a certain color like a slow September sunrise
There's a warm color akin to a gradual September morning sunrise
Like a southern ocean softly touched by moonlight
There's an ocean in the south quietly illuminated by moonlight
Like the perfect shell smiling up from the sand
There's an immaculate shell charmingly strewn on the sand
Like the blood in his veins when he first kissed Mary-Anne
There's a visceral rush similar to feeling his blood coursing through his veins during his first kiss with Mary-Anne
He felt a certain peace like a house by the sea
He experienced a sense of calmness like residing in a seaside house
As he took her hand
Upon holding her hand
Like such a lucky man
He felt incredibly fortunate
To share the love song with Mary-Anne
To sing a love song with Mary-Anne
There's a certain power like a river rushing free
There's a unique prowess similar to an unbridled river coursing through
Like an ancient lighthouse guarding over the sea
Like an age-old lighthouse overlooking the ocean
Like a midnight train speeding over land
There's a feeling akin to a locomotive traveling swiftly through the night
Like his heartbeat the day he married Mary-Anne
Recollecting his heart pounding on the day he wed Mary-Anne
Contributed by Natalie E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.