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.
The Living
Natalie Merchant Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With the living with the living
Here I've found a place I can hide
From the living from the living
Because I don't care to stay with the living
Oh the bottle has been to me
My closest friend my worst enemy
Squandered it all and wasted my time
And I don't stand a chance among the living
For the lovers I've gambled and lost
Count my mistakes whatever the cost
I'll go off, I'll make myself scarce
Oh, come tomorrow
You won't find me here
Because I don't care to stay with the living
I don't think I'll remain with the living
And I don't care to stay with the living
No, I don't care to stay
The song "The Living" by Natalie Merchant portrays the feelings of loneliness and isolation, as well as the struggle with addiction. The opening lines, "What's it like there outside, with the living? Here I've found a place I can hide, from the living," suggest that the singer has distanced themselves from society, preferring to be alone. This could be due to struggling with addiction, as indicated later in the song.
Merchant sings, "Because I don't care to stay with the living. Oh, the bottle has been to me my closest friend, my worst enemy," revealing that the singer has turned to alcohol as a coping mechanism for their problems. The line "For a flavor, I walked a fine life, squandered it all and wasted my time" suggests that they had a promising life at one point but have since thrown it all away due to their addiction.
The chorus of the song, "And I don't care to stay with the living," is repeated throughout the song, emphasizing the singer's desire for seclusion and avoidance of society. The final line, "I don't think I'll remain with the living," suggests that the singer may be contemplating suicide, either passively through their addiction or actively.
Overall, "The Living" is a poignant portrayal of the struggles with addiction and the desire for solitude. The lyrics offer a glimpse into the singer's inner turmoil, leaving the listener with a sense of empathy and understanding.
Line by Line Meaning
What's it like there outside
Natalie questions the state of the outside world
With the living with the living
The repetition of 'with the living' implies her desire to be away from them
Here I've found a place I can hide
She's found solitude in a place where she can escape the trappings of the living
From the living from the living
She further reinforces her desire to stay away from the living
Because I don't care to stay with the living
She doesn't want to be associated with the living as they hold no importance to her
Oh the bottle has been to me
Natalie has found solace in alcohol to ease her pain
My closest friend my worst enemy
Alcohol has become both her support system and her downfall
For a flavor I walked a fine life
She's sacrificed a lot to fulfill her desire for alcohol
Squandered it all and wasted my time
Her addiction has consumed her and caused her to waste her life
And I don't stand a chance among the living
She's isolated herself to the point where she no longer feels like she belongs among the living
For the lovers I've gambled and lost
She's taken risks for the sake of love, but has lost each time
Count my mistakes whatever the cost
She's realizing that her actions have led to negative consequences and she has to face them
I'll go off, I'll make myself scarce
She's ready to leave and disappear from the world
Oh, come tomorrow
She knows she won't be around after tomorrow
You won't find me here
She's truly gone and won't be found in her hiding place
I don't think I'll remain with the living
She's come to terms with the fact that she can't and won't continue living like the others
And I don't care to stay with the living
She's made up her mind to leave the world of the living
No, I don't care to stay
She's done with the world of the living and has no desire to stay
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: NATALIE A MERCHANT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind