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.
Fallen
Sarah McLachlan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Be the long awaited answer to a long and painful fight
Truth be told, I've tried my best
But somewhere along the way, I got caught up in all there was to offer
And the cost was so much more than I could bear
Though I've tried
I've fallen
I messed up
Better, I should know
So don't come 'round here and
Tell me, "I told you so"
We all begin with good intent
When love was raw and young
We believe that we can change ourselves
The past can be undone
But we carry on our back, the burden time always reveals
In the lonely light of morning
In the wound that would not heal
It's the bitter taste of losing everything
That I've held so dear
I've fallen
I have sunk so low
I messed up
Better I should know
So don't come 'round here and
Tell me I told you so
Oh
Heaven bend to take my hand
I've nowhere left to turn
I'm lost to those I thought were friends
To everyone I know
Oh, they turn their heads, embarrassed
Pretend that they don't see
That it's one missed step, one slip before you know it
And there doesn't seem a way to be redeemed
Though I've tried
I've fallen
I have sunk so low
I messed up
Better I should know
So don't come 'round here and
Tell me I told you so
Oh
I've messed up
Better, I should know
Don't come 'round here and
Tell me I told you so
The lyrics of Sarah McLachlan's song "Fallen" portray a sense of intense despair and hopelessness. The song seems to revolve around the idea of someone making mistakes and facing the consequences of their actions. It tells the story of a person who has reached rock bottom, made bad choices that have resulted in significant loss, and is left isolated and alone.
The opening lines, "Heaven bend to take my hand and lead me through the fire, be the long-awaited answer to a long and painful fight," seem to call for a divine intervention to help the singer come out of their struggles. The character acknowledges that something went wrong along their journey and that the cost of their mistakes was too high to bear. The verse: "But somewhere along the way, I got caught up in all there was to offer. And the cost was so much more than I could bear" reflects on the theme of temptation and perhaps addiction, with the character being pulled away from their good intentions by all the "offerings" around them.
In the chorus of "Fallen," the singer takes accountability for their actions by stating: "Though I've tried, I've fallen, I have sunk so low, I messed up, better I should know, so don't come 'round here and tell me I told you so." They're admitting to their failure while asking not to be judged for it. Later on, they clarify that mistakes not only haunt their present but also their past. The lines "We all begin with good intent when love was raw and young, we believe that we can change ourselves, the past can be undone" express how at the beginning of life, most people go into it with good intentions which can slowly become corrupted by the realities of the world.
Line by Line Meaning
Heaven bend to take my hand and lead me through the fire
Asking for help from a greater power to guide us through a challenging time
Be the long awaited answer to a long and painful fight
Hoping for a resolution to a prolonged and difficult struggle
Truth be told, I've tried my best
Addressing her own efforts to overcome the issue at hand
But somewhere along the way, I got caught up in all there was to offer
Acknowledging being distracted by other opportunities
And the cost was so much more than I could bear
Regretting the consequences of those distractions
We all begin with good intent
Recognizing that all people start off with the intention to do good
When love was raw and young
Referring to the beginning stages of a hopeful and promising relationship
We believe that we can change ourselves
Holding on to the hope that we can improve who we are
The past can be undone
Believing that what happened in the past can be reversed
But we carry on our back, the burden time always reveals
Acknowledging the emotional baggage and regrets that we accumulate over time
In the lonely light of morning
Reflecting on regrets and mistakes during quiet moments
In the wound that would not heal
Referencing the emotional and mental pain that persists over time
It's the bitter taste of losing everything that I've held so dear
Describing the feeling of losing what is most important to oneself
Oh, they turn their heads, embarrassed
Feeling ashamed and alone, with others pretending not to notice
Pretend that they don't see
Ignoring the issue or pretending it doesn't exist
And there doesn't seem a way to be redeemed
Believing that there is no hope for redemption or forgiveness
I've nowhere left to turn
Feeling stuck and helpless, with no options left
I'm lost to those I thought were friends
Feeling disconnected from those who were once close and supportive
To everyone I know
Feeling isolated from everyone around them
So don't come 'round here and tell me, 'I told you so'
Resenting unsolicited advice or criticism from others who did not help in the first place
I messed up, better I should know
Acknowledging responsibility for one's own mistakes and poor decisions
Though I've tried, I've fallen, I have sunk so low
Admitting to struggling and making mistakes, feeling hopeless
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Sarah McLachlan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@KorumEmrys
Heaven bend to take my hand
And lead me through the fire
Be the long awaited answer
To a long and painful fight
Truth be told I've tried my best
But somewhere 'long the way
I got caught up in all there was to offer
And the cost was so much more than I could bear
Though I've tried I've fallen
I have sunk so low
I messed up
Better I should know
So don't come 'round here and
Tell me I told you so
We all begin with good intent
When love was raw and young
We believe that we can change ourselves
The past can be undone
But we carry on our back the burden time always reveals
In the lonely light of morning
In the wound that would not heal
It's the bitter taste of losing everything
That I've held so dear
I've fallen
I have sunk so low
I messed up
Better I should know
So don't come 'round here and
Tell me I told you so
Heaven bend to take my hand
I've nowhere left to turn
I'm lost to those I thought were friends
To everyone I know
Oh they turn their heads embarrassed
Pretend that they don't see
That it's one missed step one slip before you know it
And there doesn't seem a way to be redeemed
Though I've tried I've fallen
I have sunk so low
I messed up
Better I should know
So don't come 'round here and
Tell me I told you so
I messed up
Better I should know
So don't come round here and
Tell me I told you so
@user-bs9yz7qc3g
May sadness fade,
As the music plays.
May soothing greet your soul,
And peace finally be known.
May you find love you deserve,
And whisper love so it's heard.
Love all and hate none,
There hates on there soul.
Your light shune,
So everyone will know ❤
@razorfett147
Im not sure that there has EVER been another song written that better conveys the despair of regret than this. Sarah is an absolute poet
@layneannen
73 years old here, messed up almost 59 years ago by not waiting for love of my life as he went to Vietnam. I married another while he was at war and it's been 1 mistake after another for me since. He came back from Nam, got married got in car crash and died at 29 . I am now old no children no love of my life. I understand messing up. You only get one chance at life, you please yourself, you loose. take advice from a lonely old lady, there's something to be said about young love. Please follow the goodness in your heart.
@chasx7062
There is a message on one the international Adoption videos: "any time that I feel down and depressed, I would go watch these adoption videos and they pick me up"
YOU should have at least adopted! There may never have been the right partner
@layneannen
@@chasx7062 thank you for your thoughts! The thought did cross my mind to adopt, but I became a long haul truck driver to "escape" I suppose, and that's no life to raise children
@dwinexboy77
You don't get only one chance at life. Chances come again and again. Sad you felt so heartbroken you didn't see another chance.
@mikebland4935
God is alway ready to start a new life with you. Pray for what's next. Life is not a closed door and it's over. While you stare at that closed door, there is an open door you can't see. Turn around. It's there.
@stephaniemcbroom9615
I feel you😊❤
@AJBell-dh6ry
Her videos from the late 90s have more poetic beauty than most films today.
@wavescrashing1489
She pulls years of alcoholism, and saddness out of me with that voice and those words. 15 years sober. Bless you Dear Lady.
@alexandrashipula5852
is it okay to have plain Substance Abuse issues or does that mean you're a POS?