Sawyer Brown is a country music band formed in 1981 at a Pizza Hut restaura… Read Full Bio ↴Sawyer Brown is a country music band formed in 1981 at a Pizza Hut restaurant in Apopka, Florida. Lead singer Mark Miller asked keyboardist Gregg "Hobie" Hubbard to play piano for a couple of songs he had written. The two left for Nashville, Tennessee, where they met up with Florida drummer Joe Smyth, Michigan bass player Jim Scholten and original lead guitarist Bobby Randall. They first called the band "Savanah", but renamed themselves "Sawyer Brown" after Sawyer Brown Road, the street where they rehearsed. Miller likes to say "We thought it would be easier to get work if people thought we were one person." The band played up to five sets a night, six days a week, until they auditioned for the TV show Star Search in 1983. They auditioned just to get the videotape to promote the band, yet ended up winning the $100,000 grand prize and record contract.

The band signed with Capitol Records and scored a Top 20 hit with their first single, "Leona," in 1984. That success was quickly followed by their first #1 hit, "Step That Step". The band had their ups and downs on the charts throughout the 1980s. But radio success was not really Sawyer Brown's strong suit. It never was. Rather, they have been successful due to their live performances. Fans flock to the band's concerts year after year, whether the band performs in a stadium, state fair, or casino. The live shows, more than anything, sustained the band until 1989's remake of the George Jones hit "The Race Is On" put them back near the top of the charts.

In 1991, after the release of their album Buick, guitarist Bobby Randall left the group to remain close to his family and host a short-lived TV talent show, You Can Be A Star. Duncan Cameron, formerly of The Amazing Rhythm Aces, was chosen as his replacement just as Sawyer Brown was about to become country music's "it" band. The band then switched labels, moving to Curb Records and releasing the albums The Dirt Road, Cafe On The Corner, and Outskirts Of Town, which saw hit after hit for the band in the early to mid-'90s.

Sawyer Brown was all over country music radio and television for much of the decade. After 1999's Top 10 hit "Drive Me Wild," however, the country music industry seemed to forget about Sawyer Brown in favor of newer acts like Tim McGraw, Rascal Flatts, Toby Keith, Kenny Chesney, and Keith Urban.

The band was having ups and downs in the charts again – mostly downs. In 2003, they parted with Curb, their record label of eleven years, and signed with Lyric Street Records. They released one single, "I'll Be Around", and then left Lyric Street as well. In 2004, they re-signed with Curb, but Duncan Cameron decided to leave the group to pursue a life-long dream of flying for Southwest Airlines.

Guitarist Shayne Hill was added to the lineup as they prepared for the release of their 20th album, Mission Temple Fireworks Stand. While Sawyer Brown is still looking to reclaim the top of the charts, their live shows continue to keep the band going strong.

Trouble on the Line
Sawyer Brown Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Operator we must have a bad connection
If you got someone wantin' me
I changed my number when she changed her mind
Operator can't you see

[Chorus]
There's trouble on the line
Tears are gonna fall

It happens every time
She's up against the wall
Somebody broke her heart
Now she's after mine
The minute that she calls
There'll be trouble on the line

Operator now if we've been disconnected
How does she keep gettin' through
I won't have a choice
If I hear her voice
Operator can't you see

[Chorus]

The minute that she calls
There'll be trouble on the line

Overall Meaning

The song "Trouble on the Line" by Sawyer Brown depicts a man receiving unwanted phone calls from a woman who he used to have a relationship with. He has changed his number, yet the woman keeps finding a way to reach him, causing him distress. The lyrics suggest that the woman is going through a difficult time after having her heart broken by someone else and is now turning to the man for emotional support. However, the man is not interested in rekindling the relationship and wishes for the woman to stop contacting him.

The chorus emphasizes the negative consequences of their communication, with tears falling every time they interact. The woman is described as being "up against the wall," which could suggest that she is experiencing a mental or emotional breakdown. The man acknowledges that "somebody broke her heart," indicating that he has sympathy for the woman but is unwilling or unable to provide the comfort that she is seeking.

Overall, the lyrics of "Trouble on the Line" depict a situation in which two people who have a shared history are unable to communicate without causing pain and discomfort.

Line by Line Meaning

Operator we must have a bad connection
I'm not talking about a phone connection, I'm hoping you'll connect to my situation and help me out

If you got someone wantin' me
If someone's trying to reach me through you, let me clarify: I don't want to talk to them

I changed my number when she changed her mind
I wanted to move on, so I changed my number. But now she's back, and I'm in trouble

Operator can't you see
I'm in a bind here, and I need your help

There's trouble on the line
My past and present are colliding, and it's going to get messy

Tears are gonna fall
Someone's going to get hurt, and it's going to be emotional

It happens every time
This isn't the first time I've been in this situation

She's up against the wall
She's desperate and feels like she has nowhere else to turn

Somebody broke her heart
She's been hurt before, and now she's hurting others

Now she's after mine
I'm the next victim in her cycle of pain

The minute that she calls
It's only a matter of time before she reaches me and causes trouble on the line