Spend all your time waiting
For that second chance
For a break that would make it okay

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 my veins

Let me be empty
Oh, and weightless, and maybe
I'll find some peace tonight

In the arms of the angel
Fly away from here
From this dark, cold hotel room
And the endlessness that you fear
You are pulled from the wreckage
Of your silent reverie
You're in the arms of the angel
May you find some comfort here

So tired of the straight line
And everywhere you turn
There's vultures and thieves at your back

The storm keeps on twisting
You keep on building the lies
That you make up for all that you lack

It don't make no difference
Escaping one last time
It's easier to believe in this sweet madness
Oh, this glorious sadness
That brings me to my knees

In the arms of the angel
Fly away from here
From this dark, cold hotel room
And the endlessness that you fear
You are pulled from the wreckage
Of your silent reverie
You're in the arms of the angel
May you find some comfort here

You're in the arms of the angel
May you find some comfort here


Lyrics submitted by kevin

Angel Lyrics as written by Sarah Mclachlan

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Anthem Entertainment, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Angel song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

177 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +10
    General Comment

    Yes, this is a beautiful song. Sarah basically wrote it for all those artists and people who died from drug overdoses. If you really read through the lyrics, you can understand what kind of escape and release she's talking about, and how it's so sad that people can find such peace in such sadness. An inherently sad but extremely beautiful piece of music.

    cheson March 05, 2002   Link
  • +6
    General Comment

    I used to think that it was "just" about death in general, but now that I've read the lyrics it's become pretty clear that it's about dying from a drug overdose. Feeling not good enough, looking for some distraction and seeking release, memory seeing from veins, those are all typical for heroin overdose.

    It's also clear it's about artists- dark cold hotel rooms, building lies, vultures and thieves surrounding you... there's not much room for any other interpretation IMO.

    One of the most beautiful songs ever written.

    collaroyon October 13, 2009   Link
  • +4
    General Comment

    You're mistaken Sarah wrote this song after the overdose of Smashing Pumpkins drummer. She talked about the meaning of the song during the VH1 Storytellers program.

    hrdina38on July 08, 2002   Link
  • +2
    General Comment
    Although this is a very beautiful song, and I love it. I have found that this song is about a friend who has taken his life. It starts out saying "Spend all your time waiting for that second chance ,for a break that would make it okay" This means that a person has made a mistake and is waiting and waiting for a second chance. 

    "There's always one reason to feel not good enough and it's hard at the end of the day..." For someone who is depressed, it is always the worst at the end of the day. Now this part is the singer thinking about the loss, "I need some distraction, oh beautiful release memory seeps from my veins let me be empty and weightless" The last line says "and maybe I'll find some peace tonight " Meaning the singer knows that her friend is in a safe place now... in the arms of an angel, so she can find peace. The chorus goes as follows: "In the arms of an angel, fly away from here. from this dark cold hotel room, and the endlessness that you fear. you are pulled from the wreckage of your silent reverie, you're in the arms of the angel may you find some comfort there" The person who has passed is with an angel. And the singer is remembering the loss in her room, which een if crowded, her hotel room would be empty, dark and cold. The dead person is now free from all burdens, troubles and problem, and will find comfort in the arms of the angel.

    April8on April 18, 2002   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    This song is one of the most beautiful ever written and sung by Sarah. She has such an angelic voice filled with so much emotion. Her music truly touches my heart and soul. I dedicate this song to my grandmother who recently passed away. She was diagnosed with cancer and became very ill but fought it up until the very end. We hoped and prayed that a cure would be found; that she would be well again. This verse during that hard and difficult time expressed just what her and i had both desperately hoped for (A Second Chance) "Spend all your time waiting for that second chance for a break that would make it okay, there's always one reason to feel not good enough and its hard at the end of the day, I need some distraction, OH A BEAUTIFUL RELEASE. Overwhelmed by pain and despair, i watched her life slowly slipped away before me and now i am forever changed. She was such an inspiration to me in so many ways and is so deeply missed. Angel was her favorite song and i can still see her smile when i played it for her. This verse goes out to her "YOUR IN THE ARMS OF THE ANGEL, MAY YOU FIND SOME COMFORT THERE" You are now with the Angels.

    Blairgirlon July 22, 2002   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    I know people have placed the actual meaning of the song, but to me 'Angel' will always relate to self injury. I'm fairly certain that's not why she wrote it, but that's what it will always mean to me.

    "there's always one reason to feel not good enough and it's hard at the end of the day" Most people who self injure deal with at least one form of depression. Others have already made the depression connections to these lines, so I won't bother saying more here.

    "I need some distraction" Could be distraction from the urges, or could be distraction from the pain - thus the act.

    "oh beautiful release memory seeps from my veins" So many times I've heard that line and recalled times I've self injured to escape from my past...

    "you are pulled from the wreckage of your silent reverie" Self harming can help me to slide away from reality somewhat. Sometimes it'll make a person dissociate and lose track of everything.

    "and the storm keeps on twisting you keep on building the lie that you make up for all that you lack" To me these lines are about the pain that continues to grow while a self injurer continues the "I'm fine" lies, and the lies about how their injuries/scars occured.

    "it don't make no difference escaping one last time it's easier to believe in this sweet madness oh this glorious sadness that brings me to my knees"

    Once you've done it once, you can tell yourself it's okay to do it one more time. Nobody will notice, it will make it no harder to quit... any number of little lies that you tell yourself to feel better about doing it again. It's easier to keep self harming than to quit.

    tonights_skyon August 16, 2006   Link
  • +2
    Link(s)

    The lovely Sarah McLachlan paid a visit to our studio, The Orange Lounge, in June, to give us some awesome exclusive footage.

    Watch her stunning studio performance, intimate interviews and behind-the-scenes footage in the Orange Lounge: etcanada.com/orangelounge/sarah-mclachlan.aspx

    Cheers!

    Alexa @ ET Canada

    ETCanadaon July 03, 2014   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    I thought this song is all about all different people. People who might have a bad day. A person who got fired from work and suffered depression. Or for people who surprisedly diagnose with a dying stage of of disease. I think Sarah wrote this song by describing a person who fell and fail and losing hope and seems that everywhere that person turns to there are rumors or words against all his or her effort, and all s/he does was to wait and wait for the possible second chance that can bring him back. Over his depression hr or she is looking for a certain break away from all the possible worries he had and all he can turn to is to be down in his knee. Which means

    Bajinganlangiton March 20, 2016   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    Yes, and you can't compare them. One's classical, and the other's contemporary. Oh well, to each his own.

    cheson March 05, 2002   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    this song is so beautiful...

    punkindrublic18on June 17, 2002   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines: "Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet" So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other: "I had all and then most of you" Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart "Some and now none of you" Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship. This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Album art
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988. "'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it." "There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Album art
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
Album art
Blue
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
Album art
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.