Sarah McLachlan (born Sarah Ann McLachlan January 28, 1968 in Halifax, Nova… Read Full Bio ↴Sarah McLachlan (born Sarah Ann McLachlan January 28, 1968 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada) is a Grammy-winning musician, singer and songwriter.

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.

Fumbling Towards Ecstasy
Sarah McLachlan Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

All the fear has left me now
I'm not frightened anymore
It's my heart that pounds beneath my flesh
It's my mouth that pushes out this breath

And if I shed a tear, I won't cage it
I won't fear love
And if I feel a rage, I won't deny it

I won't fear love

Companion to our demons
They will dance and we will play
With chairs, candles, and cloth
Making darkness in the day
It will be easy to look in or out
Upstream or down without a thought

And if I shed a tear, I won't cage it
I won't fear love
And if I feel a rage, I won't deny it
I won't fear love

Peace in the struggle
To find peace
Comfort on the way
To comfort

And if I shed a tear, I won't cage it
I won't fear love
And if I feel a rage, I won't deny it
I won't fear love
I won't fear love
I won't fear love

And if I shed a tear, I won't cage it
I won't fear love
And if I feel a rage, I won't deny it
I won't fear love
I won't fear love
I won't fear love

And if I shed a tear, I won't cage it
I won't fear love

Overall Meaning

The first verse of Sarah McLachlan's song Fumbling Towards Ecstasy speaks about the release of fear and the acceptance of vulnerability. The singer declares that she is not scared anymore and acknowledges the physical sensations that come with it - a pounding heart and labored breathing. The next lines express her willingness to feel and express emotions openly without any reservations. McLachlan's words convey a sense of liberation from self-imposed restrictions that may have previously held her back from fully experiencing and embracing love. She then reinforces this by stating that if she feels tears or rage, she will not try to suppress or ignore them. These emotions will become a part of her journey towards finding fulfillment.

The second verse speaks of embracing the darker parts of one's nature. The singer talks about demons, which can be interpreted as internal struggles or personal demons. Rather than shy away from these inner struggles, she chooses to confront them and dance with them. Through this metaphor, McLachlan shows that one can use their struggles as a strength, revealing that paradoxically dancing with these demons may make it easier to find peace. She also leaves a trail of imagery in the lines that mention the furniture and candle, creating a dramatic picture of darkness being made into day. The last part of the verse describes how she will learn to see things from all possible angles (upstream, downstream) without any judgment.

The chorus of the song reinforces the earlier themes of accepting emotions openly, without any fear of vulnerability, allowing oneself to experience the emotions genuinely. McLachlan sings that there is 'peace in the struggle to find peace' and comfort in one's life journey. Emotions, both positive, and negative, are part of this journey, and courageously embracing them leads to fulfilling experiences, romantic or otherwise.

Line by Line Meaning

All the fear has left me now
I am no longer afraid of anything

I'm not frightened anymore
I have overcome my fear

It's my heart that pounds beneath my flesh
I am experiencing intense emotions

It's my mouth that pushes out this breath
I am alive and breathing

And if I shed a tear I won't cage it
I will not hold back my emotions

I won't fear love
I will not be afraid to love

And if I feel a rage I won't deny it
I will not suppress my anger

Companion to our demons
Our inner demons are always with us

They will dance and we will play
We will confront our demons and overcome them

With chairs candles and clothes
We will use everyday objects to create our own world

Making darkness in the day
We will find beauty in darkness