This is one song that I feel like I can’t get enough of… Really, there’s just something about those short songs that always leaves you hanging. Wilco’s “Bob Dylan’s 49th Beard” is the same way for me, as is “Girlfriend in a Coma” by The Smiths. As a songwriter, I’ve written a lot of things that feel complete when they’re only two minutes long, and it actually takes effort to know when to stop. You always want to add a bridge section… Or another verse… Or another chorus…
“Damn, Sam” is really bare and vulnerable, too. For some reason, he’s got a thing for girls who just aren’t right. Maybe he goes to these troubled women thinking he’ll be able to make things better for them and fix everything. Of course, it’s not that simple. However, while that’s a possibility, there’s another that’s just as likely. His life is a very unhappy one, and he finds it hard to relate to people experiencing success and good times. He really hits it off with women who are also down on their luck, and he’s openly admitting it.
Really, the song is kind of funny in a way and sad in another. It’s really odd to think of someone who sees a woman’s sadness as a turn-on. Really, I think that says a lot about the narrator…
