Sara, you’re the poet in my heart/
Never change, and don’t you ever stop.

“Sara” is a Stevie Nicks song off of the Tusk album. Many of Nicks’ lyrics are esoteric, but “Sara” is at the top of the list in terms of opacity in the lyrics. Sara is important to Nicks but something changed in their relationship. It appears to involve a man. Nicks is telling Sara that she loves her and when everything settles down, she will still be there for her. It is rumored this song had something to do with the breakup of Nicks and Mick Fleetwood, but who knows.

The melody of the chorus is what drives this song.  It has that quality- that “I think I have heard this before” quality. McCartney held off on finishing writing Yesterday for some time because he could have sworn it must already be a song. I feel the same thing about Sara. It feels like it already existed.

The bassline is solid in this song and it adds a lot. John McVie gets the least amount of recognition of the Fleetwood Mac cast, but he is consistent and innovative.  The production is amazing—especially during the verses. If you listen to the pieces of the song there is so much going on in the background. Notice how the piano doesn’t play chords throughout the verse: it sounds more like random chimes. A great job by Lindsey Buckingham.

Sara Lyrics

Wait a minute baby
Stay with me awhile
Said you’d give me light
But you never told me about the fire

Drowning in the sea of love
Where everyone would love to drown
But now it’s gone
It doesn’t matter what for
When you build your house
Then call me home

And he was just like a great dark wing
Within the wings of a storm
I think I had met my match, he was singing
And undoing, and undoing the laces
Undoing the laces

Said Sara, you’re the poet in my heart
Never change, never stop
But now it’s gone
It doesn’t matter what for
But when you build your house
Then call me home

Hold on
The night is coming and the starling flew for days
I’d stay home at night, all the time
I’d go anywhere, anywhere, anywhere
Ask me and I’m there, yeah
Ask me and I’m there, I care

In the sea of love
Where everyone would love to drown
But now it’s gone
They say it doesn’t matter anymore
When you build your house
Then please call me home

Sara, you’re the poet in my heart
Never change, and don’t you ever stop
Now it’s gone
No it doesn’t matter anymore
When you build your house
I’ll come by
Sara
Sara

Songwriters: Stevie Nicks