Sarah Harmer (born on 12 November 1970 in Burlington, Ontario) is a Canadia… Read Full Bio ↴Sarah Harmer (born on 12 November 1970 in Burlington, Ontario) is a Canadian folk singer.

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

Sentimental Journey
Sarah Harmer Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Gonna take a sentimental journey
Gonna set my heart at ease
Gonna take a sentimental journey
To renew old memories

Got a bag, I got my reservation
Spent each dime I could afford
Like a child in wild anticipation

Long to hear that, "All aboard"

Seven, that's the time we leave, at seven
I'll be waiting up for heaven
Counting every mile of railroad track that takes me back
Never thought my heart could be so yearning

Why did I decide to roam?

Gotta take a sentimental journey
Sentimental journey home

Overall Meaning

In Sarah Harmer's song Sentimental Journey, the lyrics speak to the singer's desire to return to a place from their past. They use the phrase "sentimental journey" to describe the trip, and it seems to be an important concept to them. The first two lines express a sense of relief that comes with the prospect of returning to this place - "gonna set my heart at ease" implies that the singer has felt troubled or anxious for some time, and that returning home will provide some sense of comfort.

The next few lines describe the preparations for the journey - the singer has a bag and a reservation, and they've spent all their money to make this happen. But they also display a certain childlike enthusiasm, a longing to be back in the familiar place they're headed to. When they hear the call to board the train, it's as if all their excitement and anticipation has been building up to that moment.

The final verse seems to acknowledge that there's some confusion around the decision to leave in the first place - "why did I decide to roam?" - but at the end of the day, the singer knows they have to take this "sentimental journey" home, as their heart is yearning for it. Overall, the lyrics in this song capture a feeling of nostalgia and longing for a place that's been left behind, but which still holds a special place in the heart of the singer.

Line by Line Meaning

Gonna take a sentimental journey
I am going to embark upon a trip down memory lane

Gonna set my heart at ease
This trip will soothe my soul

Gonna take a sentimental journey
Once again, I am going to relive cherished moments

To renew old memories
I will revisit the past to rekindle former experiences

Got a bag, I got my reservation
I am prepared for this sentimental voyage

Spent each dime I could afford
I have spared no expense for this trip

Like a child in wild anticipation
I am filled with eagerness, just like a youngster

Long to hear that, "All aboard"
I am impatient for the voyage to begin

Seven, that's the time we leave, at seven
The departure time is 7:00 AM

I'll be waiting up for heaven
I will be up and looking forward to this adventure

Counting every mile of railroad track that takes me back
I will track every mile of my journey