Anna McGarrigle and Kate McGarrigle were born in Montreal of mixed Irish- and French-Canadian background, but lived their childhood in the Laurentian Mountains village of Saint-Sauveur-des-Monts, northwest of Montreal, where they learned piano from village nuns. In the 1960s, in Montreal, while Kate was studying engineering at McGill University and Anna art at the École des Beaux-Arts de Montréal, they began performing in public and then began writing their own songs. From 1963 to 1967 they teamed up with Jack Nissenson and Peter Weldon to form the folk group Mountain City Four. Into the twenty-first century, Kate and Anna McGarrigle continued to write, and recorded and performed music, with assorted accompanying musicians including Gerry Conway, Pat Donaldson, Ken Pearson, Michel Pépin, Chaim Tannenbaum and Joel Zifkin.
Their songs have been covered by a variety of artists including Maria Muldaur, Nana Mouskouri, Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris, Billy Bragg, Chloé Sainte-Marie, Judy Collins, Anne Sofie von Otter and others. The covers of their songs by well known artists led to the McGarrigles getting their first recording contract in 1974. They created ten albums from 1975 through 2008.
Although associated with Quebec's anglophone community, the McGarrigles also recorded and performed many songs in French. Two of their albums, Entre la jeunesse et la sagesse (also known as French Record) and La vache qui pleure, are entirely in French, but many of their other records include one or two French songs as well. Most of their French songs were co-written by Philippe Tatartcheff, with occasional input from Kate McGarrigle's son, Canadian-American solo artist Rufus Wainwright. Rufus and his sister Martha Wainwright, also a singer, are the children of Kate and her former husband (married 1971, separated 1976, divorced 1978), singer-songwriter Loudon Wainwright III.
They have performed or recorded with the Irish group The Chieftains, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds on their No More Shall We Part album, Emmylou Harris on her albums Bluebird, Wrecking Ball, Western Wall: The Tucson Sessions, Light of the Stable, Stumble into Grace, and All I Intended to Be, Lou Reed on his concept album The Raven, Joan Baez on her live recording Ring Them Bells, Gilles Vigneault on “Charlie-Jos” on his album C’est ainsi que j’arrive à toi, and Robin Holcomb on her 2002 album The Big Time.
Their version of Wade Hemsworth's song, "The Log Driver's Waltz" grew famous as the soundtrack for a 1979 animated film by Canada's National Film Board. They provided backing vocals on Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds's 2001 album No More Shall We Part. They appeared on the children's TV show Sharon, Lois & Bram's Elephant Show in Season 4, episode 50 entitled "Sibling Rivalry".
They were appointed Members of the Order of Canada in 1993 and received the Governor General's Performing Arts Award in 2004.
Another sister, Jane McGarrigle, is a film and television composer who wrote and performed several songs with the duo, but was not a regular collaborator.
Kate died January 18, 2010 at the age of 63 after fighting a rare form of cancer.
I'm Losing You
Kate & Anna McGarrigle Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Road is long and it's not getting shorter
No time soon
Breathing easy is just getting harder
Smoke in my lungs and holes in my armour
How about you?
When the sky comes falling down (I'm with you, I'm with you)
When the ones who said they loved you are nowhere to be found
I'm with you
I'm with you
Oh, I'm with you
I can see the hurt behind your eyes
Your lock-box heart, it looks just like mine
Won't you invite me in?
Skip the small talk and come on strong
How old were you when it all went wrong?
Oh, I'm listening
When the walls start caving in (I'm with you, I'm with you)
When you find it hard to stand (I'm with you, yeah I'm with you)
When the current pulls you under and it all comes flooding back again
I'm with you, oh I'm with you
I'm with you
Oh, I'm with you, I'm with you
Yeah you know I'm standing here with you
When you've got some tears to shed (I'm with you, I'm with you)
When you just need a friend (I'm with you, yeah I'm with you)
When you don't know where you're going and it's hard to see the end
I'm with you, oh I'm with you
I'm with you
The song "I'm Losing You" by Kate and Anna McGarrigle is about the struggles of life, and how difficult it can be to find support when times are tough. The opening lines, "Been trying to keep my head above the water/Road is long and it's not getting shorter," convey the sense of struggle and exhaustion that the singer is feeling. They continue on to describe a feeling of suffocation, with "Smoke in my lungs and holes in my armour." The singer acknowledges that others may be going through similar hardships, asking "How about you?" as a way of reaching out.
The chorus of the song is an assertion of support, with the repeated line "I'm with you." The singer promises to stand by the listener through thick and thin, even when others have abandoned them. The lyrics use metaphors to describe difficult situations, such as a falling sky, a grounded ship, and caving walls. These images suggest a sense of chaos and instability, in which the singer is the lone constant.
The middle section of the song encourages the listener to be vulnerable, asking them to "invite me in" and "skip the small talk and come on strong." The singer suggests that they have also experienced heartbreak and disappointment, saying "Your lock-box heart, it looks just like mine." The song ends with a final repetition of the chorus, emphasizing the singer's commitment to be there for the listener.
Line by Line Meaning
Been trying to keep my head above the water
I have been struggling to cope with things but doing my best.
Road is long and it's not getting shorter
The journey ahead is daunting and it feels like it will never end.
No time soon
Things are not going to improve anytime soon.
Breathing easy is just getting harder
Dealing with everything is becoming more difficult over time.
Smoke in my lungs and holes in my armour
I am feeling vulnerable and exposed and can't seem to escape from stress.
How about you?
Are you struggling as much as I am?
When the sky comes falling down (I'm with you, I'm with you)
I will stand by you through the worst of times.
When your ship has run aground (I'm with you, yeah I'm with you)
Even when things seem hopeless and stranded, I will be there for you.
When the ones who said they loved you are nowhere to be found
I will be there for you, even when others let you down.
I'm with you I'm with you
I am here for you and will not leave you alone.
Oh, I'm with you
I am by your side through thick and thin.
I can see the hurt behind your eyes
I recognize the pain you are going through, even if you try to hide it.
Your lock-box heart, it looks just like mine
We have both been hurt before and try to protect ourselves from further pain.
Won't you invite me in?
Let me be there for you and help you open up.
Skip the small talk and come on strong
Let's be honest and open with each other, we can handle it.
How old were you when it all went wrong?
What experiences have shaped you and caused the pain you carry now?
Oh, I'm listening
I am here for you and ready to hear anything you want to say.
When the walls start caving in (I'm with you, I'm with you)
Even when everything seems to be crashing down, you can count on me.
When you find it hard to stand (I'm with you, yeah I'm with you)
When it feels like you can't take it anymore, I will be there to support you.
When the current pulls you under and it all comes flooding back again
When painful memories and emotions resurface, I will be there to help you through it.
I'm with you, oh I'm with you
I will not abandon you, I am here for you always.
Yeah you know I'm standing here with you
I am here for you physically and emotionally.
When you've got some tears to shed (I'm with you, I'm with you)
Even when you need to cry, I will stay by your side.
When you just need a friend (I'm with you, yeah I'm with you)
During difficult times, you can count on me to be there as a friend.
When you don't know where you're going and it's hard to see the end
When the future is uncertain and unclear, I will be there to help you find your way.
I'm with you, oh I'm with you
I am here for you, always and forever.
I'm with you
You can count on me to support you through anything and everything.
Lyrics © DistroKid
Written by: Nancy Murphy
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@joaidane
One of so many beautiful songs from Kate and Anna. Almost hiding away it seems, so few people have heard it. Kate through her songs lives on in our hearts.
@geraldhatherly6196
A beautiful song about a parent letting go of a child - the McGarrigles are wonderful musicians and lyricists.
@bbc7290
Written from a mothers heart.
@Blib9
Oh my God, that was so beautiful.
@cgowdey
This is quickly becoming one of my favourite K&A McG. songs!
@MrCematin
LOVE
@marilynrose6970
Beautiful