Sarah McLachlan: Angel Meaning
Song Released: 1998
Angel Lyrics
For the break that will make it ok
There's always some reason to feel not good enough
And it's hard at the end of the day
I need some distraction oh beautiful release
Memories seep from...
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I suppose the idea behind a site like this is to draw some of your own conclusions to a song's meaning and while I am not Sarah McLachlan, I do have an interpretation that may strike a chord with some people. I listen to the lyrics as someone in a relationship that they have been in for years. Its comfortable in some ways but they feel they are being taken for granted and so have decided to seek solace in the arms of another. "Spend all your time waitin' for that second chance, for a break that would make it ok" an opportunity to be upset enough to go through with it. "There's always some reason to feel not good enough and its hard at the end of the day" these are the little jabs and slights that we seldom realize we are doing to one another. "I need some distraction, oh a beautiful release" the feeling of tricking yourself into feeling wanted if only for your body. "Memories seep from my veins" I believe this is the way we forget what brought us into the relationships in the first place so that we can justify to ourselves doing something outside of them. "It may be empty, oh your weightless then maybe I'll find some peace tonight" the act may be meaningless except to show yourself that you are beautiful, sexy, etc. all the things that you had allowed yourself to believe you are not.
[CHORUS]
"In the arms of the angel, far away from here, from this dark, cold hotel room and the endlessness that you fear" the actual act of being with someone and the endlessness being the relationship that is without love but too comfortable to leave. "You are pulled from the wreckage of your silent revelry, your in the arms of the angel may you find some comfort here" is the hope that this act may provide you with some peace in knowing that you are more than you are being treated as.
"So tired of the straight life" the mundane existence of being looked over, day after day. "That everywhere you turn, there's vultures and thieves at your back" the elements of your life that take little pieces of you leaving in their place only the hurt and self loathing of not being good enough. "Storm keeps on twisting, you keep on building the lies that you make up for all that you lack" is the anger you feel and the justifications you build to seek solace in the arms of someone who will appreciate you. "It don't make no difference, escape one last time" the feeling that giving yourself to someone will give you the strength to leave. "Its easier to believe in this sweet madness, oh this glorious sadness that brings me to my knees" is where it all catches up to you, the regret, the futility of your current situation, the feeling that you may not have had much but you may have ruined whatever you did have. This is the feeling of being overwhelmed by hopelessness.
[CHORUS]
I understand that the song writer may have had an entirely different meaning when writing this song but the great part about music is that it can be interpreted so differently. This is my interpretation. Thanks for reading. -
I know of many of people within my own life that have addictions, I hope they find another reason to believe!
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While from what I understand it's about the paradox of drug addiction( the thing that helps you is the things that's killing you), to me, it encompasses the feelings that someone suffering from depression feels.
I see it in my oldest daughter. She's 15, and it makes her days and nights seem grey and endless. She would do anything to escape, and to feel weightless, like she's not dragging herself through her days.
I found the lyrics to the song and played it for her as a way to try and start a conversation, she listen to it and cried. Someone understood.
The angel in the song could be death. They are somehow not meant for the world, and it brings release from a life that is unbearable(my daughter is not at that point. Fear keeps her here) -
all are no help to understand the story on why she wrote this beautiful song... please does anyone know the acctual story (from Sarah's point of view)
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This is about heroin addiction, my sister had to get sarahs permission to perform a song by her and she asked her about this one.. It is about heroin addiction
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Whenever this song comes on the radio, or I hear it in some other way, for me it makes me relax. No matter what I am doing or how I am feeling, it reminds me of what is really important in life. I am in the arms of the angel every time my wife/children/grandchildren hug me!
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This song is actually about drug addiction. Dedicated to the Smashing Pumpkins keyboard player it represents the "peace" one experiences in his addiction.
"May you find some comfort here" actually is a wish for the person to find some respite even if this means finding it in drugs -
Continuing from first post.
Re Alzheimers---I almost forgot the worst part---my dad is completely aware of what's happening to him.
Some days he is frightened; other days he is filled with dread. Sometimes he is resigned and defeated.
We lived on a lake, so that imagery is strong for me. It's like dad is in a boat, drifting farther and farther from shore. Now he is at least half way across, and it is getting harder to see him.
He also believes he is in a hotel room, and nearly every day he asks when he can go home. He wants to go back to his childhood home. His trusty Goldendoodle sounds the alarm by barking and waking up mom every time dad tries to leave the house. It is the dead of winter now and he wouldn't last long.
The "Angel" lyrics dovetail in so many other ways with what dad is going through. It is a very sad song, but it is also the doorway to my own sadness, which I have kept locked away all this time. -
My dad is dying of Alzheimers. I am his best friend and favorite daughter. I talk to him every day. He was a brilliant, educated man. Now every day he disappears further into confusion and waking dreams. It is becoming brutal to witness the ravages of this disease. In less than three years he has gone from articulate to incoherent.
When I bought this song from iTunes a few days ago, I had a different response from ever before. I had been trying so hard to comfort my dad that I had never acknowledged my own feelings. When I heard "Angels" I cried, really cried.
If Sarah sees this song as appropriate for an animal humane society campaign, I think she has indicated that her song can have more than one meaning, even if the lyrics don't match perfectly.
Sadly, the lyrics do match much of what happens to the Alzheimers patient. To be "pulled from the wreckage of his silent reverie" is exactly what I want for him. He may spend years in an almost vegetative state before he is finally released.
This song is so touching. I appreciate in a new way now. -
There are a lot of things in life, that are considered addictions. Money, sex etc. Drugs are not the only one. It's like for example with drugs it's like an endless cycle that you can't break out of, and it seems that the more you take drugs the less satisfied you become. The angel for me portrays the end of an addiction, happy or not, and the beginning of a new life based on happiness not pleasure.
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On The ASPCA Commercials:
Hi, My Name Is Sarah McLachlan, And I've Just Ruined Your Entire Day. -
This song has its own special meaning to each and every person who listens to it. We each listen to it with our own ears and hearts, and that's what makes it so beautiful. We identify the song to our lives and feel as if it was written just for you. Obviously Sarah McLachlin had her own meanings to the lyrics, we may never really know what they mean exactly, but it doesn't matter as it has it's own meaning for you.
I think it's the most special song ever made and it means the world to me -
it's a song about pain,suicide,depression,alcoholic, drug addicts... i feel to this song and it relates to me alot.. although i'm still alive.. but i feel every line she sings is how i am feeling everyday..
and i feel so weird that i relate to this song when i'm alive when someone is singing for a person who isnt here anymore.. -
anyone that has ever has the thought of killing themself KNOWS exactly what this song means..it can be seen as for addicdtion or any life's battle we all go thru but it is clearly about one taking one life.. EMR
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I agree that the song is a work of art. It is written in such a way that everyone who listens to it will have their own interpretation. I agree that the song is about faith and being in a better place. I,recently, experienced becoming extremely angry extremely fast to the point of tears. Personally, I would use this song as a means to calm down and chill out. It is a beautiful song and each person can interpret it their own way or for their own purposes. I know I would rather seek comfort in the arms of Angels than inflect pain on myself. In the arms of Angels, you can find peace, hope,and comfort.If anything, one can agree that the song represents simply the beauty of music. I watched several times how Sarah pours herself into her craft giving herself over to the lyrics and each time delivering a flawless, stelour performance time and again. It stands as a timeless anthem about life and overcoming life's challenges.
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