She used to say she was an orphan
Never was exactly the truth
It's just her mother got tired
Tired of her hanging round
So she ended up living in a home for girls
A straight hair kid in a house full of curls
A straight haired kid always hanging around
She'd sing swing low
Sweet chariot
She's coming for to carry me home
So the first chance she got she said I do
To a tall town boy who said me too
Honorable mention all district quarterback
He said I'll carry you away
She left him drunk on a stool in a county line bar
Going on about high school
How he was a star
She just got tired, tired of him hanging around
She'd sing swing low
Sweet chariot
She's coming for to carry me home
Dairy queen
Had two baby boys two more diamond rings
The husbands they were brave
But she split that one horse town
Just got tired all the people hanging around
Split that one horse town
Now she lives outside LA
With a broke down baseball player
Used to playdouble A
Religious man
Never drinks or swears
She's tired of all the talk about her
Getting saved
Tired of all the talk about
Revelation days
She's tired
Tired of him hanging around
She sings swing low
Sweet chariot
She's coming for to carry me home
Never was exactly the truth
It's just her mother got tired
Tired of her hanging round
So she ended up living in a home for girls
A straight hair kid in a house full of curls
A straight haired kid always hanging around
Sweet chariot
She's coming for to carry me home
To a tall town boy who said me too
Honorable mention all district quarterback
He said I'll carry you away
She left him drunk on a stool in a county line bar
Going on about high school
How he was a star
She just got tired, tired of him hanging around
Sweet chariot
She's coming for to carry me home
Had two baby boys two more diamond rings
The husbands they were brave
But she split that one horse town
Just got tired all the people hanging around
Split that one horse town
Now she lives outside LA
With a broke down baseball player
Used to playdouble A
Religious man
Never drinks or swears
She's tired of all the talk about her
Getting saved
Tired of all the talk about
Revelation days
She's tired
Tired of him hanging around
Sweet chariot
She's coming for to carry me home
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Like a lot of Sam Baker's work, Orphan tells the tale of ordinary folk and their lives. This tells of an outsider when a child - a straight hair kid in a house full of curls - whose mother had no time for her and was happy to marry her off to the local jock to get her out of her hair (no pun intended). The song tells of a series of drab, failed marriages and ends with her stuck in another apparently lifeless and loveless marriage. Sam's sparse lyrics and sparse music contrast beautifully with the melodic female voice that sings parts of the song. The use of swing low, sweet chariot evokes an atmosphere perhaps at odds with the apparent misery of the girl's life.