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.
Silence
Sarah McLachlan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Release
Witness me
I am
Outside
Give me peace
Heaven holds a sense of wonder
That I'd get caught up
When the rage in me subsides
I can't
Help this longing
Comfort me
I can't
Hold it all in
If you won't let me
Heaven holds a sense of wonder
And I wanted to believe
That I'd get caught up
When the rage in me subsides
In this white wave
I am sinking
In this silence
In this white wave
In this silence
I believe
In this white wave
I am sinking
In this silence
In this white wave
In this silence
I believe
I have seen you
In this white wave
You are silent
You are breathing
In this white wave
I am free
The lyrics in Sarah McLachlan’s song Silence express a plea for release and peace, as the singer feels trapped and longing for comfort. The opening four lines of the song consist of an earnest request for release and peace from an outside source, as the singer feels trapped outside a situation that may involve internal anger or unresolved turmoil. The following two lines express a desire and longing for comfort and release from whatever is causing the turmoil being experienced. The chorus repeats the idea of the sense of wonder that comes with the idea of heaven, and the singer’s hope that their turmoil will subside and they will find peace.
The singer then goes on to express that they are becoming more and more engulfed and lost within their turmoil. They feel themselves sinking into the “white wave” of silence that surrounds them, which can be interpreted as a state of being lost in their suffering. However, the singer maintains belief that there is something beyond the silence and suffering that will provide them with a sense of freedom. This is especially emphasized in the final lines of the song, where the singer has witnessed another person who is experiencing the same situation and is in turn freed from the silence.
Overall, the song captures the feeling of being trapped within one’s thoughts, emotions or a situation, and the desire for release and peace from that entrapment.
Line by Line Meaning
Give me
Requesting something
Release
Freedom from something that is holding one back
Witness me
Asking to be seen, acknowledged or noticed
I am
Acknowledging one's presence, identity or existence
Outside
Feeling disconnected or separate from what is happening around
Give me peace
Asking for serenity or tranquility in one's mind or environment
Heaven holds a sense of wonder
Heaven, being a representation of the divine, embodies a feeling of awe and amazement
And I wanted to believe
Desiring to believe or have faith in something
That I'd get caught up
That one would be carried away, engulfed or moved by something
When the rage in me subsides
When the intense feelings or anger one is experiencing lessen
I can't
Unable to do something
Help this longing
Unable to suppress or overcome a desire or yearning
Comfort me
Provide solace or support to help ease one's distress or pain
I can't
Unable to do something
Hold it all in
Unable to contain or control one's emotions or thoughts
If you won't let me
Asking for permission or acceptance to be vulnerable
In this white wave
Metaphor for being engulfed, surrounded or lost in something
I am sinking
Feeling overwhelmed, helpless or unable to stay afloat
In this silence
A moment of stillness, quietness or absence of external noise
In this white wave
Metaphor for being engulfed, surrounded or lost in something
In this silence
A moment of stillness, quietness or absence of external noise
I believe
Having faith or trust in something
I have seen you
Acknowledging someone's presence or existence
You are silent
Being quiet, reserved or keeping to oneself
You are breathing
Being alive, present or existing
In this white wave
Metaphor for being engulfed, surrounded or lost in something
I am free
Feeling liberated, emancipated or released from something
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Royalty Network, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Broma 16, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Nowell Rhys Fulber, Sarah Ann McLachlan, Wilhelm Anton Leeb
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@JustAnOldPunkette
In January my brother took his own life, and in May my father died of cancer. This song helps me cope. x
@gelinako
it's exquisite......i'm speechless...after all these years...and it it's still one of the best songs ever!!
@xXxXFindMeXxXx
i sweear she has one of those voices only god gives this kind of talent to
@AliceinchainSembello
Finally!!! I've been searching for this song for ages,so glad I found it. Can't stop listening (:
@kfryable
Beautiful - and also soundtrack for Brokendown Palace (great movie)
@Nativecary
What a timeless treasure! Almost 15 years and I'm still feeling it! Bigtime!
@evesapple89
This song brought vocal trance into the lime light. and i am forever grateful.
@kimberlyreid2291
This song mesmerizes me and lets me escape from the pain in my heart and soul!
@fifejock
Sarah is the Angel with the voice
@f22raptoreagle
brokedown palace song her voice is like an angel i love it