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.
Tell Yourself
Natalie Merchant Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You tell yourself
Look in the mirror,
Look in the mirror what does it show?
I hear you counting
I know you're adding up the score
I know, oh yes I know
What you tell yourself,
Ever since Eden we're built
For pleasing everyone knows
And ever since Adam cracked his ribs
And let us go
I know, oh yes I know
What you tell yourself,
You tell yourself
Who taught you how to lie so well
And to believe in each and every word you say
Who told you that nothing about you is alright
It's just no use, it's just no good
You'll never be O.K.
Well I know, I know that wrong's been done to you
"It's such a tough world," that's what you say
Well I know, I know it's easier said than done
But that's enough girl,
Give it away give it, give it all away
Tell yourself that you're not pretty,
Look at you, you're beautiful
Tell yourself that no one sees Plain Jane Invisible to me, just tell yourself
Tell yourself you'll never be like
The anorexic beauties in the magazines
Just a bargain basement Barbie doll,
No belle do jour, no femme fatale
Just tell yourself
Tell yourself there's nothing worse
Than the pain inside and the way it hurts
But tell yourself it's nothing new
Cause everybody feels it too,
They feel it too
And there's just no getting 'round the fact
That you're thirteen right now
In "Tell Yourself" by Natalie Merchant, she speaks about issues of self-worth and self-judgment that people can face. In the first verse, she describes how one might view oneself in the mirror and count the good and bad things that they see. The singer knows that it's a common practice to put oneself down and harshly judge one's own appearance. The second verse uses biblical and historical references to highlight the pressure and expectation of pleasing others. The singer acknowledges the difficulties of breaking this cycle and learning how to let go of others' opinions. The final verse is a plea for self-acceptance and self-love. The singer encourages the listener to see their own beauty and recognize that the pain and hurt that they feel are shared emotions that everyone experiences, including themselves. While acknowledging the difficulty of this task, the singer firmly believes it is important to give away their negative self-talk and embrace a positive mindset.
Line by Line Meaning
I know what you tell yourself,
The singer is aware of what the listener tells themselves.
You tell yourself
The singer is emphasizing that the listener repeats the same thing to themselves.
Look in the mirror,
The singer is advising the listener to look at themselves.
Look in the mirror what does it show?
The artist wants the listener to reflect on what they see when they look at themselves.
I hear you counting
The artist is aware that the listener is constantly keeping track.
I know you're adding up the score
The singer knows the listener is tallying up their successes and failures.
Ever since Eden we're built
The singer believes that humans have always been designed to please others.
For pleasing everyone knows
The artist believes that pleasing others is a well-known fact.
And ever since Adam cracked his ribs
The artist references the biblical story of Adam and Eve, suggesting how long humans have been seeking to please others.
And let us go
The artist implies that Adam's actions affected all of humanity.
Who taught you how to lie so well
The singer believes the listener has gotten good at lying to themselves.
And to believe in each and every word you say
The artist believes the listener not only lies to themselves but also believes it.
Who told you that nothing about you is alright
The singer believes that someone has made the listener think negatively about themselves.
It's just no use, it's just no good
The singer thinks it's pointless to think negatively about oneself.
You'll never be O.K.
The singer perceives the listener's negative thinking as a barrier to their wellness.
Well I know, I know that wrong's been done to you
The artist acknowledges that the listener has been wronged in the past.
"It's such a tough world," that's what you say
The artist tells the listener that they often use this excuse when things get difficult.
Well I know, I know it's easier said than done
The singer acknowledges that changing negative thinking habits is not easy.
But that's enough girl,
The singer encourages the listener to stop thinking negatively.
Give it away give it, give it all away
The artist advises the listener to let go of their negative thought patterns entirely.
Tell yourself that you're not pretty,
The artist suggests that the listener might not think that they are attractive.
Look at you, you're beautiful
The artist wants the listener to think otherwise and realize that they are beautiful.
Tell yourself that no one sees Plain Jane Invisible to me, just tell yourself
The singer thinks the listener may believe that they are unremarkable and are not noticed by anyone, but wants them to tell themselves differently.
Tell yourself you'll never be like
The artist thinks the listener might compare themselves negatively to unattainable beauty standards.
The anorexic beauties in the magazines
The singer references the often unrealistic beauty standards depicted in magazine images.
Just a bargain basement Barbie doll,
The singer perceives that the listener might be degrading themselves to something cheap and artificial.
No belle do jour, no femme fatale
The singer believes the listener does not see themselves as an intriguing woman of confidence.
Just tell yourself
The artist wants the listener to affirm the positive image they create of themselves.
Tell yourself there's nothing worse
The artist believes that emotional pain is the worst type of pain.
Than the pain inside and the way it hurts
The singer thinks that emotional pain is hard to bear.
But tell yourself it's nothing new
The singer reminds the listener that pain is a common human experience.
Cause everybody feels it too,
The artist wants the listener to understand that they are not alone in their pain.
They feel it too
The artist reiterates that emotional pain is experienced by everyone.
And there's just no getting 'round the fact
The artist claims that it's a simple truth.
That you're thirteen right now
The singer wants the listener to understand that they're still young and have much to learn.
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: NATALIE A MERCHANT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind