Sara Watkins, (born June 8, 1981) is a fiddler, vocalist, and songwriter, a… Read Full Bio ↴Sara Watkins, (born June 8, 1981) is a fiddler, vocalist, and songwriter, and is one third of the contemporary bluegrass/folk band Nickel Creek. Watkins first gained recognition as a founding member of the Grammy Award–winning, platinum-selling trio Nickel Creek. When not on the road or in the studio, Watkins has guest-starred as fiddler and/or harmony vocalist on albums by Béla Fleck, the Chieftains, Ray LaMontagne, Ben Lee, Dan Wilson, Richard Thompson, and Alex Woodward, among others. Additionally, Watkins and her brother Sean continue an informal residency called the Watkins Family Hour at the L.A. club Largo, which often includes surprise cameos from friends and colleagues; free podcasts from the series are also available.

Lord Won't You Help Me
Sara Watkins Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Drivin' around the country
Ramblin' all the time
Just me and this old guitar
For a dollar and a dime and a glass of wine.
Oh Lord, won't you help me before I lose my mind.

Got me a someone way back home?
You know Lord I crave

Spends every dollar that I make
Gonna drive me to my grave, that lonely home
Oh Lord won't you help me before I'm dead and gone

I wish I was down in Nashville town
The sunny south you know
Leaving ol' Chicago
With her ice and stone, chilled to the bone
Oh Lord won't you help me ride this Greyhound home

Well I hope I get to heaven
In mansions bright to dwell
With bad luck always following me around
I'll fall right back to hell just to shovel coal
Oh Lord won't you help me save my worthless soul

Oh Lord won't you help me, help me before I lose my mind

Overall Meaning

The song "Lord Won't You Help Me" by Sara Watkins is a melancholic ballad that speaks of a wandering musician who is struggling to escape his life of poverty and loneliness. The singer is driving aimlessly around the country with his aging guitar, making a meager living performing in small towns for a dollar and a dime and a glass of wine. He pleads with the Lord to help him before he loses his mind, feeling lost and aimless.

The singer also reflects on his troubled relationship with a woman who drains him of his hard-earned money, leaving him with nothing but a bleak future. He desperately seeks the Lord's help to break free from this cycle before he ends up dead and gone.

In the last verse, the singer expresses his desire to reach heaven and escape the bad luck that always seems to follow him. However, he feels that even in heaven, he will never be truly free from his troubles, as he believes his bad luck will eventually catch up to him and he will fall back to hell to shovel coal. His plea to the Lord to save his soul reflects his lack of hope and desperation to find a way out of his difficult life.

Overall, the song is a powerful expression of the struggles of the working-class musician, who seeks solace in his faith in the face of hardship and poverty.

Line by Line Meaning

Drivin' around the country
I am aimlessly driving through the countryside.

Ramblin' all the time
I am wandering and traveling endlessly.

Just me and this old guitar
I have no one else but my guitar as a companion.

For a dollar and a dime and a glass of wine.
I have very little money, just enough for a simple glass of wine.

Oh Lord, won't you help me before I lose my mind.
I am feeling overwhelmed and asking for divine intervention to save my sanity.

Got me a someone way back home?
Do I have someone waiting for me back home?

You know Lord I crave
I desire a person to love and be loved by.

Spends every dollar that I make
My significant other spends all the money I earn.

Gonna drive me to my grave, that lonely home
This relationship will lead me to a lonely and sad existence.

Oh Lord won't you help me before I'm dead and gone
I am pleading for divine assistance to save my life and soul from this harmful situation.

I wish I was down in Nashville town
I long to be in a place where music thrives, such as Nashville.

The sunny south you know
I prefer the warmth and sunshine of southern states.

Leaving ol' Chicago
I want to leave the cold and industrial city of Chicago.

With her ice and stone, chilled to the bone
Chicago's icy weather makes me feel cold to my very core.

Oh Lord won't you help me ride this Greyhound home
I am asking for divine assistance to help me take a bus ride back home.

Well I hope I get to heaven
I have a desire to reach heaven after death.

In mansions bright to dwell
I would like to reside in splendid mansions in heaven.

With bad luck always following me around
Misfortune seems to be my constant companion.

I'll fall right back to hell just to shovel coal
My misfortunes are so massive that even if I were in hell after death, I would be punished with hard labor.

Oh Lord won't you help me save my worthless soul
I desperately want to save my soul even though I believe it is not valuable.

Lyrics © BLAKE & BLAKE MUSIC

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS