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.
Wonder
Natalie Merchant Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Stand over my bed, disbelieving what they're seeing
They say I must be one of the wonders
Of God's own creation
And as far as they see, they can offer
No explanation
They reach into my head to steal, the glory of my story
They say I must be one of the wonders
Of God's own creation
And as far as they see, they can offer
No explanation
Ooo, I believe, fate smiled
And destiny laughed as you came to my cradle
Know this child will be able
Laughed as my body she lifted
Know this child will be gifted
With love, with patience, and with faith
She'll make her way, she'll make her way
People see me I'm a challenge to your balance
I'm over your heads how I confound you
And astound you
To know I must be one of the wonders
God's own creation
And as far as they see, they can offer
Me no explanation
Ooo, I believe, fate smiled
And destiny laughed as she came to my cradle
Know this child will be able
Laughed as she came to my mother
Know this child will not suffer
Laughed as my body she lifted
Know this child will be gifted
With love, with patience and with faith
She'll make her way, she'll make her way
She'll make her way, she'll make her way
In Natalie Merchant's song "Wonder," she sings from the perspective of someone who has been deemed a medical oddity. The song opens with doctors coming from distant cities to see the singer and stand over her bed in disbelief at what they're seeing. The singer has been labeled as one of the wonders of God's own creation with no explanation for her unique condition. Newspapers have asked intimate questions and sought confessions, wanting to steal the glory of her story, but the singer remains a mystery.
The second verse begins with the singer reflecting on her birth, as fate smiled and destiny laughed when she was born. The child, the singer, would be able, gifted with love, patience, and faith to make her way in the world. The final verse brings the song full circle, with the singer acknowledging that she is a challenge to people's balance and confounds and astounds them with her unique condition. She remains a wonder of God's own creation, with no explanation.
Overall, "Wonder" is a song about embracing and celebrating the things that make us different from others. Though society may label us as oddities or challenges, we have the ability to make our way in the world with love, patience, and faith.
Line by Line Meaning
Doctors have come from distant cities, just to see me
Medical professionals have traveled long distances just to observe my condition, intrigued and baffled by my peculiarities.
Stand over my bed, disbelieving what they're seeing
They stand over my bed, trying to process what they are witnessing, hardly able to believe it themselves.
They say I must be one of the wonders
They speculate that I am amongst the extraordinary, exceptional creations of the divine Spirit Himself.
Of God's own creation
They are convinced that the force, behind a miracle of such magnitude, can only be an omnipotent Creator.
And as far as they see, they can offer
Despite their expertise, they are unable to provide any rational justification for what they have encountered so far.
No explanation
They are at a loss to explain what they have witnessed.
Newspapers ask intimate questions, want confessions
Journalists are curious about every detail of my life, eager for me to share any information of a personal nature.
They reach into my head to steal, the glory of my story
They delve into my mind, hoping to extract the most captivating aspects of my experiences, without any regard for my privacy or dignity.
Ooo, I believe, fate smiled
I truly believe that fate itself smiled upon me, that my life was predestined to be something extraordinary.
And destiny laughed as you came to my cradle
Destiny itself couldn't help but chuckle as I was born into this world, as if it knew what was in store for me.
Know this child will be able
It was clear from the very beginning that I would possess a remarkable set of skills and talents.
Laughed as my body she lifted
Even as I was lifted out of my mother's womb, destiny couldn't contain its amusement over my exceptionalism.
Know this child will be gifted
It was apparent that I was destined to possess immense abilities that would set me apart from the rest.
With love, with patience, and with faith
I was blessed with an incredible amount of love, an abundance of patience and an unshakable faith that would propel me to greatness.
She'll make her way, she'll make her way
With these gifts, I will undoubtedly succeed, carving a path for myself that leads to triumph amidst all the challenges and obstacles.
People see me I'm a challenge to your balance
I am perceived by others as a threat to their equilibrium, constantly pushing the limits of what is considered normal and expected.
I'm over your heads how I confound you
I am far beyond the comprehension of most people, making it difficult for them to understand me or my motivations.
And astound you
And yet, I continue to amaze and impress, leaving people in disbelief of what I am capable of achieving.
To know I must be one of the wonders
It becomes apparent to all who encounter me that I am one of the most amazing, fantastic creations in the world.
God's own creation
And they know that none other than the omnipotent Creator could be responsible for such an awe-inspiring spectacle.
Me no explanation
And yet, even with all their knowledge and understanding, they remain helpless to offer any plausible explanation for my exceptionalism.
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: NATALIE A MERCHANT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind