Sarah Shook & The Disarmers is an American country band led by singer-songw… Read Full Bio ↴Sarah Shook & The Disarmers is an American country band led by singer-songwriter Sarah Shook. The band started as a recording project, with Eric Peterson on guitar, and John Howie Jr. (Two Dollar Pistols, John Howie Jr. & the Rosewood Bluff) on drums, Jason Hendrick on bass fiddle, and Phil Sullivan on lap steel.

Shook's original songs take on the usual country spin on poor relationships, bad decisions, and excessive alcohol consumption for damn good reasons. Songs with self-explanatory self-deprecation, "Fuck Up", tangled in with a portrayal of a doomed relationship dripping with sarcasm,"The Nail", are bastioned by the subtleties of a bar patron considering taking a chance on a stranger in title track, "Sidelong".

When Shook's first band, Sarah Shook & The Devil, broke up after a solid three year plus run, Shook and guitarist Eric Peterson, continued to meet, practice, and plan. In late 2013 they put together brief stint called The Dirty Hands which ended after a handful of shows. The project they were looking for soon arrived with the addition of former Two Dollar Pistols' frontman, John Howie Jr., (now frontman for John Howie Jr. & the Rosewood Bluff) as drummer. Sarah Shook & the Disarmers was born.

Shook and chief engineer of Manifold Recording Studios, Ian Schreier, had worked together some years before when he supervised intern Mario Bianchi recording the Devil's seven song EP simply titled, Seven. Shook and Schreier had been discussing creating a full length album together for an age and, finally, during the first weekend of April, 2015, it happened. After nearly a decade of playing solo or fronting a band, Shook released her first full-length album, Sidelong, on October 16, 2015, at the Cat's Cradle Back Room in Chapel Hill, NC.

www.disarmers.com/

Believer
Sarah Shook & the Disarmers Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Two guesses where I been
Two guesses where I'm goin'
I don't have to pretend
Love her or leave her I'm a believer

Sure you're sweet as sin
So Ima come around again
When the day breaks I'll be back in

My own skin

I'm counting back to one
And then there were none

Oh prodigal son
Will you ever learn it's all gonna burn

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Sarah Shook & the Disarmers's song "Believer" convey a sense of self-awareness and acceptance of one's choices and beliefs. The first verse suggests that the singer has been through certain experiences and is aware of where they have been and where they are heading. There is a sense of authenticity in this acknowledgment as they assert that they don't have to pretend about their feelings towards someone. They either love or leave the person, standing firm in their beliefs.

In the second verse, the singer acknowledges the allure of someone who may be considered "sweet as sin." Despite any potential pitfalls or negative aspects, they are willing to come back to this person again when the day breaks. This suggests a repeated pattern or a cycle that they are aware of and choose to embrace.

The final lines of the song express a reflective and questioning tone. The singer counts back to one, symbolically suggesting a return to the beginning or a fresh start. They realize that they are the only one responsible for their actions and decisions. The mention of the prodigal son alludes to the biblical figure who turned away from his family but eventually returned. The question posed here is whether the singer will ever learn that everything in life is bound to come to an end or burn, emphasizing the impermanence of things.

Overall, "Believer" explores themes of self-awareness, the acceptance of one's choices, and the acknowledgment of the transient nature of life's circumstances.

Line by Line Meaning

Two guesses where I been
It's obvious where I've been

Two guesses where I'm goin'
It's obvious where I'm heading

I don't have to pretend
I don't need to fake or hide my true feelings

Love her or leave her I'm a believer
Whether I stay with her or leave, I still believe in love

Sure you're sweet as sin
You may be enticing, even though it's morally wrong

So Ima come around again
So I will return once more

When the day breaks I'll be back in
When morning comes, I'll be back in my usual state

My own skin
Comfortable in who I truly am

I'm counting back to one
I'm retracing my steps to the beginning

And then there were none
And now there are no more

Oh prodigal son
Oh lost and wayward individual