Perfect Girl
Sarah McLachlan Lyrics


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Am I faithful? Am I strong? Am I good enough to belong?
In your reverie, a perfect girl
Your vision of romance is cruel
All along I played the fool
All your expectations bury me

Don't worry, you will find the answer if you let it go
Give yourself some time to falter
And don't forgo, knowing that's your love no matter what
And everything will come around in time

I own my insecurities, I try to own my destiny
That I can make or break it if I choose
But you take my words and twist them 'round
'Til I'm the one who brings you down
You make me feel like I'm the one to blame for all this

You will find the answer if you let it go
Give yourself some time to falter
Don't forgo, knowing that's your love no matter what
And everything will come around in time

'Cause you need everybody with you on your side
Know that I am here for you but I hope in time
Find yourself alright alone
Find yourself with open arms
Find yourself, find yourself in time

The riot in my heart decides to keep me open and alive
I have to take myself away from you
'Cause I can't compete, I can't deny
There's nothing that I didn't try
How did I go so wrong in loving you?

Don't worry, you will find the answer if you let it go
Give yourself some time to falter




Don't forgo, knowing that's your love no matter what
And everything will come around in time

Overall Meaning

In Sarah McLachlan's song "Perfect Girl," the lyrics describe the struggle of a woman trying to meet the expectations of her lover. The singer questions her own worth and whether she is faithful, strong, and good enough to belong. Her lover's vision of romance is cruel, and they continually twist her words and make her feel responsible for everything that is going wrong in the relationship.


Despite all of this, the singer encourages her lover to let go and give themselves time to falter. She tells them that they will find the answer they are looking for and that everything will come around in time. The singer learns to own her insecurities and try to control her destiny, but ultimately, she has to take herself away from her lover because she cannot compete or deny her feelings anymore.


Overall, "Perfect Girl" is a song about the struggles of trying to meet someone else's expectations and the importance of finding self-love and acceptance. It's about knowing when it's time to move on from toxic relationships and the hope that everything will eventually work out in the end.


Line by Line Meaning

Am I faithful? Am I strong? Am I good enough to belong?
I question if I possess the qualities required to fit in your ideal picture of a partner.


In your reverie, a perfect girl
In your imagination, you have an ideal image of me.


Your vision of romance is cruel
Your expectation of love is unattainable and hard to achieve.


All along I played the fool
All this time, I have acted as if I belong to this impossible vision of yours.


All your expectations bury me
The weight of your expectations is crushing me.


I own my insecurities, I try to own my destiny
I acknowledge and accept my weaknesses and strive to control my fate.


That I can make or break it if I choose
I am capable of making or ruining my own life depending on my choices.


But you take my words and twist them 'round
You misinterpret my words and turn them against me.


'Til I'm the one who brings you down
You blame me for ruining your ideal vision of love, even though it's unattainable.


You make me feel like I'm the one to blame for all this
You hold me responsible for not living up to your impossible expectations.


Don't worry, you will find the answer if you let it go
Relax, you will discover the solution if you release your oppressive expectations.


Give yourself some time to falter
Permit yourself the opportunity to stumble and make mistakes.


And don't forgo, knowing that's your love no matter what
Accepting that loving unconditionally is the essence of true love.


And everything will come around in time
With patience, everything will fall into place eventually.


'Cause you need everybody with you on your side
You need people to support you and agree with you.


Know that I am here for you but I hope in time
I support you, but I hope you will come to realize the unattainability of your vision of love.


Find yourself alright alone
Discover that you can be content with yourself.


Find yourself with open arms
Embrace your inner self with openness and acceptance.


Find yourself, find yourself in time
Take the time to discover who you truly are.


The riot in my heart decides to keep me open and alive
Emotions and feelings can be overwhelming and difficult to manage.


I have to take myself away from you
I must distance myself from your unattainable vision of love.


'Cause I can't compete, I can't deny
I acknowledge that I cannot compete with your impossible expectations.


There's nothing that I didn't try
I gave it my all, but it was not enough.


How did I go so wrong in loving you?
How did my love for you become a burden to carry?




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Pierre Marchand, Sarah McLachlan

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

Gi Araujo

Eu sou dedicada? Eu sou forte?
Eu sou boa o bastante para pertencer à sua ideia de garota perfeita?
Sua ideia de romance é cruel e junto com tudo eu banquei a boba
Todas as sua expectativas me enterram

Não se preocupe você achará a resposta se você deixar fluir
Dê a si mesmo a chance de hesitar
Mas não abdique-se sabendo que você é amado não importa o quanto
E tudo se ajeitará em seu tempo

Eu tenho as minhas inseguranças, eu tentei ter o meu destino
Que eu posso criá-lo ou destruí-lo se eu escolher
Mas você usa minhas palavras e as distorce até eu ser aquela que te deixa para baixo
Faz com que eu me sinta como se fosse a culpada por tudo isso

Você precisa que todo mundo esteja ao seu lado
Saiba que eu estou aqui por você, mas espero que com o tempo
Você se encontre bem, mesmo sozinho
Você se encontre de braços aberto
Você se encontre, você se encontre com o tempo

O tumulto em meu coração decide me manter aberta e viva
Eu tenho de me afastar de você
Pois eu não posso mais competir; não posso negar: Não há nada que eu não tenha tentado
Como eu errei em amar você



Jessica Rene

Am I faithful? Am I strong? Am I good enough to belong?
In your reverie, a perfect girl
Your vision of romance is cruel
All along I played the fool
All your expectations bury me
Don't worry, you will find the answer if you let it go
Give yourself some time to falter
And don't forgo, knowing that's your love no matter what
And everything will come around in time
I own my insecurities, I try to own my destiny
That I can make or break it if I choose
But you take my words and twist them 'round
'Til I'm the one who brings you down
You make me feel like I'm the one to blame for all this
You will find the answer if you let it go
Give yourself some time to falter
Don't forgo, knowing that's your love no matter what
And everything will come around in time
'Cause you need everybody with you on your side
Know that I am here for you but I hope in time
Find yourself alright alone
Find yourself with open arms
Find yourself, find yourself in time
The riot in my heart decides to keep me open and alive
I have to take myself away from you
'Cause I can't compete, I can't deny
There's nothing that I didn't try
How did I go so wrong in loving you?
Don't worry, you will find the answer if you let it go
Give yourself some time to falter
Don't forgo, knowing that's your love no matter what
And everything will come around in time



All comments from YouTube:

PeridotFlower 02

This song resonates with me personally. All these people in my life who I thought were my friends, my loves, even my family. I tried to be what they wanted and it wasn't good enough. Because they were conditional with me. I've learned my lesson. I'm finding myself and I know I'm not a bad person either. This woman, this artist, this storyteller has saved me so many times with her music and I thank God for that. God bless you.

LuKas Kasdan

Afterglow is a gorgeous album that was criminally under-appreciated.

Stephen Veit

I agree. Every album she puts out shows more growth as a song writer and musician

Fabrizio 🇮🇹

LuKas Kasdan it is magic and love and passion...

GOLDENGIRL

Yes. Very much so

Tranis

What you say is true. I got this Album from Value Village (thrift store) After I went to the supermarket to buy Eggplant. It was all I could afford. And at the pay till, the person next to me won 17.5 Million Dollars!! I had to get this CD before anyone else did.

SHIELDMAIDENSVARDEN

I never thought of it as under appreciated

n13roy

Absolutely Fantastic Track. Sarah's Voice is just totally stunning, and so emotional here as usual. Just love listening to her voice and music.........

Ben Dover

Powerful to the point of being almost devastating.

Future Dish

She has a soothing voice and her words are heart captivating. I have and continue to listen to all her songs especially this album .....its like she's scrapping my own words & thoughts , rearranging them and producing an enchantment <3

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