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
Stormy Weather
Sarah Harmer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Stormy weather
Since my man and I ain't together
Keeps raining all the time
Life is bare
Gloom and misery everywhere
Stormy weather
I just can't get my poor self together
Since he went away the blues walked in and met me
If he stays away, old rockin' chair's gonna get me
All I do is pray the Lord above will let me walk in the sun once more
I can't go on
Everything I had is gone
Stormy weather
Since my man and I ain't together
Keeps raining all the time
Since he went away the blues walked in and met me
If he stays away, old rockin' chair's gonna get me
All I do is pray the Lord above will let me walk in the sun once more
I can't go on
Everything I had is gone
Stormy weather
Since my man and I ain't together
Keeps raining all the time
Keeps raining all the time
The song Stormy Weather by Sarah Harmer and Jason Euringer talks about a woman who is going through a rough patch in her life after separating from her lover. The lyrics suggest that the absence of the man has caused a lot of negative emotions in her life, resulting in her feeling weary all the time. She seems to be in a state of despair and hopelessness, as she is surrounded by gloom and misery all around her. Furthermore, she expresses her longing for her lover's return so that her life will be once again filled with joy and happiness.
The lyrics of the song are quite melancholic, and they highlight the message of how love can bring light and happiness into someone's life. The woman in the song is in a state of sadness and despair, which is only made worse by the fact that she can't see the sun due to the stormy weather. The rain is a metaphor for the tears she's shedding, and this exacerbates how alone and miserable she is. She also expresses her fear of living the rest of her life without her lover. In essence, the song is a poignant reflection on how love can make or break our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't know why there's no sun up in the sky
I am confused as to why the sky is always cloudy and gray.
Stormy weather
The current environmental condition outside is very tumultuous.
Since my man and I ain't together
Ever since my partner and I separated, my mood has been low.
Keeps raining all the time
There is a consistent downpour of rain outside that does not cease.
Life is bare
My life feels empty and meaningless without my significant other.
Gloom and misery everywhere
Everywhere I look, there is an air of sadness and despair.
I just can't get my poor self together
I am unable to pull myself out of this negative emotional state.
So weary all the time
I feel very exhausted and fatigued constantly.
Since he went away the blues walked in and met me
My mental state has worsened since my partner left me.
If he stays away, old rockin' chair's gonna get me
If my partner does not return soon, my mental state may deteriorate even further.
All I do is pray the Lord above will let me walk in the sun once more
I desperately hope for a brighter future where I can find happiness and contentment again.
I can't go on
I feel like I cannot continue living this way.
Everything I had is gone
I feel like I have lost everything that was important to me.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, BMG Rights Management, S.A. MUSIC
Written by: Harold Arlen, Ted Koheler
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind