My story begins in 1993 in Houston, TX. I was ten years old and would fall asleep at night listening to my cassettes (usually of the mix-tape variety) and imagining myself performing the songs in front of an auditorium full of people. For a kid who’s singing parts in the school play were quickly rewritten into spoken lines, it was a long shot. In fifth-grade, my best friend, Dan, and I decided that we would start a band. It didn’t matter that neither of us could play an instrument or sing and though we never actually decided on a name our buddy Peter quickly signed on as band manager. We were on our way! On the day after Christmas Dan had a snare drum, I had an acoustic-guitar, and our still-nameless band had a surefire shot at taking over the airwaves. After three and a half years (and just two guitar lessons) we parted ways for high school and our shot at rock stardom seemed faded forever.
Most of the kids at my new school had known each other for years and high school for me consisted mostly of riding the bench on my high school football team, coating my face with Clearasil, and sneaking an occasional beer out of the fridge. One night in my junior year still stands out to me though. I went with a group of friends to see the Dave Matthews Band at the amphitheater just outside of Houston. What should have been a normal exercise in high school sociology and newfound independence turned into much more. I remember staring at the stage during the encore; we had lawn seats and the band looked like a group of ants, still, there was something incredibly electric coming from the stage. To this day I don’t know how to describe it but as I stood there watching I knew, “That is what I have to do.” It wasn’t a case of just wanting something, it was like I was being pulled into it. I didn’t say much on the way home that night, nor the next day at school, but I definitely felt different.
Just over a year later I found myself in Atlanta determined to prove to myself that I could survive going to college far away from my home in Texas. Though it was hard leaving my friends and family, I knew on the very first day that I had made the right decision. The opportunity to start over seemed nearly miraculous. I had been quiet in high school. Not quite shy, just more reserved. But in a dorm room eight hundred miles from home, I found a new sense of confidence and self-assuredness. I wasn’t just the new kid - I was one of thousands; and I was suddenly more outgoing that I had been before. One afternoon I was playing guitar in my room with the door propped open when a kid that I had met a few days earlier came in and said that he played as well. His name was Rich and he brought his guitar over and we played a few songs together. That night Rich and I sat on a couch in one of the common rooms and played while a group of kids began to come in and listen. Each night that week we played and each night the small crowd grew larger. With the encouragement of our new friends we went to the nearest bar to offer our services in exchange for a few pitchers of cheap beer and all of a sudden we had ourselves a weekly gig. We couldn’t believe our luck. We soon started writing our own songs and mixing them into our performances.
When Rich left Atlanta for a semester to study abroad I continued to write and pick up gigs around town. The songs I wrote during this period became the beginning of my first album, Above the Underneath. A friend of mine owned a studio and I started recording there in early 2004. I paid for the sessions by playing as many gigs in as many bars as I could. My social life quickly began to disappear as I would head to studio whenever I had a couple of hours in between classes and gigs. Finally in April of 2005 the album was finished and ready to go. I graduated in the following month and rather than getting a job I hired an agent. Since then I’ve been playing shows and writing songs as a full-time job and I couldn’t be happier. My fifth-grade dream that seemed so distant and impossible has come true. I play music for and with my friends every day. I’ve shared stages and written songs with artists that I used to line up to buy tickets to see. I have a band that is made up of musicians who humble and inspire me on a daily basis. I am incredibly grateful to the people who listen to and spread my music, come to my shows, and allow me to keep doing what I love.
At present, I am writing songs for a new album. I’m hoping to begin recording with my band this summer. The new songs are the best that I have ever written and I can’t wait to get them recorded. The shows also continue to get better and better. Each night something new and exciting happens and I love getting to share that with the folks who come out to watch and listen. And although I don’t know where I’ll be in the coming months and years, I do know exactly what I’ll be doing – I’ll be writing and playing my songs, telling my story.
- Sam Thacker 5/16/07
As promised, here is the brief run down of facts and stats:
- Debut album, Above the Underneath, is independently recorded and released in 2005. The album is heralded as “simply one of the best undiscovered gems of 2005” (Krissie Callahan, Just Another Song).
- Serenade, the first single from Above the Underneath, garners radio airplay on both commercial and satellite radio. The song is officially added to rotation on Top 40 station Hot 104.9-FM in Tallahassee, FL. Program and Music Director for the station, Brian O’Conner raves, “Sam is just one of those guys that knows how to connect to his audience – it pays dividends for him on stage and on radio. Serenade is reacting in Tallahassee RIGHT NOW!”
- Performed alongside Better Than Ezra, Collective Soul, Sister Hazel, Tonic, Gavin DeGraw, and Marc Broussard on The Rock Boat – “The World’s Greatest Floating Music Festival” – in 2004 and 2007.
- Shared stages with The Fray, The Doobie Brothers, Edwin McCain, Corey Smith, Sister Hazel, Jonny Lang, Cowboy Mouth, and Angie Aparo among others.
- Recent songwriting collaborations include works with Emerson Hart (of Tonic), Charlie Mars, Aslyn, Duncan Coutts (of Our Lady Peace), Nate Butler, and Johnny Andrews.
- “We can expect to hear a lot from Sam Thacker. His incredible talent and strikingly honest vocals take over any venue he plays” (Ashley Hesseltine, Jezebel Magazine).
- “Thacker writes with the maturity of a seasoned songwriter and has an undeniable knack for weaving beautiful melodies” (Krissie Callahan, Just Another Song).
Yes
Sam Thacker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
yes i was yours
yes you left me right when i needed you
yes you showed me what i don't want to be
yes you would and yes you did
for a moment make me doubt myself
and yes you made stronger
now that you're gone
we're out of time
i try to be out of breath
and still turning it on
night after night
to bad we can't stop now
still i can't tell you where I'm from
so I'm moving on to another round
the same ol' shit
that put me in this place
I'm moving on so don't bring me down
cause you're only gonna see the best of me
yeah
yes you had me
yes i was yours
yes you left me right when i needed you
yes you showed me what i don't want to be
yes you would and yes you did
for a moment make me doubt myself
and yes you made stronger
now that you're gone
are we losing or lost
just so we're clear now
i don't need your spare change
ooh it can't be easy to watch
it's much harder to feel now
someone else inside of me
so I'm moving on to another round
the same ol' shit
that put me in this place
I'm moving on so don't ya bring me down
cause you're only gonna see the best of me
yeah
yes you had me
yes i was yours
yes you left me right when i needed you
yes you showed me what i don't want to be
yes you would and yes you did
for a moment make me doubt myself
and yes you made stronger
now that you're gone
all you had to say was you're not ready to give up no
i just want to be here
like this here ground beneath my feet again
all you had to be was on my side on my side
yes you had me
yes i was yours
yes you left me right when i needed you
yes you showed me what i don't want to be
yes you would and yes you did
for a moment make me doubt myself
and yes you made stronger
now that you're gone
now that you're gone
yeah yeah
yeah yeah
now that you're
The song "Yes" by Sam Thacker speaks about a past relationship of the singer and the struggles he had to go through during and after it. The lyrics begin by acknowledging that the singer was indeed in love with his partner (Yes you had me, yes, I was yours), but also, the relationship ended when he needed the other person the most (Yes, you left me right when I needed you). The singer then admits that the person he was with showed him what kind of partner he did not want to be, and the bond was also shaken when the partner made him doubt himself for a brief moment. Despite all the difficulties, the singer chooses to see the positive side and embraces the strength he gained after the other person was gone.
In the chorus, the singer declares his decision to move on from the relationship and the heartache that it brought (So I'm moving on to another round, the same ol' shit that put me in this place, I'm moving on, so don't bring me down, cause you're only gonna see the best of me). The second verse starts with the singer questioning the status of the relationship and accepting that they might have lost each other already. He then firmly states that he does not need any kind of petty help from the other person, and moving on is the only feasible solution. The lyrics end with the singer expressing his disappointment at the missed opportunity of his partner supporting him and standing by his side during tough times (All you had to say was you're not ready to give up, no, I just want to be here, like this here ground beneath my feet again, all you had to be was on my side, on my side).
Line by Line Meaning
yes you had me
You had my love, attention, and devotion
yes i was yours
I belonged to you, I was yours completely
yes you left me right when i needed you
You abandoned me when I needed you the most
yes you showed me what i don't want to be
You exposed me to negative traits and qualities that I don't want to emulate
yes you would and yes you did
for a moment make me doubt myself
You were able to make me doubt myself, even if only for a brief period of time
and yes you made stronger
now that you're gone
But ultimately, your absence made me stronger and more resilient
we're out of time
There's no more time to waste
i try to be out of breath
and still turning it on
night after night
I push myself to the limit every night with my performances, even if it means exhausting myself
to bad we can't stop now
Unfortunately, we can't afford to pause or stop our journey
still i can't tell you where I'm from
Despite everything, I still feel lost and uncertain about my identity and roots
so I'm moving on to another round
the same ol' shit
that put me in this place
But I'm choosing to keep moving forward and facing the same challenges and struggles that led me to where I am now
I'm moving on so don't bring me down
I'm leaving behind my past and those who held me back, so please don't try to pull me back into negativity
cause you're only gonna see the best of me
yeah
I'm determined to show everyone my best self, no matter what obstacles or setbacks I encounter
are we losing or lost
just so we're clear now
I'm not sure if we're still in the process of losing or have already lost, but I need to clarify it
i don't need your spare change
I don't want any charity or handouts from you, I want to earn my success on my own
ooh it can't be easy to watch
it's much harder to feel now
someone else inside of me
It must be difficult for you to witness my growth and transformation, but it's even more challenging for me to experience it firsthand
all you had to say was you're not ready to give up no
i just want to be here
like this here ground beneath my feet again
all you had to be was on my side on my side
All you had to do was show some support and solidarity, and be there for me when I needed you. But instead, you left me vulnerable and alone
now that you're gone
yeah yeah
yeah yeah
now that you're
Now that you're out of my life, I can finally move on and thrive in my own way
Contributed by Bailey P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.