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.
Homeless
Sarah McLachlan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Silale maweni
Webaba silale maweni
Webaba silale maweni
Webaba silale maweni
Webaba silale maweni
Webaba silale maweni
Webaba silale maweni
Webaba silale maweni
Webaba silale maweni
Homeless, homeless
Moonlight sleeping on a midnight lake
Homeless, homeless
Moonlight sleeping on a midnight lake
We are homeless, we are homeless
The moonlight sleeping on a midnight lake
And we are homeless, homeless, homeless
The moonlight sleeping on a midnight lake
Zio yami, zio yami, nhliziyo yami
Nhliziyo yami amakhaza asengi bulele
Nhliziyo yami, nhliziyo yami
Nhliziyo yami, angibulele amakhaza
Nhliziyo yami, nhliziyo yami
Nhliziyo yami somandla angibulele mama
Zio yami, nhliziyo yami
Nhliziyo yami, nhliziyo yami
Too loo loo, too loo loo
Too loo loo loo loo loo loo loo loo loo
Too loo loo, too loo loo
Too loo loo loo loo loo loo loo loo loo
Strong wind destroy our home
Many dead, tonight it could be you
Strong wind, strong wind
Many dead, tonight it could be you
And we are homeless, homeless
Moonlight sleeping on a midnight lake
Homeless, homeless
Moonlight sleeping on a midnight lake
Homeless, homeless
Moonlight sleeping on a midnight lake
Somebody say ih hih ih hih ih
Somebody sing hello, hello, hello
Somebody say ih hih ih hih ih
Somebody cry why, why, why?
Somebody say ih hih ih hih ih
Somebody sing hello, hello, hello
Somebody say ih hih ih hih ih
Somebody cry why, why, why?
Somebody say ih hih ih hih ih
Yitho omanqoba (ih hih ih hih ih) yitho omanqoba
Esanqoba lonke ilizwe
(ih hih ih hih ih) Yitho omanqoba (ih hih ih hih ih)
Esanqoba phakathi e England
Yitho omanqoba
Esanqoba phakathi e London
Yitho omanqoba
Esanqoba phakathi e England
Somebody say ih hih ih hih ih
Somebody sing hello, hello, hello
Somebody say ih hih ih hih ih
Somebody cry why, why, why?
Somebody say ih hih ih hih ih
Somebody sing hello, hello, hello
Somebody say ih hih ih hih ih
Somebody cry why, why, why?
Kuluman
Kulumani, Kulumani sizwe
Singenze njani
Baya jabula abasi thanda yo
Ho
The song "Homeless" by Sarah McLachlan is a poignant and emotionally charged piece that speaks of the universal struggles of homelessness and displacement. The opening lines are in Zulu, a South African language, and translate to "In the mountains, fathers (or men) are sleeping, father, let's sleep in the mountains" repeated many times. The repetition captures the sense of hopelessness and exhaustion that homelessness can cause, as the lines become more desperate each time. The song's repeated refrain of "homeless, homeless" emphasizes the central theme of the song, and the moonlight sleeping on a midnight lake adds to the sense of loneliness and isolation.
The following lines, in Xhosa, another South African language, translate to "My heart, my heart, my heart is full of grief, my heart is confused, it hasn't forgotten the grief, my heart, my heart, my heart." These lines communicate the emotional distress and pain that come with displacement and homelessness, and they give a sense of the inner turmoil that many homeless people live with. The song continues with a plea for help, as McLachlan sings "somebody say why, why, why?" and expresses the wish for a world where everyone can have a home.
Overall, "Homeless" is a deeply moving song that offers insight into the challenges faced by homeless people around the world. Through its use of multiple languages and powerful repetition, the song captures the emotional toll of displacement and the sense of hopelessness that can come with it.
Line by Line Meaning
Emaweni webaba
We sit together, father, in the valley
Silale maweni
We sit and rest in the valley
Webaba silale maweni
Father, let us sit and rest in the valley
Webaba silale maweni
Father, let us sit and rest in the valley
Webaba silale maweni
Father, let us sit and rest in the valley
Webaba silale maweni
Father, let us sit and rest in the valley
Webaba silale maweni
Father, let us sit and rest in the valley
Webaba silale maweni
Father, let us sit and rest in the valley
Webaba silale maweni
Father, let us sit and rest in the valley
Webaba silale maweni
Father, let us sit and rest in the valley
Homeless, homeless
We have no home, we are homeless
Moonlight sleeping on a midnight lake
The moon illuminates a silent, dark and lonely lake
Homeless, homeless
We have no home, we are homeless
Moonlight sleeping on a midnight lake
The moon illuminates a silent, dark and lonely lake
We are homeless, we are homeless
We have no home, we are homeless
The moonlight sleeping on a midnight lake
The moon's reflection sleeps on the dark, still lake
And we are homeless, homeless, homeless
We have no home, we are homeless and it is repeated to emphasize the severity of it
The moonlight sleeping on a midnight lake
The moon's reflection sleeps on the dark, still lake
Zio yami, zio yami, nhliziyo yami
My eye, my eye, my heart
Nhliziyo yami amakhaza asengi bulele
My heart breaks with so much pain
Nhliziyo yami, nhliziyo yami
My heart, my heart
Nhliziyo yami, angibulele amakhaza
My heart cannot bear this suffering
Nhliziyo yami, nhliziyo yami
My heart, my heart
Nhliziyo yami somandla angibulele mama
My God, give me strength to bear this, Mama
Zio yami, nhliziyo yami
My eye, my heart
Nhliziyo yami, nhliziyo yami
My heart, my heart
Too loo loo, too loo loo
A comforting song, a lullaby
Too loo loo loo loo loo loo loo loo loo
A quiet, gentle melody
Too loo loo, too loo loo
A comforting song, a lullaby
Too loo loo loo loo loo loo loo loo loo
A quiet, gentle melody
Strong wind destroy our home
A strong wind destroyed our home
Many dead, tonight it could be you
Many have died and tonight it could be you
Strong wind, strong wind
A strong wind, a furious storm
Many dead, tonight it could be you
Many have died and tonight it could be you
And we are homeless, homeless
We have no home, we are homeless
Moonlight sleeping on a midnight lake
The moon's reflection sleeps on the dark, still lake
Homeless, homeless
We have no home, we are homeless
Moonlight sleeping on a midnight lake
The moon's reflection sleeps on the dark, still lake
Homeless, homeless
We have no home, we are homeless
Moonlight sleeping on a midnight lake
The moon's reflection sleeps on the dark, still lake
Somebody say ih hih ih hih ih
Someone laughs with tears in their eyes
Somebody sing hello, hello, hello
Someone greets the world with hope
Somebody say ih hih ih hih ih
Someone laughs with tears in their eyes
Somebody cry why, why, why?
Someone cries, asking why
Somebody say ih hih ih hih ih
Someone laughs with tears in their eyes
Somebody sing hello, hello, hello
Someone greets the world with hope
Somebody say ih hih ih hih ih
Someone laughs with tears in their eyes
Somebody cry why, why, why?
Someone cries, asking why
Yitho omanqoba (ih hih ih hih ih) yitho omanqoba
The drums of victory, the drums of victory
Esanqoba lonke ilizwe
All nations have been conquered
(ih hih ih hih ih) Yitho omanqoba (ih hih ih hih ih)
The drums of victory, the drums of victory
Esanqoba phakathi e England
Victory between England
Yitho omanqoba
The drums of victory
Esanqoba phakathi e London
Victory between London
Yitho omanqoba
The drums of victory
Esanqoba phakathi e England
Victory between England
Somebody say ih hih ih hih ih
Someone laughs with tears in their eyes
Somebody sing hello, hello, hello
Someone greets the world with hope
Somebody say ih hih ih hih ih
Someone laughs with tears in their eyes
Somebody cry why, why, why?
Someone cries, asking why
Somebody say ih hih ih hih ih
Someone laughs with tears in their eyes
Somebody sing hello, hello, hello
Someone greets the world with hope
Somebody say ih hih ih hih ih
Someone laughs with tears in their eyes
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Crystal Waters, Neal Brian Conway
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!