Click the photo above for a wonderful conversation with Natalie about finding one’s voice and other questions re doing the work.
I’ve had this new recording, Natalie Merchant, in frequent play since it came out and love rolling the lyrics around – often simple, often fun to sing, full of meaning on a human level. You can listen to one of my favorites, Maggie Said or if you want to sample another, Giving Up Everything
Maggie said, “Don’t let them take that halo from your head.”
Maggie said, “I can see you turning hard now, girl; don’t lose your tenderness.
What’s the use in that? Darling, please.”Holding back, what did I get for all of that?
What did it count for? Tell me that.
Count for? Tell me that.
Nothing, nothing, nothing, oh, nothing, that’s a fact.
or these lyrics from Ladybird:
You know the sweetest wine, it’s a witches’ brew,
pours like honey down and then burns a hole in you.
Yeah, you may think you’re done but you’re never through
spitting out the bitterness to get the little sweetness you do.You don’t know how to leave
and you don’t know where to fly.
You’ve got a lot of things to lose,
so you’ve got a lot of things to hide.
