The Carter Family was a country music group that performed and recorded bet… Read Full Bio ↴The Carter Family was a country music group that performed and recorded between 1927 and 1943. Their music had a profound impact on later bluegrass, country, pop and rock musicians, as well as on the U.S. folk revival of the 1960s.

The original group consisted of Alvin Pleasant Delaney Carter (A.P.; 1891-1960), his wife, Sara Dougherty Carter (autoharp and guitar; 1898-1979), and Maybelle Addington Carter (guitar; 1909-1978). Maybelle Carter (later popularly known as Mother Maybelle Carter) was married to A.P.'s brother Ezra (Eck) Carter. All three were born and raised in southwestern Virginia where they were immersed in the tight harmonies of mountain gospel music and shape note singing. Maybelle Carter's distinctive and innovative guitar playing style quickly became a hallmark of the group.

The Carters got their start on July 31, 1927 when A.P. convinced Sara and Maybelle (pregnant at the time) to make the journey from Maces Springs, Virginia to Bristol, Tennessee to audition for record producer Ralph Peer who was seeking new talent for the relatively embryonic recording industry. They received $50 for each song they recorded.

In the Fall of 1927 the Victor recording company released a double-sided 78 rpm record of the group performing "Wandering Boy" and "Poor Orphan Child". In 1928 another record was released with "The Storms Are on the Ocean" and "Single Girl, Married Girl". This one proved very popular.

They stopped touring and recording in 1943.

In 1987, the three daughters of Maybelle Carter - June Carter (also known as June Carter Cash, following marriage to Johnny Cash), Helen Carter and Anita Carter, along with June Carter's daughter Carlene Carter, appeared as the Carter Family and were featured on a 1987 television episode of Austin City Limits along with Johnny Cash.

The Carters were elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1970 and were given the nickname "The First Family of Country Music". In 1988, the Carter Family was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and received its Award for the song "Will the Circle Be Unbroken". In 1993, the U.S. Postal Service issued a commemorative postage stamp honoring A.P., Sara, and Maybelle. In 2001, the group was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor. In 2005, the group received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

The Carter Family III carries on the tradition. The group consists of A.P. Carter and Sarah Carter’s grandson Dale Jett, Maybelle Carter’s grandson John Carter Cash and his wife Laura Cash.

For more details, see the Carter Family biography at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/carterfamily/peopleevents/p_carters.html

Saw
The Carter Family Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I wandered so aimless life filled with sin
I wouldn't let my dear Savior in
Then Jesus came
Like a stranger in the night

Praise the Lord I saw the light
I saw the light, I saw the light

No more darkness
No more night
Now, I'm so happy
No sorrow in sight

Praise the Lord, I saw the light
Just like a blind man

I wandered along worries and fears
I claimed for my own
Then like a blind man
That God gave back his sight

Praise the Lord I saw the light
I saw the light

I was a fool to wander and stray
Straight is the gate and narrow the way
Now, I have traded
The wrong for the right

Praise the Lord, I saw the light
I saw the light

Overall Meaning

The Carter Family's song "Saw in 2-3" tells the story of a person who lived a life filled with sin and kept Jesus out of their life. The person wandered aimlessly, worrying and fearing until Jesus appeared like a stranger in the night. This stranger helped the person see the light and helped them become free from the darkness they were living in.

The lyrics describe how the person was like a blind man, stumbling along and claiming their own worries and fears. However, by accepting Jesus into their life, the person was given back their sight, and they were able to see clearly for the first time. The song ends with the person reflecting on how they were foolish to wander and stray, but now they have traded the wrong for the right with Jesus in their life.

Overall, the song stands as a testament to the transformative power that Jesus has on people's lives. Through the metaphor of sight, the song describes how Jesus can help people see their way out of darkness and into the light of a new life, free from sin.

Line by Line Meaning

I wandered so aimless life filled with sin
I aimlessly lived a life of sin without any direction or purpose.

I wouldn't let my dear Savior in
I rejected the salvation offered by my beloved Savior.

Then Jesus came
But then, Jesus appeared in my life.

Like a stranger in the night
His coming was sudden and unexpected, like a stranger at night.

Praise the Lord I saw the light
I am grateful to the Lord for revealing the truth to me.

No more darkness
There is no longer any darkness or ignorance in my life.

No more night
There is no longer any darkness or evil in my life.

Now, I'm so happy
I am now filled with joy and happiness.

No sorrow in sight
I no longer have any sorrow or pain in my life.

Just like a blind man
I was once blind to the truth, just like a blind man.

I wandered along worries and fears
I lived my life full of worries and fears.