Harmer gained her first exposure to the musician's lifestyle as a teenager, when her older sister Mary started taking her to concerts by the then-unknown The Tragically Hip. At the age of 17, she was invited to join a Toronto band, The Saddletramps. For three years, she juggled The Saddletramps with her studies in philosophy and women's studies at Queen's University.
After leaving The Saddletramps, Harmer put together a band of her own with several Kingston, Ontario musicians, and settled on the name Weeping Tile. The band released its first independent cassette in 1994. Soon afterward, they signed to a major label, and the cassette was re-released in 1995 as eepee. The band quickly became a popular draw on the rock club circuit and on campus radio with their subsequent albums, but never broke through to the mainstream, and broke up in 1998 after being dropped from their label.
Also in 1998, Harmer recorded a set of pop standards as a Christmas gift for her father. After hearing it, her friends and family convinced her to release it as an album, and in 1999 she released it independently as Songs for Clem. Harmer quickly began working on another album, and in 2000, she released You Were Here.
A poppier, more laid-back effort than her work with Weeping Tile, You Were Here became Harmer's mainstream breakthrough, spawning the hits "Basement Apartment" and "Don't Get Your Back Up". The album also appeared on many critics' year-end lists, including TIME magazine, which called it the year's best debut album. It was eventually certified platinum for sales of 100,000 copies in Canada. Almost half of the album (including both of its major hits) consisted of songs she had previously recorded with Weeping Tile or The Saddletramps.
In 2004, she released All of Our Names. The album included the singles "Almost", which made the top 20 on Canadian pop charts, and "Pendulums". The album has a rustic earthy live-of-the-floor sound with some of the instrumentation, programming pre-production recording conducted in her home Northeast of Kingston, Ontario. The album was co-produced by Gavin Brown [Metric, Billy Talent, The Tragically Hip,]
Her fourth album, I'm A Mountain, was released in Canada on November 8, 2005. Sarah has performed and canvased in support of the NDP and Marilyn Churley, her friend in the fight for the protection of the Niagara Escarpment. The album states that it has been: "Engineered, mixed and produced by Sarah Harmer and Martin Davis Kinack at her house."
In 2010, Sarah released her fifth release, Oh Little Fire, which was co-produced by Gavin Brown, who assisted with her earlier All Our Names and features Neko Case on guest vocals.
Sarah, during her five year break between her last two recordings, appeared as a guest vocalist on other artists' albums, including Blue Rodeo, Neko Case, Bruce Cockburn, Great Big Sea, Rheostatics, The Skydiggers and The Weakerthans.
Discography
1999 - Songs for Clem
2000 - You Were Here
2004 - All of Our Names
2005 - I'm A Mountain
2010 - Oh Little Fire
I'm A Mountain
Sarah Harmer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Laughing so naturally
For a Wal-Mart ad
Is it not as bad as I thought?
There's a woman sending poisonous mail
And they caught her now she's sitting in jail
While the weather station forecasts hail
Oh I spent the day in a shopping mall
Through the biggest storm of the century
I'm a mountain
I'm a mountain like you said to be
The sports man and his double chin
Don't listen to me in this state I'm in
Saying things about people that I don't know
Well it's just that way when you get hurt
And the things you need you're made to work
You must decide if you will die or grow
Oh I spent the day in a shopping mall
Through the biggest storm of the century
I'm a mountain
I'm a mountain
Like you said to be
In Sarah Harmer's "I'm A Mountain", the lyrics explore the dichotomy between natural and commercial environments, all while attempting to reconcile feelings of hurt and personal growth. The opening lines question the authenticity of a lady laughing on a Walmart ad while also confronting the realization that even seemingly "bad" things may not be as terrible as initially perceived. This sets the stage for the rest of the song's commentary on the complexities of life, where even something like a weather forecast for hail in the tropics can feel akin to an oxymoron.
Line by Line Meaning
Well now how did they get that lady on TV
Questioning the authenticity of a Wal-Mart commercial featuring a woman laughing with ease
Laughing so naturally
Commenting on the impressive acting skills of the woman in the commercial
For a Wal-Mart ad
Clarifying that the woman is featured in a commercial for Wal-Mart
Is it not as bad as I thought?
Reflecting on whether or not the commercial is as bad as she had initially expected
There's a woman sending poisonous mail
Bringing attention to a woman who has been sending harmful mail
And they caught her now she's sitting in jail
Reporting that the woman who sent poisonous mail has been caught and imprisoned
While the weather station forecasts hail
Contrasting the woman's actions with the weather report which is forecasting hail
From the tropics
Emphasizing the contrasting nature of the situation
Oh I spent the day in a shopping mall
Referring to her own experience of spending time at a shopping mall
Through the biggest storm of the century
Describing the challenging weather conditions she faced while at the mall
I'm a mountain
Expressing inner strength and resilience, being able to persevere through a difficult situation
I'm a mountain like you said to be
Recalling words of encouragement or motivation from someone who saw her as strong as a mountain
The sports man and his double chin
Mocking the physical appearance of a sportsman who is likely overweight
Don't listen to me in this state I'm in
Admitting that she may not be in the best mind frame to make accurate or fair judgments about others
Saying things about people that I don't know
Explaining that her comments about the sportsman are based on her limited knowledge of him
Well it's just that way when you get hurt
Offering an excuse for her behavior, suggesting that she may be lashing out due to her own emotional pain
And the things you need you're made to work
Commenting on the difficulty of obtaining necessities and the obstacles that may need to be overcome
You must decide if you will die or grow
Encouraging resilience and the need to make important decisions during challenging times
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: SARAH HARMER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind