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.
These Days
Natalie Merchant Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
These are days you'll remember.
Never before and never since,
I promise, will the whole world be warm as this.
And as you feel it, you'll know it's true that you are blessed and lucky.
It's true that you are touched by something that will grow and bloom in you.
These are days you'll remember.
It's true that you are touched by something that will grow and bloom in you.
These are days.
These are the days you might fill with laughter until you break.
These days you might feel a shaft of light make its way across your face.
And when you do you'll know how it was meant to be.
See the signs and know their meaning.
It's true, you'll know how it was meant to be.
Hear the signs and know they're speaking to you, to you.
Natalie Merchant's song These Are Days is an emotional and inspiring piece that celebrates life's simple pleasures and the moments that make existence worth it. The opening verse sets the tone for the rest of the song by telling the listener that these are times that will be remembered and never repeated; hence, they should savor and cherish them. Furthermore, the singer assures the listener that they are experiencing something special and should be grateful for it.
The following verses elaborate on the previous message by talking about the little things that make life beautiful, such as the rush of May and the feeling of being touched by something mystical that will help them grow and blossom. Natalie Merchant then urges the listener to laugh until they break, highlighting the importance of joy and self-care.
The song's final verse encourages the listener to be mindful of the signs the universe sends their way and to listen to them, as they might hold deeper meanings. It suggests that if they do, they will understand how things were meant to be, and that things will fall into place naturally.
Overall, These Are Days is a song that celebrates living in the present and being grateful for the experiences that make life worth living.
Line by Line Meaning
These are the days
The present moment is worth cherishing and being grateful for.
These are days you'll remember.
These are the moments that stand out and will be remembered for years to come.
Never before and never since, I promise, will the whole world be warm as this.
This particular moment is unique and special, and can never be replicated.
And as you feel it, you'll know it's true that you are blessed and lucky.
Feeling this moment deeply will make you realize how fortunate you are to experience it.
It's true that you are touched by something that will grow and bloom in you.
This moment will have a lasting impact on you and help you grow as a person.
When May is rushing over you with desire to be part of the miracles you see in every hour.
Springtime brings a sense of wonder and possibility that you want to be a part of.
These are the days you might fill with laughter until you break.
This is a time for joy and merriment that can leave you feeling lightheaded and carefree.
These days you might feel a shaft of light make its way across your face.
You might experience moments of pure happiness and contentment that bring a smile to your face.
And when you do you'll know how it was meant to be.
These moments will provide clarity and insight into your purpose and destiny.
See the signs and know their meaning.
Pay attention to the signals and clues that life presents, they can guide you towards your path.
It's true, you'll know how it was meant to be.
Following your intuition and listening to your heart will lead you to where you are meant to be.
Hear the signs and know they're speaking to you, to you.
Listen closely to the messages that the universe is sending, they are tailored just for you.
Lyrics © WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: BUCK ROBERT, JEROME AUGUSTYNIAK, NATALIE MERCHANT, NATALIE A MERCHANT, ROBERT BUCK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind