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.
The Water Is Wide
Sarah McLachlan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Neither have I wings to fly
Give me a boat that can carry two
And both shall cross my true love and I
I lean'd my back against an oak
Thinking it was a mighty tree
But first it bent and then it broke
So did my love prove false to me
Thinking the sweetest flow'are to find
I prick'd my finger to the bone
And left the sweetest flow'are behind
O love is handsome and love is kind
Gay as a jewel when it is new
But love grows old and waxes cold
And fades away like the morning dew
The water is wide, I cannot get o'er
Neither have I wings to fly
Give me a boat that can carry two
And both shall cross my true love and I
Sarah McLachlan's "The Water Is Wide" is a classic folk song that tells a story of unrequited love and betrayal. The opening lines of the song, "The water is wide, I cannot get o'er, neither have I wings to fly," establish a sense of longing and limitation that the rest of the song explores.
The singer is pining for a love that they cannot reach, whether due to physical distance or emotional barriers. The boat they request that can carry two is a symbol of their desire to be reunited with their love, and the image of both crossing together is a hopeful one. However, the subsequent lines hint at a darker side to this love story.
When the singer leans against an oak tree, they believe it to be strong and reliable. However, it ultimately fails them by bending and breaking, mirroring how their love also let them down. The sweetest flower that they left behind after pricking their finger represents the sacrifices they've made for love, which ultimately came to nothing.
The final lines of the song illustrate how love can be beautiful and powerful, but it's also fleeting and unpredictable. Much like the morning dew that disappears as the day progresses, love can fade away just as quickly.
Line by Line Meaning
The water is wide, I cannot get o'er
The barrier between my love and me is too great for me to overcome
Neither have I wings to fly
I have no supernatural abilities to overcome this barrier
Give me a boat that can carry two
If I had the means, I would do anything to be with my love
And both shall cross my true love and I
I will do anything to be with my love, even if it means crossing the barrier together
I lean'd my back against an oak
I trusted in something that appeared strong and sturdy
Thinking it was a mighty tree
Assuming that it was something that could withstand any challenge
But first it bent and then it broke
It turned out to be weaker than I thought and could not withstand the test
So did my love prove false to me
Just like the oak, my love turned out to be unreliable and betrayed me
I put my hand in some soft bush
I reached out to something that seemed gentle and harmless
Thinking the sweetest flow'are to find
Believing that I would find something lovely and worthwhile
I prick'd my finger to the bone
But it turned out to be dangerous and caused me pain and harm
And left the sweetest flow'are behind
I had to abandon the beauty and goodness I had hoped to find
O love is handsome and love is kind
Love can seem attractive and generous
Gay as a jewel when it is new
It can be as captivating as a shiny new treasure
But love grows old and waxes cold
However, love can become cold and less passionate over time
And fades away like the morning dew
And eventually, it can completely disappear like the dew evaporating with the sunrise
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: TRADITIONAL, JEAN-PAUL CABRIERES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@xbrandi12345x
One of my favorite songs. The 90's was such a different time.
@archerblake1418
Amy Ray anchoring it all
@ludwigdietsch
Perfect voices from perfect ladies...
@annesmith7548
Beautiful.
@johnvuottoguitarist8716
This was a complete mess, besides the noodly guitar work. Jewels over and ultra vibrato voice is annoying
@xbrandi12345x
I think hundreds of thousands of people would disagree with that.
@johnvuottoguitarist8716
I don't know why I wrote that, im tech challenged and I was probably talking about something else😆😆 this is a beautiful video
@xbrandi12345x
@@johnvuottoguitarist8716 lmfao 😂