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.
Monsters
Sarah McLachlan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There were always creatures lurking under the bed
A thousand year old dragon lived deep in the lake
And he said "Don't be afraid"
So you dove in
He seemed so sweet and lovely he made you laugh
And made you forget about the rain
Hidden talents that erases the pain, ah
And don't you know that there's a wolf
Stalking in sheep's clothing
Tells me he's the real thing
Think what your life would be missing
If you didn't have him to sing
To sing about
Three headed monsters
They want your money wanna be in the picture
Be your friend
They fill your pool
With alligators are they all just jokers or are they cruel
They light up when they see you
Like there's no where else that they'd rather be
Than by your side
Then they promise you the stars
But they're really just along for the ride, ah
And don't you know that there's a wolf
Stalking in sheep's clothing
Tells me he's the real thing
Think what your life would be missing
If you didn't have him to sing
To sing about, ah ah
Ah, ah, ah
Is it the sparkle
In their eyes or the knowledge of the ways of the world
The way they kiss
The way they hold you
Has made you blind to the fangs and the fire
There's a wolf
Stalking in sheep's clothing
Tells me he's the real thing
Think what your life would be missing
If you didn't have him to sing
To sing about, ah
Ah ah, ah ah
Ah ah, ah, ah ah
In "Monsters," Sarah McLachlan reflects on the dangers that we all face in relationships, whether they be romantic or platonic. When we were children, we were wary of creatures lurking beneath our beds, but as we grow older, we find that the real monsters are often those that we allow into our lives. The song's opening verse begins with the imagery of a young child being comforted by a friendly, thousand-year-old dragon who encourages her to face her fears. But as she gets older and faces more complex challenges, she discovers that there are people in her life who would use their friendly exterior to deceive her. "Three headed monsters," as McLachlan calls them, may appear to be friendly and supportive, but they're really just out to get something from her. This is particularly evident with the lines, "They fill your pool/ With alligators are they all just jokers or are they cruel." Who can you really trust?
Throughout the song, McLachlan warns of the wolf disguised in sheep's clothing--the person who would try to take advantage of you by presenting themselves as kind and caring, but who ultimately only wants to advance their own interests. Such people can appear to be genuine in their affectionate gestures, but they are ultimately fakes. She sings about how such people can make you feel important, make you feel loved, and make you feel like nothing else in the world matters, until you discover the fangs behind their innocent exterior. Ultimately, the song serves as a warning to stay vigilant against manipulation in all of its forms.
Line by Line Meaning
When we were young
Back when we were kids
There were always creatures lurking under the bed
We were scared of the monsters hiding under our beds
A thousand year old dragon lived deep in the lake
We believed in mythical creatures like dragons
And he said "Don't be afraid"
The dragon reassured us that there was nothing to fear
So you dove in
We took the dragon's word and jumped into the deep end
He seemed so sweet and lovely he made you laugh
Some people can be very charming and entertaining
And made you forget about the rain
They can help us forget about the problems we're facing
Showed you new tricks on guitar
They may have skills or talents that they can teach us
Hidden talents that erases the pain, ah
These talents can help us forget about our worries and pain
And don't you know that there's a wolf
There are people out there who are not what they seem
Stalking in sheep's clothing
They may look harmless, but they have ulterior motives
Tells me he's the real thing
They try to convince us that they are trustworthy
Think what your life would be missing
They make us believe that without them, our lives would be incomplete
If you didn't have him to sing
They make us feel like they are the only ones who understand us and our emotions
Three headed monsters
There are people who are so dangerous that they can be compared to monsters
They want your money wanna be in the picture
These people are only interested in us because of what we can give them
Be your friend
They pretend to be our friend to get what they want
They fill your pool
They try to impress us by giving us luxurious things
With alligators are they all just jokers or are they cruel
We don't know if they are being sincere or if they are trying to harm us
They light up when they see you
They act happy and excited when they are around us
Like there's no where else that they'd rather be
They make us feel like we are the most important person in the world
Than by your side
They try to make us feel like we need them
Then they promise you the stars
They make big and unrealistic promises to impress us
But they're really just along for the ride, ah
In the end, they are only looking out for themselves
Is it the sparkle
We wonder what attracts us to these people
In their eyes or the knowledge of the ways of the world
They may have knowledge or experience that we don't have
The way they kiss
They may use physical affection to manipulate us
The way they hold you
They may try to make us feel safe and protected
Has made you blind to the fangs and the fire
Their actions have made us oblivious to their harmful intentions
Ah ah, ah
There's a wolf
We come to the realization that there are people who are not good for us
Stalking in sheep's clothing
They disguise themselves to fit in and gain our trust
Tells me he's the real thing
We have been fooled into believing that they are genuine
Think what your life would be missing
We are made to feel like we can't live without them
If you didn't have him to sing
They make us feel like they are the only ones who can make us happy
Ah ah, ah ah
Ah ah, ah, ah ah
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Sarah Ann McLachlan, Pierre Marchand
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
ronald grant
Sarah McLachlan is truly one of those special artist who creates timeless masterpeices
Firstname Lastname
Great great song, metaphor, everything. Sarah delivers a great story, once again. Amazing talent, thank you Sarah.
Ameer Mahajni
Masterpiece!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Deedlit999
My fave song on this album!! Thanks for being such a huge inspiration over the years!
Do you hear boss music?
I love this. Brings me to a fantasy world where both good and evil coincidences with us all.
egon blayner
her songs touch in our souls,i really love this woman.her voice is like an angel
greenygordongeek
Lovely to hear you again Sarah. This is wonderful. :) Great work.
Jennifer Lambert
She's definitely changed since Fumbling Towards Ecstasy era! This is totally different music compared to back then. It's quite shocking!!!!
Brenda Palacios Flores
Genial me encantó
Jordan JoRdAn
@Brenda Palacios Flores sarah es una genia