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.
Sad Clown
Sarah McLachlan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lay me down beside you oh as long as it lasts
From the river comes a figure
Drifting slowly by
Trailing long the water leaving softer
Than a sigh softer than a sigh
All the feelings they remain like a
Lost your cries of glory
The rain is falling down like silence
In a shroud
When all that really matters left to
Loose I'm all alone I'm all alone
All the feelings they remain like a still
Life a dying swansong forever lost your
Cries of glory
Walking from the shadows a fear of
Sadness grows
Your heart is in your hands your knowing
Looks
Our time is gone
My time is gone
Swans dying song
The lyrics of Sarah McLachlan's song Sad Clown delves deeply into the themes of loss, grief and the impermanence of things. The haunting moonlight in the mist sets a melancholic tone for the song, and the singer lays beside someone they love, hoping that it will last. The figure drifting slowly by is a metaphor for something that is passing by slowly, leaving a trail of bittersweet memories. The softer than a sigh phrasing in the line is both haunting and beautiful, encapsulating the sad beauty of the moment.
The feelings remain like a still life, a dying swansong forever lost. This line speaks to the inevitability of loss and the sadness that comes with it. Life is fleeting, and the beauty of it all is lost in a moment. When the rain falls like silence, it represents the weight of grief and the silence that can come with it. When all that really matters is left to lose, the singer is left alone. The sad imagery of the song and its meaning is beautifully summed up in the line - "swans dying song."
Line by Line Meaning
A time so haunting moonlight in the mist
The singer is describing a moment that is both beautiful and eerie, with a haunting quality to it, such as moonlight shrouded in fog.
Lay me down beside you oh as long as it lasts
The singer is expressing a desire to be close to someone they care about, for as long as that closeness can be sustained.
From the river comes a figure
The singer observes a figure emerging from a river, indicating a mysterious and potentially ominous presence.
Drifting slowly by
The figure is moving past the artist, indicating that the moment is fleeting and will not last forever.
Trailing long the water leaving softer
The figure is leaving a trail in the water, but it is fading softly and will soon be gone.
Than a sigh softer than a sigh
The trail left by the figure is so soft and quiet that it is barely perceptible, like a soft sigh that can barely be heard.
All the feelings they remain like a still life
The singer is reflecting on past emotions that have remained unchanged, much like a still life painting that captures a moment in time.
a dying swansong forever lost your cries of glory
The emotions that the artist is describing are tied to a past experience that has ended, and that feeling of loss is like the final song of a dying swan- tragic and beautiful, but ultimately fleeting.
The rain is falling down like silence in a shroud
The rain is falling heavily and almost harshly, but it is also quiet and somber, like a shroud being placed over everything.
When all that really matters left to loose I'm all alone I'm all alone
The artist is feeling alone and helpless in a moment when everything they cared about has already been lost, leaving them with nothing to hold onto.
Walking from the shadows a fear of sadness grows
The singer is describing a growing sense of fear and sadness that is emanating from within themselves.
Your heart is in your hands your knowing looks
The artist is addressing someone whose emotions are clearly visible in their expression, and whose heart is open and somehow vulnerable.
Our time is gone
The singer is acknowledging that a shared moment has come to an end and cannot be regained.
My time is gone
The singer is lamenting the loss of a specific experience or moment that is forever out of reach.
Swans dying song
The phrase echoes the earlier reference to the dying swansong, which represents both beauty and sadness, and captures the essence of the song's overall mood and tone.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: SARAH MCLACHLAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Amy Lynn Hunt
This is one of those songs that is just magic and amazing and it always seemed odd that no one had heard it.... until I put it on elevnty-seven mix tapes. (then it would get skipped by friends afraid of clowns :) It might have suffered a bit because of the name... so good that people are hearing his great stuff now. The CD is beautiful as well, IIRC, sarah drew a lot of the art - so talented!
Arina Gabriel
A time so haunting moonlight in the mist Lay me down Beside you oh as long as it lasts From the river comes a Figure drifting slowly by Trailing long the water, leaving softer than a sigh All the feelings they remain like a still life A dying swan song forever lost your cries of glory The rain is falling down like silence in a shroud When All that really matters left to lose I'm all alone All the feelings they remain like a still life A dying swan song forever lost your cries of glory
kngfsh256
I saw her perform this song (and other tracks from Touch) in a small theater in 1989 - it was ethereal - such a beautiful young woman with the voice of an angel
Epic PHail
kngfsh256 Wow that must've been a neat experience :)
Naomi Fix
i can't wait to sing this...without kids or boyfriend in the house, i love how the lyrics on are on it:) thanks, again it's been a few months since i've seen this video and i'm glad i found it again!
Rowdy ReidGirl
Even the words "Sad Clown" make me think of one of my buddies who passed away several years ago, I asked how she died, it turns out she took her own life. I'll always remember that lively, vibrant girl who was a bit larrikin-ish (tomboyish) like me. When I posted about her on Facebook in grieving disbelief, one of my friends made a comment regarding "Tears of a clown", and that cleared it up for me.
wynyardjohn
Such a beautiful song by an angel
MysterSoul
I love the album Touch.
Rowdy ReidGirl
It's that old saying "Tears of a clown".
Arina Gabriel
Oh Ggggggggod! This is love unrequited....