In 1976, Chapman played with a rock and pop group called "Harmony" in Montgomery, Alabama, effectively replacing Tommy Shaw who had just left to join Styx. She played acoustic guitar and piano as well as providing vocals for the group in a locally-popular bowling alley bar called Kegler's Kove and has returned to play in the area on an infrequent basis ever since.
Chapman has had several popular songs on the Adult-Contemporary charts in the 1990's, such as "I Keep Coming Back To You", "Walk My Way", "The Moment You Were Mine" and "All I Have". In 1993, she sang a popular duet with Paul Carrack, "In The Time It Takes". In early 2010 Chapman's "Back To Love" album was #1 on the UK itunes country charts.
Co-songwriter of Faith Hill's hit song, "This Kiss", many other singers have interpreted her songs: Trisha Yearwood ("Down On My Knees"), Martina McBride ("Happy Girl"), Willie Nelson (“Nothing I Can Do About it Now”), Tanya Tucker (“Strong Enough to Bend”), Lorrie Morgan (“Five Minutes”), Mary Chapin Carpenter (“Almost Home”), Bette Midler ("The Color of Roses") and others.
Bonnie Raitt has sung background vocals on several songs, including "Shake My Soul".
Chapman's husband Ernest Chapman died of cancer in 1994. In 2000, Beth experienced her own battle with breast cancer. The song "Sand And Water" was written after Ernest's death; Elton John performed this song during his 1997 World Tour.
Discography
* Hearing It First (1980)
* Beth Nielsen Chapman (1990)
* You Hold the Key (1993)
* Sand and Water (1997)
* Greatest Hits (1999)
* Deeper Still (2002)
* Hymns (2004)
* Look (2005)
* Prism (2007)
Avalanche
Beth Nielsen Chapman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When we let things slide
I'd always hoped that we would have the chance
At least to say we tried
So I went sifting though my old mistakes
On the day you left
And I decided to forgive myself
The heart can only take so much regret
You're all I'm aching for
And yet
I don't want this pain no more
And Yet
My heart won't lock that door
I wasn't ready for the avalanche
I wasn't ready for the words you chose
When you said goodbye
Or just how suddenly the roads could close
Between your life and mine
So I went looking for the reasons why
And I got so lost
And I decided I would have to try
To live without your love at any cost
You're all I'm aching for
And yet
I don't want this pain no more
I can't get
My heart to lock that door
And I wasn't ready for the avalanche
In Beth Nielsen Chapman's song Avalanche, the singer reflects on the sudden end of a relationship, and the overwhelming emotions that come with it. The first verse speaks of how she was unprepared for the "avalanche" of emotions that came crashing down on her when the relationship fell apart. She had always hoped that they could have worked things out, but the suddenness of it all caught her off guard. In the second verse, she delves deeper into her emotions, trying to find the reasons why things ended and why she's left with such pain. Despite her efforts, she feels lost and alone in her grief for the lost relationship.
The chorus repeats the themes of the song, with the singer acknowledging her conflicted emotions. She still deeply longs for her former partner, but she cannot bear the pain of their absence any longer. Her heart is torn between holding onto hope and moving on. Overall, the song is a powerful exploration of the aftermath of a relationship's end, and the difficulty of letting go and moving forward.
Line by Line Meaning
I wasn't ready for the avalanche
I wasn't prepared for the sudden overwhelming rush of emotions that came with our relationship falling apart.
When we let things slide
We became complacent and didn't put in the effort to maintain our love for each other.
I'd always hoped that we would have the chance
I wanted us to try and work through our issues in order to salvage our relationship.
At least to say we tried
Even if we didn't end up succeeding at staying together, I wanted to be able to say that we put forth our best effort.
So I went sifting through my old mistakes
After you left, I reflected on my past faults and shortcomings in our relationship.
On the day you left
The specific moment when you ended things between us.
And I decided to forgive myself
I needed to let go of my guilt and self-blame in order to move on from our failed relationship.
The heart can only take so much regret
Continuing to dwell on the past and our mistakes only causes more pain and heartache in the present.
You're all I'm aching for
I still long for you and our past love.
And yet
Despite this yearning, there's a disconnect between what I want and what I feel is best for me.
I don't want this pain no more
The heartache and grief from our breakup has become too much to bear.
My heart won't lock that door
Even though I know it would be easier to move on, I can't help but leave some part of my heart open to the possibility of reconciliation.
I wasn't ready for the words you chose
I wasn't expecting the specific way in which you ended our relationship.
When you said goodbye
The moment when you made it clear that our relationship was over.
Or just how suddenly the roads could close
It was surprising to see how quickly our love and paths diverged from each other's.
Between your life and mine
Our differences and incompatibilities became too great to bridge the gap between our lifestyles.
So I went looking for the reasons why
I tried to figure out why our relationship failed and what I could have done differently.
And I got so lost
It was difficult to find answers as to what exactly went wrong in our relationship, and it led me to feel a sense of confusion and disorientation.
And I decided I would have to try
I realized that in order to move on and heal, I would need to make a conscious effort to live my life without the love and companionship I had hoped for with you.
To live without your love at any cost
Even though it's challenging to let go, I recognize that I need to prioritize my own well-being and move on from our relationship.
Contributed by Aaron T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.