Natalie Anne Merchant (born October 26, 1963 in Jamestown, New York) is an … Read Full Bio ↴Natalie Anne Merchant (born October 26, 1963 in Jamestown, New York) is an American alternative rock singer-songwriter. After rising to fame at the helm of the popular folk-rock band 10,000 Maniacs, Natalie Merchant enjoyed even greater success as a solo artist during the mid-'90s. Her literate, socially conscious songs established her among the preeminent women in pop music, while her solo debut -- 1995's Tigerlily -- helped pave the way for a number of female performers in a pre-Lilith Fair market. She continued releasing albums well into the 2000s, often examining specific genres or subjects, although Tigerlily remained her biggest-selling record.
In My Tribe. Merchant joined 10,000 Maniacs at the age of 17 and became the band's driving artistic force. After a pair of successful independent releases, they signed to Elektra in 1985 and briefly became one of the most popular acts in alternative rock, shooting into the Top 40 with 1987's In My Tribe and charting even higher with their follow-up effort, Blind Man's Zoo. Merchant's desire to launch a solo career increased alongside the band's growing reputation, however, and by the time the group sat down to record 1992's Our Time in Eden, she gave her bandmates two years' notice. Following the release of MTV Unplugged in 1994, she publicly announced she was leaving the group's ranks.
OpheliaMerchant made her solo debut with 1995's Tigerlily, a self-produced album that debuted at number 13 and scored a Top Ten single with "Carnival." Two additional singles, "Wonder" and "Jealousy," also cracked the Top 40, prompting Tigerlily to sell over five million copies in the U.S. alone. It was followed in 1998 by Ophelia, another platinum-selling effort that was supported by Merchant's inclusion in the second Lilith Fair tour. Live in Concert, recorded at New York's Neil Simon Theatre, appeared a year later. A prominent social activist, Merchant also drew notice by campaigning in the name of such hot-button issues as animal rights, domestic violence, and homelessness.
MotherlandMerchant launched a folk tour in 2000, with members of progressive folk band the Horse Flies joining her on the road. She then returned to her solo career with Motherland. Two years later, Merchant left Elektra's roster and formed her own independent label, Myth America, in order to issue House Carpenter's Daughter, a collection of traditional and contemporary folk music inspired by the 2000 tour. A long period of silence followed, during which a pair of greatest-hits releases -- the 10,000 Maniacs collection Campfire Songs and Merchant's own Retrospective: 1995-2005 -- kept fans relatively sated. As the decade drew to a close, though, Merchant signed with Nonesuch Records and began making plans for a new album, which eventually arrived in the form of the ambitious, double-disc neo-children's album, 2010's Leave Your Sleep. Merchant returned to straight-ahead pop music with a self-titled album in May 2014.

Sally Ann
Natalie Merchant Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

A woman of beauty
A woman of pain
In France or Jakarta
Her shadow's the same
You go home with Sally Ann
You go home with Sally Ann
You go home

A woman of kindness
With bracelets of jade
In China, in Japan
Choices are made
You go home with Sally Ann
You go home with Sally Ann
You go home

A woman of chances
With no family or friends
In Argentina
She knows only men
You go home with Sally Ann
You go home with Sally Ann
You go home

A woman of color
With debts to be paid
In Trenton or Detroit
She lives by the blade
You go home with Sally Ann
You go home with Sally Ann
You go home with Sally Ann
You go home with Sally Ann
You go home with Sally Ann

You go home with Sally Ann
You go home

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to "Sally Ann" by Natalie Merchant describe different women all around the world, united by a few common characteristics: they are all struggling with pain and hardship, they are all independent and strong-willed, and they are all named Sally Ann. The first verse describes a woman who is beautiful but also carries a burden of pain. The second verse describes a woman who is kind and wears jade bracelets, and yet is still forced to make difficult choices. The third verse describes a woman who takes risks and lives life on her own terms, but also has to contend with a lack of support from family and friends. Finally, the fourth verse describes a woman of color who is in debt and lives dangerously, using a blade for protection.

Overall, the song seems to be celebrating these women and their resilience in the face of difficult circumstances. The repetition of the name "Sally Ann" almost makes it seem as if these women are all the same person, or at least cut from the same cloth. Perhaps the message is that even though these women come from vastly different backgrounds and cultures, they all share a common human experience of struggle and perseverance.

One interpretation of the song could be that it's a commentary on the universality of women's experiences. No matter where you go in the world, you'll find strong, resilient women who are doing their best to survive and thrive in difficult circumstances. By highlighting these women and celebrating their strength and courage, Natalie Merchant is perhaps trying to remind us that we're all in this together.

Line by Line Meaning

A woman of beauty
The first woman described in this song is beautiful.

A woman of pain
The first woman described in this song experiences pain.

In France or Jakarta
This woman's beauty and pain are not affected by where she is in the world.

Her shadow's the same
Despite her whereabouts, this woman's inner self remains consistent.

You go home with Sally Ann
The listener is told that they will go home with Sally Ann.

A woman of kindness
The second woman described in this song is kind.

With bracelets of jade
This woman has jade bracelets, which could suggest she is from Asia.

In China, in Japan
This woman could be from these Asian countries.

Choices are made
This woman has made choices in her life.

You go home with Sally Ann
The listener is once again told they will go home with Sally Ann.

A woman of chances
The third woman described in this song takes risks.