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.
O Little Town of Bethlehem
Sarah McLachlan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
How still we see thee lie
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
The silent stars go by
Yet in thy dark streets shineth
The everlasting Light
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in thee tonight
For Christ is born of Mary
And gathered all above
While mortals sleep, the angels keep
Their watch of wondering love
O morning stars together
Proclaim the holy birth
And praises sing to God the King
And Peace to men on earth
How silently, how silently
The wondrous gift is given
So God imparts to human hearts
The blessings of His heaven
No ear may hear His coming
But in this world of sin
Where meek souls will receive him still
The dear Christ enters in
O holy Child of Bethlehem
Descend to us, we pray
Cast out our sin and enter in
Be born to us today
We hear the Christmas angels
The great glad tidings tell
O come to us, abide with us
Our Lord Emmanuel
O come to us, abide with us
Our Lord Emmanuel
Sarah McLachlan's version of the classic Christmas carol “O Little Town of Bethlehem” is a poignant and introspective interpretation of the beloved hymn. The song begins with a serene and peaceful description of the town of Bethlehem, which is depicted as being in a state of sleep or rest. The stars move quietly overhead while the Light of the world is born in the darkness of a manger. This juxtaposition of light and dark, rest and activity is a powerful representation of the message of Christmas - that hope and faith can shine through even in the darkest of times.
The second verse describes the birth of Christ and the gathering of "mortals" and angels to witness the astonishing event. The morning stars proclaim the arrival of the holy infant and the King of Heaven is born into the world. There is a sense of wonder and awe in the lyrics, as though the event is too incredible to comprehend all at once. Christ brings peace to the earth, and the angels sing praises to God for his arrival.
The final verse is a prayer to the Christ child himself, imploring him to enter into our lives and cast out the sins that plague humanity. It is a humble admission of our own struggles and limitations, and an acknowledgement that we need the saving grace of Christ to guide us. The closing lines of the hymn are a plea for Christ to abide with us, to stay close and be present in our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
O little town of Bethlehem
This song is about Bethlehem, the place where Jesus Christ was born.
How still we see thee lie
Bethlehem is so quiet, peaceful and still.
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
The town is sleeping deeply and peacefully, unaware of the miracle that is about to take place.
The silent stars go by
The stars move silently in the sky, as if to mark the arrival of something special.
Yet in thy dark streets shineth
Although the streets are dark, a wonderful light shines through them.
The everlasting Light
This light is eternal and will never be extinguished.
The hopes and fears of all the years
The arrival of Jesus Christ brings hope and comfort to all people who have been waiting for his coming.
Are met in thee tonight
All these hopes and fears find fulfillment in Bethlehem on the night of Jesus Christ's birth.
For Christ is born of Mary
Jesus Christ is born to the Virgin Mary.
And gathered all above
Angels and heavenly beings gather in the sky above to witness his birth.
While mortals sleep, the angels keep
Humans are sleeping, but angels are awake, watching over the birth of Christ.
Their watch of wondering love
The angels are filled with awe and wonder at the event that is taking place.
O morning stars together
The stars in the sky seem to be singing and rejoicing, welcoming the birth of Christ on earth.
Proclaim the holy birth
The stars seem to be announcing the birth of Christ, which is holy and miraculous.
And praises sing to God the King
The stars sing praises to the God who created them and sent his son to earth.
And Peace to men on earth
The coming of Jesus Christ brings peace to all the people on earth.
How silently, how silently
The birth of Jesus Christ happens quietly, without any fanfare or attention from the world.
The wondrous gift is given
The birth of Jesus Christ is a miraculous and wonderful gift given to humanity.
So God imparts to human hearts
God sends Jesus Christ to earth to lift up and transform the hearts of people.
The blessings of His heaven
Jesus Christ brings the blessings of heaven with him to earth.
No ear may hear His coming
The coming of Jesus Christ is quiet and not announced to the world.
But in this world of sin
The world is filled with sin and darkness, but Jesus Christ brings light and hope.
Where meek souls will receive him still
Those who are humble and open-hearted can receive the love of Jesus Christ and be transformed by his presence.
The dear Christ enters in
Jesus Christ comes into the hearts of people who welcome him and transforms them from the inside out.
O holy Child of Bethlehem
Jesus Christ is not just any child, but a holy child born in Bethlehem.
Descend to us, we pray
We ask Jesus Christ to come into our lives and transform us.
Cast out our sin and enter in
We ask Jesus Christ to take away our sins and enter our hearts.
Be born to us today
We ask Jesus Christ to be born in our hearts today and transform us from the inside out.
We hear the Christmas angels
We hear the angels who sang at Jesus Christ's birth in our hearts and souls.
The great glad tidings tell
These angels bring wonderful news of joy and happiness.
O come to us, abide with us
We ask Jesus Christ to come and stay with us, never to leave us alone again.
Our Lord Emmanuel
Jesus Christ is called Emmanuel, which means 'God with us.'
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: Jeremy Michael Lubbock, Pierre Marchand, Sarah Mclachlan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mawitei Ralte
O little town of Bethlehem
How still we see thee lie
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
The silent stars go by
Yet in thy dark streets shineth
The everlasting Light
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in thee tonight
For Christ is born of Mary
And gathered all above
While mortals sleep, the angels keep
Their watch of wondering love
O morning stars together
Proclaim the holy birth
And praises sing to God the King
And Peace to men on earth
How silently, how silently
The wondrous gift is given
So God imparts to human hearts
The blessings of His heaven
No ear may hear His coming
But in this world of sin
Where meek souls will receive him still
The dear Christ enters in
O holy Child of Bethlehem
Descend to us, we pray
Cast out our sin and enter in
Be born to us today
We hear the Christmas angels
The great glad tidings tell
O come to us, abide with us
Our Lord Emmanuel
O come to us, abide with us
Our Lord Emmanuel
Mawitei Ralte
O little town of Bethlehem
How still we see thee lie
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
The silent stars go by
Yet in thy dark streets shineth
The everlasting Light
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in thee tonight
For Christ is born of Mary
And gathered all above
While mortals sleep, the angels keep
Their watch of wondering love
O morning stars together
Proclaim the holy birth
And praises sing to God the King
And Peace to men on earth
How silently, how silently
The wondrous gift is given
So God imparts to human hearts
The blessings of His heaven
No ear may hear His coming
But in this world of sin
Where meek souls will receive him still
The dear Christ enters in
O holy Child of Bethlehem
Descend to us, we pray
Cast out our sin and enter in
Be born to us today
We hear the Christmas angels
The great glad tidings tell
O come to us, abide with us
Our Lord Emmanuel
O come to us, abide with us
Our Lord Emmanuel
Nengneivah Lunkim
This is my favourite Christmas song. I’m so glad I found this video ♥️
Jabber Wocky
This is a beautiful, profound song, sung by one of the best singer/songwriters ever. Simply masterful.
Billbothebear14
Beautiful. In a lifetime of knowing this carol, singing this carol, and hearing others sing it, this performance is about as good as we will ever hear. Superb
WF
Amelia May
Beautiful song!! And sing by a beautiful Artist!! Love Sarah’s version so much!! And love wintersong album💕
Love_Connie_Talbot
Beautiful vocal, love all of Sarahs vocals...
Cassy
love her voice
Edd ngots Musics
what a wonderful song,voice and music. One of my favorite, merry christmas everyone
almiro moreira
Linda demais, e talentosa amo essa flor !
Алексей Коновалов
Beautiful!!!
:)