It’s easy, we all falter
Does it matter?

Adia is hard on herself. Sarah Mclachlan says we are born innocent and we are still innocent. This language leads me to believe that Adia has feelings of religious guilt. Adia feels that she is a bad person and seems to have withdrawn from the people who love her. Perhaps it is because she is self-loathing, perhaps it is to protect them from herself. We don’t know.

Sarah is trying to reach out to Adia and tell her that we are good people. We make mistakes and it doesn’t matter; you can still make mistakes and be a good person. Forgive yourself.

Mclachlan’s voice is great as usual. She sounds empathetic in her attempt to reach out to Adia. This song is notable in that it is less piano-driven than a lot of Mclachlan’s other work. There is still a piano, but in her other work, she will often just perform with her and a piano. Here, we have electric guitars, a slide guitar, drums, bass, etc.

Adia and Do What You Have To Do both appear on her excellent album Surfacing (along with Angel, another gem). Like Jewel, she seemed to have all of her hits packed into one album. At the time of the release it seemed like she would be the next superstar. She never had another hit. However, with two top 500 songs she is a great candidate for Rock n Roll HOF eligibility when her time comes.

Adia Lyrics

Adia, I do believe I failed you
Adia, I know I’ve let you down
Don’t you know I tried so hard
To love you in my way
It’s easy, let it go

Adia, I’m empty since you left me
Trying to find a way to carry on
I search myself and everyone
To see where we went wrong

There’s no one left to finger
There’s no one here to blame
There’s no one left to talk to, honey
And there ain’t no one to buy our innocence

‘Cause we are born innocent
Believe me, Adia, we are still innocent
It’s easy, we all falter
Does it matter?

Adia, I thought that we could make it
I know I can’t change the way you feel
I leave you with your misery
A friend who won’t betray
I pull you from your tower
I take away your pain
And show you all the beauty you possess
If you’d only let yourself believe

That we are born innocent
Believe me, Adia, we are still innocent
It’s easy, we all falter
Does it matter?

‘Cause we are born innocent
Believe me, Adia, we are still innocent
It’s easy, we all falter
Does it matter?
Believe me, Adia, we are still innocent
‘Cause we are born innocent
Believe me, Adia, we are still innocent
It’s easy, we all falter
Does it matter?

Songwriters: Pierre Marchand / Sarah McLachlan