She is known for the emotional sound of her ballads. Some of her most popular songs include "Angel", "Building a Mystery", "Adia", "Possession", "Fallen", "I Will Remember You", and "World on Fire". Her best-selling album to date is Surfacing, for which she won two Grammy Awards and four Juno Awards.
Her first album Touch was released in September 28, 1988, recorded in 1987-1988, Vancouver, Canada. The album received both critical and commercial success and included the hit song Vox. During this period she co-operated with Tom Ferris and Dean Russel of Moev, who discovered her as a singer. She contributed backing vocals their 1990 album Head Down and embarked on her first national concert tour as an opening act for The Grapes Of Wrath, another Tom Ferris's band.
Her second album Solace (1991) was a real breakthrough in Canada, spawning the hit singles The Path of Thorns (Terms) and Into the Fire and being certified double platinum for sales of 200,000 copies in Canada.
In 1994 her third album Fumbling Towards Ecstasy quietly became Sarah's international breakthrough, scaling the charts in a number of countries. In the United States, the album was a steady seller that stayed in the middle ranges of the pop charts for almost two years.
Sarah's fourth album Surfacing, released in 1997, brought her international success, selling over 11 million copies worldwide. Still in the spotlight from the album, Sarah launched the highly popular Lilith Fair tour, which helped launch the careers of several well-known female artists.
Her next record Afterglow came out in 2003; it contained the singles Fallen, Stupid, and World On Fire. It was her first album of new material in six years. Sarah took a few years furlough to start a family with her husband and drummer, Ashwin Sood.
Her Holiday album Wintersong came out in October 2006. The album consists of eleven new recordings of well known Christmas songs as well as seasonal favorites interpreted by Sarah. The title track Wintersong is an original work of Sarah.
McLachlan's first studio album of original material in seven years, Laws of Illusion, was released on June 15, 2010. It features 10 new songs in addition to the previously released tracks "U Want Me 2" and "Don't Give Up on Us. The first single Loving You Is Easy was released on April 23, 2010. It was followed by Forgiveness, released on June 30, 2010.
Awakenings
Sarah McLachlan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A long dark winter passed us by
With shooting starts and hopeful hearts
Our worlds collide
So we rushed to fill each other in
Quick to feed our hungry hopes
A feast of our affections, we were born anew
With open eyes, we tried to make it work
And for a while the magic took
But cracks to begin to show as soon as things got hard
Like paper walls, our feelings tore
We threw our backs against the door
Unwilling to bear witness to the other side
Oh, the games we play to hide
The tangled dread inside
The fear that we are going nowhere fast
We point the finger out, the anger gets so loud
It drowns out all the sorrow
At least until tomorrow, what then?
I took a good hard look at how I loved
Years I squandered, falling fast
For any boy who'd have me was so insecure
Lie awake alone at night
Full of loathing, compromised
And wondering, how the hell did I end up like this?
Oh, the tears of rage I cried
When nowhere could I find
An answer that made any kind of sense to me
I point the finger out, the anger gets so loud
It drowns out all the sorrow
At least until tomorrow
Oh, I wanna learn, I wanna know
Will our history crush us or can we let it go?
I'm not the girl I was but what have I become?
I'm not so willing anymore to bend
Still pleasing and conceding
But I'm not gonna lose myself again
The song Awakenings by Sarah McLachlan is a reflection on past relationships and how they shape us. McLachlan uses vivid imagery to describe the initial rush of falling in love, as well as the emotional turmoil and struggles that often follow. The opening lines, "When we first met, the well was dry, a long dark winter passed us by" signify a time of emptiness, a time where love was absent. However, when the two people meet, there is hope and optimism that love will be found. The line "With shooting stars and hopeful hearts, our worlds collide" symbolizes the excitement and passion of new love.
As the song progresses, McLachlan talks about how relationships often face challenges and how difficult it is to face the truth about ourselves and our partners. She sings about "paper walls and cracking feelings", revealing how relationships can often be built on a surface level of emotions, and how these "walls" can easily crumble. The lines "the games we play to hide, the tangled dread inside" show how fear and insecurity can lead to unhealthy coping mechanisms. In the end, Sarah McLachlan emphasizes that it’s not about losing yourself again and instead of pleasing and conceding, she wants to learn and grow as a person.
Line by Line Meaning
When we first met, the well was dry
When we first met, we were feeling empty and lost.
A long dark winter passed us by
We went through a difficult and dark time before we met.
With shooting starts and hopeful hearts
We had high hopes for our future together.
Our worlds collide
Our lives and paths crossed in a significant way.
So we rushed to fill each other in
We quickly shared personal details to connect with each other.
Quick to feed our hungry hopes
We were eager to find happiness and fulfillment in each other.
A feast of our affections, we were born anew
Our love for each other made us feel reborn and alive.
With open eyes, we tried to make it work
We were honest and intentional about trying to build a successful relationship.
And for a while the magic took
We were happy and in love for a period of time.
But cracks to begin to show as soon as things got hard
Our relationship struggled when we faced challenges and difficult times.
Like paper walls, our feelings tore
Our emotions and connection were fragile and easily damaged.
We threw our backs against the door
We resisted the idea of giving up on our relationship.
Unwilling to bear witness to the other side
We didn't want to acknowledge that our relationship might not work out.
Oh, the games we play to hide
We used tactics to avoid facing our true emotions and the issues in our relationship.
The tangled dread inside
Our fears and anxieties were complicated and difficult to deal with.
The fear that we are going nowhere fast
We were worried that our relationship wasn't progressing or growing.
We point the finger out, the anger gets so loud
We blamed each other for problems instead of taking responsibility.
It drowns out all the sorrow
Our anger and defensiveness prevented us from feeling sadness or vulnerability.
At least until tomorrow, what then?
We pushed aside our issues but knew they would resurface eventually.
I took a good hard look at how I loved
I examined my own patterns and behaviors in relationships.
Years I squandered, falling fast
I wasted time and energy on men who weren't right for me.
For any boy who'd have me was so insecure
I struggled with self-esteem and felt desperate for attention and affection.
Lie awake alone at night
I suffered and worried alone in the dark.
Full of loathing, compromised
I felt hatred and disgust toward myself, and compromised my own values.
And wondering, how the hell did I end up like this?
I questioned how I could have made such bad choices in relationships and life.
Oh, the tears of rage I cried
I felt strong and intense emotions of anger and frustration.
When nowhere could I find
I couldn't find any answers or solutions to my problems.
An answer that made any kind of sense to me
I was confused and struggled to understand my own situation.
I'm not the girl I was but what have I become?
I have changed and evolved as a person but I'm unsure of what that means for my future.
I'm not so willing anymore to bend
I am less willing to compromise and sacrifice my own needs and desires.
Still pleasing and conceding
I still struggle with wanting to please others and avoid conflict.
But I'm not gonna lose myself again
I am committed to maintaining my own identity and self-worth in relationships.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Sarah Mclachlan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jaded Hart
on In The Arms Of The Angels
This will surely make you cry! Everyone can identify with this song! Hear it you won't regret it. And maybe you'll remember!