For Sam Baker

 

In perfect poems,
He honours the forgotten
And shines his light on
Whispered honour.
His broken fingers pick out a pretty world
And the pain is beauty,
Within and inseparable.
How painful, and how beautiful are these day.
My very soul is sweetly undone
Before the dispersed family 
Of his songs.






I wrote this poem on September 3rd 2020 While listening to the album 'Pretty World' by Sam Baker. The lines 'broken fingers', 'pretty world' and 'sweetly undone' found in the poem are all track titles, and the line 'how beautiful are these days' is written on the inside cover of the album.


My brother (and guitarist of The Sewer Cats) bought me this album for Christmas ten or eleven years ago. Since then I've listened to it, and Sam Bakers other albums, innumerable times. Sam Baker is a unique and breathtaking artist for so many reasons. His songs demonstrate a rare depth of understanding for the human condition and uncover a beauty in places or people who might not normally be considered beautiful. His song's resound with the same bottomless truth whether he is writing from his own personal experiences, especially that of surviving (with severe injuries) a bomb explosion in Peru, or if he's embodying for example, an aging gambling addict, or grieving widow. I could go on and on about the beauty of Sam Baker's lyrics, melodies and music, but it's probably better if you go check it out for yourself. For more about him and his creative projects click here to visit his website. If you want to check out just a couple of my favourite tracks, watch the videos bellow. The first is called 'Waves' and is from his first album called 'Mercy'. The second 'Broken Fingers' is from 'Pretty World.




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