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.
Ol'55
Sarah McLachlan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I go lickety-splitly down to my old '55
As I pulled away slowly,
I was feeling so holy,
God knows,
I was feeling alive.
Now the sun's coming up,
Freeways,
Cars and trucks,
Stars beginning to fade,
And I lead the parade
Just a-wishing I'd stayed a little longer,
Oh, Lord,
Let me tell you that the feeling's getting stronger.
And it's six in the morning,
Gave me no warning;
I had to be on my way.
Well there's trucks all a-passing,
And the lights all are flashing,
I'm on my way home from the place.
Well the sun's coming up,
I'm riding with Lady Luck,
Freeways,
Cars and trucks,
Stars beginning to fade,
And I lead the parade
Just a-wishing I'd stayed a little longer,
Oh, Lord,
Let me tell you that the feeling's getting stronger.
Well my time has come quickly,
I go lickety-splitly down to my old '55
As I pulled away slowly,
I was feeling so holy,
God knows,
I was feeling alive.
Now the sun's coming up,
I'm riding with Lady Luck,
Freeways,
Cars and trucks,
Freeways,
Cars and trucks,
Freeways,
Cars and trucks
The lyrics to Sarah McLachlan's "Ol' 55" tell the story of a person who is in a rush to return home in their car. The song's opening lines state that the person's "time has come quickly," indicating that they feel a sense of urgency to get back to where they need to be. The phrase "lickety-splitly" is a playful reference to the person's speed and eagerness to get to their destination as quickly as possible.
As the person drives away, they feel a sense of joy and liberation, expressed through the lines "I was feeling so holy, / God knows, /I was feeling alive." The music takes over and McLachlan's voice becomes more urgent and emotional as she speaks of the rush of riding on the open road, surrounded by cars and trucks, and the fading of the stars as the sun comes up.
Throughout the song, the singer expresses their desire to stay longer, and as the feeling of joy and liberation only becomes stronger, the person's sense of attachment to the experience grows. Ultimately, the song speaks to the dual desires of release and return, of freedom and security, and of living life to the fullest while still holding onto the things that matter most.
Line by Line Meaning
Well my time has come quickly,
The singer is aware that their time is running out.
I go lickety-splitly down to my old '55
The singer is quickly heading towards their destination.
As I pulled away slowly,
Despite the singer's speed, they were leaving their previous place slowly.
I was feeling so holy,
The singer felt spiritually alive.
God knows,
The singer believes that God is aware of their circumstances.
I was feeling alive.
The singer was filled with energy and enthusiasm.
Now the sun's coming up,
Morning has arrived.
I'm riding with Lady Luck,
The singer feels fortunate.
Freeways,
The singer is traveling on a highway.
Cars and trucks,
The singer sees other vehicles on the road.
Stars beginning to fade,
Dawn is breaking and the sky is brightening.
And I lead the parade
The singer is driving in front of other vehicles.
Just a-wishing I'd stayed a little longer,
The singer regrets leaving earlier than they would have liked.
Oh, Lord,
The singer addresses God in this line.
Let me tell you that the feeling's getting stronger.
The singer's emotions are intensifying as they travel.
And it's six in the morning,
The singer notes the time of day.
Gave me no warning;
The singer was not given a signal or sign to alert them of the time.
I had to be on my way.
The singer had to leave and continue their journey.
Well there's trucks all a-passing,
The singer sees many trucks while driving.
And the lights all are flashing,
The tops of the trucks and cars are lit up with warning lights.
I'm on my way home from the place.
The singer is returning home from somewhere.
Freeways,
The singer is still on a highway.
Cars and trucks,
The singer continues to see various vehicles on the road.
Freeways,
Another repetition of the singer's current location.
Cars and trucks
The last repetition in the song signifies that this is where the singer continues to be.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: TOM WAITS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Reynaldi Anwar
Well, my time went so quickly
I went lickety-splitly
Out to my ol' 55
As I pulled away slowly
Feeling so holy
God knows I was feeling alive
Now, the sun's coming up
I'm riding with Lady Luck
Freeway, cars and trucks
Stars beginning to fade
And I lead the parade
Just a-wishin' I'd stayed a little longer
Oh Lord, let me tell ya that the feeling getting stronger
And it's six in the morning
Gave me no warning
I had to be on my way
Well, there's trucks all a-passin' me
And the lights all are flashing
I'm on my way home from your place
And now the sun's coming up
And I'm riding with Lady Luck
Freeway, cars and trucks
Stars beginning to fade
And I lead the parade
Just a-wishin' I'd stayed a little longer
Oh Lord, let me tell ya, the feeling getting stronger
And my time went so quickly
I went lickety-splitly
Out to my ol' 55
As I pulled away slowly
Feeling so holy
God knows I was feeling alive
And now the sun's coming up
I'm riding with Lady Luck
Freeway, cars and trucks
Freeway, cars and trucks
Freeway, cars and trucks
Norm Wiese
She sings like an angel
What a talent
Greck
I cant tell you how many drunken and stoned nights this song gentle rocked me to sleep in the 90's. Love you Sarah.
Bob E
Love this! So much soul. Thank you for sharing.
Robert Bermudez
She does a really nice cover of "Wear Your Love Like Heaven" on her second album
Eileen Blau
Limda ronstadt mohammeds radio
Paula Heartland
Oh Sarah I've loved this since I heard it 10 years ago. I'm so glad it's here.
Reynaldi Anwar
Well, my time went so quickly
I went lickety-splitly
Out to my ol' 55
As I pulled away slowly
Feeling so holy
God knows I was feeling alive
Now, the sun's coming up
I'm riding with Lady Luck
Freeway, cars and trucks
Stars beginning to fade
And I lead the parade
Just a-wishin' I'd stayed a little longer
Oh Lord, let me tell ya that the feeling getting stronger
And it's six in the morning
Gave me no warning
I had to be on my way
Well, there's trucks all a-passin' me
And the lights all are flashing
I'm on my way home from your place
And now the sun's coming up
And I'm riding with Lady Luck
Freeway, cars and trucks
Stars beginning to fade
And I lead the parade
Just a-wishin' I'd stayed a little longer
Oh Lord, let me tell ya, the feeling getting stronger
And my time went so quickly
I went lickety-splitly
Out to my ol' 55
As I pulled away slowly
Feeling so holy
God knows I was feeling alive
And now the sun's coming up
I'm riding with Lady Luck
Freeway, cars and trucks
Freeway, cars and trucks
Freeway, cars and trucks
Ian Demontfort
This song makes me feel so good. Sad and happy all at the same time. Have a great day guys xxxxx
Jorge Luis Aranguren Bardellini
Excelente Cover
Gilly Gil
I love the bluesy approach to this song. This version is significantly more true to the spirit of the song. I would like to see better production. Ms. McLachlan's voice seems overshadowed by the music at times. There was a jumbly moment. "Just a wishin' I'd stayed a little longer". Or, maybe I'm just a little jumbled. The emotion of the song performance was valid. They clearly felt it. I felt it.