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.
Path of Thorns
Sarah McLachlan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In your voice there was something wrong
But if you would turn your face away from me
You cannot tell me you're so strong
Just let me ask of you one small thing
As we have shared so many tears
With fervor our dreams we planned a whole life long
Now are scattered on the wind
[Chorus]
In the terms of endearment
In the terms of the life that you love
In the terms of the years that pass you by
In the terms of the reasons why
Through the years I've grown to love you
Though your commitment to most would offend
But I stuck by you holding on with my foolish pride
Waiting for you to give in
You never really tried or so it seems
I've had much more than myself to blame
I've had enough of trying everything
And this time it is the end
[Chorus]
There's no more coming back this way
The path is overgrown and strewn with thorns
They've torn the life-blood from your naked eyes
Cast aside to be forlorn
In the terms of endearment
In the terms of the life that you love
In the terms of the years that pass you by
In the terms of all the reasons why
In the terms of endearment
In the terms of the life that you love
In the terms of the years that pass you by
In the terms all the reasons why
Funny, how it seems that all I've tried to do
Seems to make no difference to you, at all
Ah, ah
The lyrics of Sarah McLachlan's "Path of Thorns" speaks of a love that has been lost due to a lack of effort on one side. The singer addresses the person they love, who seems to be struggling with something but refuses to confide in them, asking them to turn their face towards them and open up. The singer laments the dreams they had planned for their future together, which now seem to have disappeared.
The chorus speaks of how love should be expressed in terms of endearment and the things that bring joy to one's life. The passage of time is also mentioned, highlighting how it waits for no one, and that the reasons why people do things are important to understanding their actions. The singer then shifts the focus to themselves, admitting their foolish loyalty to the person they love despite their lack of commitment, and how they have finally come to the decision to give up.
The final passage is somewhat bleak, as it describes a path that has become overgrown and difficult to traverse, symbolizing the end of the relationship. The thorns on this path represent the pain and hurt that has been caused, and the final line speaks of how the singer's efforts to save the relationship seem to have been in vain.
Overall, the lyrics of "Path of Thorns" offer a heartfelt and poignant exploration of love that has gone wrong due to a lack of effort and communication. It speaks of the pain and regret that comes with losing someone you love and the sadness of letting go of a dream.
Line by Line Meaning
I knew you wanted to tell me
I sensed that something was troubling you
In your voice there was something wrong
Your voice showed that something was bothering you
But if you would turn your face away from me
You are not strong enough to face me
You cannot tell me you're so strong
Avoiding me doesn't make you strong
Just let me ask of you one small thing
I have one request for you
As we have shared so many tears
We have been through a lot together
With fervor our dreams we planned a whole life long
We had great passion and made long-term plans together
Now are scattered on the wind
Our plans are gone and forgotten
Through the years I've grown to love you
Over time, I have developed strong feelings for you
Though your commitment to most would offend
Your loyalty would be considered unusual by many
But I stuck by you holding on with my foolish pride
Despite everything, I remained devoted to you out of sheer stubbornness
Waiting for you to give in
I hoped you would eventually see things my way
You never really tried or so it seems
It appears as if you didn't make much of an effort
I've had much more than myself to blame
I also take responsibility for the problems in our relationship
I've had enough of trying everything
I'm tired of trying to make things work
And this time it is the end
This is the end of our relationship
There's no more coming back this way
We can't go back to the way things were
The path is overgrown and strewn with thorns
The road ahead is difficult and full of obstacles
They've torn the life-blood from your naked eyes
You have been hurt deeply
Cast aside to be forlorn
You have been abandoned and left to suffer
Funny, how it seems that all I've tried to do
It's ironic that my efforts have been in vain
Seems to make no difference to you, at all
You don't seem to care about what I've done
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: SARAH MCLACHLAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@thejefsco
I will never understand why this is not one of her most recognized songs. Absolutely brilliant!
@danielmary1629
Agreed.
@yahuahforcealwaysexisted189
I recognize it's brilliance!
@maiziecroom5252
sarah mclachlan's first two albums are so deeply underrated, even she doesn't talk about them anymore
@circleterkel304
This is still one of my top 5 songs after so many years. Re-release it, Sarah! This time you can stay dressed in the video.
@Zero8880
Sarah's been naked in three of her videos lol.
@wtmcgowin
Same here. This song carried me through a divorce. I listened to it hundreds of times back then. I forgot about it, and thought about it recently. It took me back, but in a good way.
@heyspence1
Here is another overlooked gem of a song! Such a beautiful woman with the voice of an angel. She is one of my all time favorite musicians/singers....a legend!
@warrenvanwicklin628
This is one of my all time favorite music videos. The dancing is stunning and adds so much to this song, but the music and singing is what makes it sublime.
@ELECTECHNUT
Beautiful lyrics, masterful vocals, and appropriate instrumentals! I seldom see the full potential of the art of dance so well expressed; and it matched the dynamic range of relationships, as expressed in the song.