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.
Turn The Lights Down Low
Sarah McLachlan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The silence taut and frail
I weigh the depths of love and terror
In this test I cannot fail
'Cause there’s no map to guide the human heart
Down roads we’ve never been
Sometimes I feel I’m running blind but I’m trying
Let the night come easy
Take my hand won’t you let me in
'Cause when the world comes crashing down inside your head
I’ll be right here right here for you
Words fall heavy out of tired mouths
Resigned to rage and roar
I see behind your eyes the tempest rising
And I can’t reach your shore
When all my good intentions fall apart
And I wind up on my knees
There’s nothing gained from being right but I’m trying
So turn the lights down low
Let the night come easy
Take my hand won’t you let me in
'Cause when the world comes crashing down inside your head
I’ll be right here, right here for you
So turn the lights down low
Let the night come easy
Take my hand won’t you let me in
'Cause when the world comes crashing down inside your head
I’ll be right here, I’ll be right here for you
Take my hand won’t you let me in
'Cause when the world comes crashing down inside your head
I’ll be right here, I’ll be right here waiting
Right here for you
In Sarah McLachlan's song "Turn The Lights Down Low," the lyrics express the struggles of love and emotions that can feel overwhelming and intense. The night is described as falling heavy like an iron fist and the silence is taut and frail. The singer acknowledges the depths of love and terror and the uncertainty of the road ahead, but is determined not to fail. The human heart, they say, has no map to guide it and sometimes it feels like they're running blind, but they're trying.
In the second verse, the lyrics describe the frustration of trying to communicate with someone who is struggling with their own emotions. Words fall heavy out of tired mouths, resigned to rage and roar. The singer can see the tempest rising behind their loved one's eyes but feels powerless to reach them. When their good intentions fall apart and they wind up on their knees, they acknowledge that there's nothing to be gained from being right but they're still trying.
The chorus repeats the desire to turn the lights down low and let the night come easy, taking each other's hands and supporting each other through the storm. They pledge to be right there for each other when the world comes crashing down. The final repetition of "Take my hand won't you let me in" suggests a desire for deeper connection and understanding, even in the midst of difficult emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
Night falls heavy like an iron fist
The darkness descends forcefully, as if with great power and weight
The silence taut and frail
The quietness is tense and delicate, as if it could break at any moment
I weigh the depths of love and terror
I contemplate the intense feelings of both love and fear
In this test I cannot fail
I must succeed in this difficult challenge
'Cause there’s no map to guide the human heart
The journey of the heart is unpredictable, with no clear direction or roadmap
Down roads we’ve never been
We are going down paths that we have never experienced before
Sometimes I feel I’m running blind but I’m trying
It can be challenging to navigate this unknown territory, but I’m doing my best to figure things out
So turn the lights down low
Please dim the lights
Let the night come easy
Allow the darkness to come naturally and without resistance
Take my hand won’t you let me in
Please trust me and let me be close to you
'Cause when the world comes crashing down inside your head
When everything seems to be falling apart in your mind
I’ll be right here right here for you
I will be here with you through it all, supporting you
Words fall heavy out of tired mouths
Exhausted people say hurtful things with great weight and impact
Resigned to rage and roar
They give up and give in to their anger, lashing out
I see behind your eyes the tempest rising
I can tell that there is a storm brewing within you
And I can’t reach your shore
I am unable to comfort you and bring you back to a state of calmness
When all my good intentions fall apart
Even when I have the best of intentions, things can still go wrong
And I wind up on my knees
I end up feeling defeated and helpless
There’s nothing gained from being right but I’m trying
It’s not always about being correct, but about doing what is best and giving effort
I’ll be right here, I’ll be right here waiting
I’ll be here for you, even if it takes time for you to be ready to lean on me
Right here for you
I am here to support and stand by you
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: SARAH ANN MCLACHLAN, DON FELDER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
MagicPants
Wtf. How has it almost been 3 years since this was released?! I saw her live a little after this album was released and it’s the best show I’ve ever seen and will probably ever see. I don’t know what could top it. This album is right up there with Surfacing and Fumbling Towards Ecstasy for me. This song is in my top 10 from her easily.
But it certainly doesn’t feel like that was nearly three years ago! I wonder if she’s working on a new album?
Kevin Henderson
Sarah, every song is a treasured gift. You arre one of the very, very few artists, and genre, andy time period, that has this level of artistry. You have ben my favorite artist for many years.....since the firlst song of yours that I heard. Much thanks and much love to you. :-) <3
Gary Christensen
Beautiful song by an equally beautiful Lady!
Gloria Jean Dugger
Love the lyrics, hun...♥
Rick Berger
Loved it.
Theron Hayden
Stellar tune
Brian Davies
Wow! What a beautiful song...you have such an amazing voice. I don't know what it is about west coast girls that I like so much.
Jen321
Can't see eyes in this picture of you. I almost lost my life tonight trying to save your soul. It's making mad. My life was being stripped. I can't loose myself, I don't understand why this has to happen, I'm trying to make things good for you and for me and others.
Agnes Joëlle Bourneuf
Song co-wroted by Don Felder, just beautiful
Saeed Pakzad
You are amazing ...Thanks Beautiful!!!!