In 1985, she signed to A&M Records, who released her debut album Union in 1988. She had previously provided backing vocals on David & David's album Boomtown. Later that year, she was nominated for two Grammy Awards, Best New Artist and Best Rock Vocal Performance (female). Her first national tour was opening for Bob Dylan. Her follow-up album House of Hope yielded a large hit in Australia with "I've Got To Go Now", but did not sell well in the US and was dropped from the A&M label. DGC Records, a subsidiary of Geffen Records, signed her and released her third album, The Woman's Boat. Although she was nominated for another Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Performance, the album sold poorly, and Childs was again left without a recording label. She recorded another album in 1996, but could not find a label to release it. Also in 1996, "The Very Best Of Toni Childs" was released, becoming the fifth biggest-selling album of 1996 in Australia. She retired from touring in 1997 after contracting a serious illness and starting the "Dream a Dolphin" charity. Childs released a song entitled "Because You're Beautiful", which won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Music & Lyrics in 2004. She has recorded a new album entitled Keep the Faith, which is expected to be released in Australia in 2006 and in the US and UK in 2007.
Death
Toni Childs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Can you hear me now
Did you die alone and afraid
That no one knew the pain
That still remained
Inside your breast this night
Inside this holy place
A place into the void
Can you hear
Hear me now as I call
I'm calling you here
I can't explain
Explosions
And the wound in my heart today
I'm killing myself with drink
I'm killing myself to think
I didn't tell you I cared
Can you hear
I needed to say
To let you know
I felt your pain
I'm calling your name to let you know
That I'm sorry for the shame
Disguised as blame
And the hurt and pain
And the love I couldn't say
That I want to say now
Oh peace, let there be peace
It's beautiful here
There is safety in my ears
It's wonderful to be with you
The lyrics of Toni Childs's song Death explore the themes of grief, regret, and the mortality of our loved ones. The song begins with the singer addressing her mother who has passed on, wondering if she died alone and in pain. The singer is filled with a sense of guilt and regret that she didn't express her love and care enough to her mother, perhaps because of their strained relationship. The repetition of the phrase "can you hear me now" adds to the sense of distance between the two and the singer's longing for a connection that can no longer be attained.
As the song progresses, the singer becomes introspective and self-destructive in her mourning. She acknowledges her pain and tries to numb it with alcohol. The explosions that she refers to might be her intense emotions that she can't contain, leading to an internal breakdown. The wound in her heart is a metaphorical one, representing the pain that she's experiencing due to loss. The repetition of "I'm killing myself" emphasizes the singer's self-hatred and self-blame. She feels that she's responsible for not being there for her mother and for not expressing her love and care.
The chorus serves as a cathartic moment for the singer as she calls out for her mother, hoping she can hear her. She expresses her remorse and apologizes for the pain and hurt that their relationship caused. The phrase "peace, let there be peace" conveys the singer's hope that her mother has finally found the peace that eluded her in life. Finally, the singer finds solace in the thought of being reunited with her mother in death, where there is safety and beauty.
Overall, the lyrics of Death are a poignant commentary on the complexities of grief and the regret that we often carry after we lose our loved ones. The song touches on themes of guilt, introspection, and the hope of a peaceful afterlife where we can meet our deceased loved ones once again.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh mother, can you hear me
The singer is asking if her mother can hear her.
Can you hear me now
The singer is reiterating her question to her mother.
Did you die alone and afraid
The singer wonders if her mother died feeling scared and abandoned.
That no one knew the pain
The artist is questioning if her mother's pain went unnoticed.
That still remained
The pain inside her mother stayed even after her death.
Inside your breast this night
The pain continued inside her mother's body even in death.
Inside this holy place
The holy place symbolizes the afterlife or heaven.
A place into the void
The artist feels like her mother's death left an emptiness in her own life.
Can you hear
The artist is still hoping her mother can hear her.
Hear me now as I call
The artist is calling out for her mother again.
I'm calling you here
The singer wants her mother's presence with her.
I can't explain
The artist is feeling overwhelmed and unable to articulate her emotions.
Explosions
The singer is feeling emotional chaos and turmoil like an explosion.
And the wound in my heart today
The singer's heart is still hurting from her mother's death.
I'm killing myself with drink
The singer is drinking excessively in attempt to cope with her mother's death.
I'm killing myself to think
The artist is overthinking and mentally exhausting herself.
I didn't tell you I cared
The artist regrets not expressing her love and feelings to her mother before she passed.
Can you hear
The singer is still hoping her mother can hear her.
I needed to say
The singer felt compelled to tell her mother how much she cared.
To let you know
The artist wanted her mother to be aware of her feelings and love.
I felt your pain
The artist is sympathetic to her mother's suffering.
I'm calling your name to let you know
The artist is addressing her mother and telling her directly.
That I'm sorry for the shame
The singer is expressing remorse and guilt to her mother.
Disguised as blame
The artist acknowledges that her feelings of blame towards her mother were in reality shame masked as blame.
And the hurt and pain
The singer is acknowledging the emotional pain between them.
And the love I couldn't say
The singer wishes she had told her mother how much she loved her before she died.
That I want to say now
The singer is expressing her desire to tell her mother now how much she loves her.
Oh peace, let there be peace
The artist is hoping for peace and tranquility for both her and her mother.
It's beautiful here
The artist is describing a serene and peaceful place - perhaps heaven.
There is safety in my ears
The singer feels secure and at peace listening to her mother's voice.
It's wonderful to be with you
The singer is relishing the chance to be with her mother and talk to her even in death.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JIMMY SMYTH, TONI CHILDS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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