She moved to Nashville, Tennessee in 1991 with the goal of becoming a country artist. Songwriter Harlan Howard heard Sara as she sung a demo of one of his songs, "Tiger By the Tail" at County Q Studios**, and decided she should sing his music. She went under contract with RCA.
In 1997 Evans released her first album Three Chords and the Truth. Critics praised the album for returning to traditional country and recognized it on many of their top ten of the year lists. Unfortunately, it did not catch on with country radio at the time and none of the three singles made the top 40.
In 1998 Evans released her sophomore album No Place That Far. Critics slammed her for choosing a more pop/country oriented album. Her first single "Cryin' Game" hardly charted. It would be her next single "No Place That Far," a duet with Vince Gill, that would be her first number one single. The album has been certified gold. She actually had been a backup singer for Vince Gill, which definitely played a role in showcasing her talents and leading her ever growing popularity and success.
Evans released her "make it or break it" album, Born To Fly in 2000. Her first single "Born To Fly" hit the number one spot and proved to be her biggest hit until "Suds in the Bucket." The hits kept coming in as her next single "I Could Not Ask For More" hit the number two spot. "Saints and Angels," Evans' favorite song on the album, hit the number sixteen spot and the last single "I Keep Looking" made it to the number five spot. Thus far, the album has been certified double platinum.
Evans led the pack as the most nominated artist at the 2001 Country Music Association awards with seven nominations, and won her first CMA award when her song “Born to Fly” won the award for Video of the Year.
In 2003 Evans released Restless. This album showed her versatility as the songs combined different genres such as country, pop, blues, and soul. The album's first single "Backseat of a Greyhound Bus" went to number sixteen. The next single, "Perfect," went to number two. The next single "Suds in the Bucket" went to number one and became her biggest hit since "Born to Fly" and quickly became a fan favorite among her songs. The next single "Tonight" failed to reach the top 40. Restless has been certified platinum.
In 2004 Evans was the most played female singer on country music radio thanks to singles such as "Suds in the Bucket" and "Perfect."
In 2005, Sara Evans struck gold with the country ballad "A Real Fine Place to Start". With help from this single her album Real Fine Place was propelled to No.1 on the top of the country charts and No. 3 on the pop charts with over 130,000 copies sold in the first week, nearly tripling the sales from her last album debut Restless. Real Fine Place was the best debuting album of her career. The single from the album stood on top of the Billboard and Radio and Record Charts for two weeks. Evans was nominated for two CMA awards, including the prestigious "Female Vocalist of the Year" and prized "Musical Event of the Year" (the latter in part due to her duet with Brad Paisley, "New Again"). However, she lost in both categories. Sara went on the road with Brad Paisley and newcomers Sugarland on Brad's "Time Well Wasted Tour". Her current single "Cheatin'" has quickly become the fastest rising single of her career. Real Fine Place has recently been certified gold.
On December 6, 2005 Sara released Feels Like Home through Cracker Barrel stores. The album consists of alternate versions of some of her most memorable songs. For example, there is an acoustic version of "No Place That Far," a live version of "Born To Fly," and several other versions of her most popular songs.
Rockin' Horse
Sara Evans Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
From an old oak tree
Just missed the house
When it was hit by lightning
My daddy painted that horse
A midnight blue
Shooting stars and silver horse shoes
And it was something magic out of somethin' frightening
That's how I live my life
I take it as it comes
And I find the hidden love
When its pouring down on me
In my mind, I see the rocking horse inside the tree
A broken heart (broken heart)
Means deeper feelings
Thorn in the flesh (thorn in the flesh)
Means room for healing
Oh, salt in your tears (oh, salt in your tears)
Can open your eyes
Wounded years (wounded years)
Make you realize
That it's just something magic out of something frightening
That's how I live my life
I take it as it comes
And I find the hidden love
When it's pouring down on me
In my mind
I see the rocking horse inside the tree
Ooh, things aren't always as they seem
Ooh, take the nightmare from my dreams
That's how I live my life
I take it as it comes
And I find the hidden love
When it's pouring down on me
In my mind
I see the rocking horse inside the tree
Oh, the tree
Yeah, the tree
Oh, the tree
In Sara Evans's song "Rockin' Horse," she sings about a childhood memory that has stayed with her as a symbol of resilience and magic. The rockin' horse, which came from an old oak tree that was struck by lightning, was painted by her father in a midnight blue color with shooting stars and silver horseshoes. It's a clear metaphor for something beautiful coming out of something frightening, and it's something that Sara takes with her as she navigates life. The lyrics touch on themes of heartbreak, healing, and finding love in unexpected places. Sara's outlook on life is shaped by this experience as she takes things as they come and finds the hidden love within.
The lyrics are powerful because they evoke a sense of nostalgia in the listener. The imagery of the rocking horse and the tree is vivid and captivating, and it's clear that this symbol holds a lot of emotional weight for Sara. The song's theme of finding beauty in the midst of chaos is relatable to anyone who has experienced difficult times in their life. It's a reminder that hope and resilience are always within reach, even when we're going through the most challenging situations.
Line by Line Meaning
The rockin' horse came
The rockin' horse was created out of an old oak tree.
From an old oak tree
The raw material for the horse was an existing oak tree.
Just missed the house
The tree was hit by lightning but the horse missed hitting the house.
When it was hit by lightning
There was a lightning strike which had an impact on the tree as a whole.
My daddy painted that horse
The father is the one who put the finishing touches on the horse.
A midnight blue
The color of the horse paint is a dark blue hue.
Shooting stars and silver horse shoes
The horse has the imagery of a night sky and good luck symbols painted on it.
And it was something magic out of somethin' frightening
The creation of the horse came from the aftermath of a scary event and the horse itself has a mystical essence.
That's how I live my life
The chorus highlights the singer's personal philosophy.
I take it as it comes
She takes life as it comes to her without worrying too much about the future.
And I find the hidden love
She looks for love in unexpected situations and people.
When its pouring down on me
In tough times, she has a positive attitude and seeks to find the best in situations.
In my mind, I see the rocking horse inside the tree
The image of the horse in the tree serves as a reminder of the beauty that can come out of difficult times.
A broken heart (broken heart)
The verses shift to focus on the theme of heartbreak and personal growth.
Means deeper feelings
Experiencing heartbreak can lead to intense and meaningful emotions.
Thorn in the flesh (thorn in the flesh)
The singer relates heartbreak to having a physical ailment that needs healing.
Means room for healing
Heartbreak creates an opportunity to grow and ultimately lead to healing.
Oh, salt in your tears (oh, salt in your tears)
The emotional pain that comes with heartbreak can be overwhelming.
Can open your eyes
Going through heartache can help you see things more clearly and understand yourself better.
Wounded years (wounded years)
The process of healing and growing can take many years.
Make you realize
Experiencing heartbreak teaches you important lessons about yourself and life.
That it's just something magic out of something frightening
The chorus is repeated as a reminder that beautiful things can come out of difficult experiences.
Ooh, things aren't always as they seem
The bridge emphasizes that sometimes appearances can be misleading.
Ooh, take the nightmare from my dreams
The singer asks for relief from her emotional pain.
Oh, the tree
The last line of the song repeats the focus of the first verse, the tree where the horse came from.
Yeah, the tree
Oh, the tree
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Matt Evans, Sara Evans, Marcus Hummon
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind