Canadian singer Lhasa de Sela (September 27, 1972 – January 1, 2010) sings “I’m Going In” from her third and the last album titled “Lhasa”, released in 2009 on Warner Music. It is her only album entirely sung in English. The album was nominated for the 2009 Polaris Music Prize on June 15, 2009.
Lhasa de Sela – I’m Going In lyrics
When my lifetime had just ended
And my death had just begun
I told you I’d never leave you
When my lifetime had just ended
And my death had just begun
I told you I’d never leave you
But I knew this day would come
Give me blood for my blood wedding
I am ready to be born
I feel new
As if this body were the first I’d ever worn
I need straw for the straw fire
I need hard earth for the plow
Don’t ask me to reconsider
I am ready to go now
I’m going in I’m going in
This is how it starts
I can see in so far
But afterwards we always forget
Who we are
I’m going in I’m going in
I can stand the pain
And the blinding heat
‘Cause I won’t remember you
The next time we meet
You’ll be making the arrangements
You’ll be trying to set me free
Not a moment for the meeting
I’ll be busy as a bee
You’ll be talking to me
But I just won’t understand
I’ll be falling by the wayside
You’ll be holding out your hand
Don’t you tempt me with perfection
I have other things to do
I didn’t burrow this far in
Just to come right back to you
I’m going in I’m going in
I have never been so ugly
I have never been so slow
These prison walls get closer now
The further in I go
I’m going in I’m going in
I like to see you from a distance
And just barely believe
And think that
Even lost and blind
I still invented love
I’m going in
I’m going in
I’m going in
Lhasa de Sela
Lhasa de Sela, also known by the mononym Lhasa, was an American-born singer-songwriter who was raised in Mexico and the United States, and divided her adult life between Canada and France. Her first album, La Llorona, went platinum in Canada and brought Lhasa a Félix Award and a Juno Award.
Following this success, Lhasa toured with Lilith Fair, then joined her sisters in a French circus troupe, contributing her husky voice to the musical backdrop.
She lived in Marseille and began to write more songs, then moved back to Montreal and produced a second album, The Living Road. Once again, she toured in support of her album, and she collaborated with other musicians on their projects. During this time, BBC Radio 3 honored her as the best world music artist of the Americas in 2005. She published a book about her impressions of life on the road.
Lhasa recorded a third album, titled Lhasa, but she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009 around the time it was released. She endured severe treatments but these did not halt the illness. Following a 21-month-long battle with cancer, she died on New Year’s Day 2010 at her home in Montreal. She was cremated, in accordance with her wishes.
A memorial program of her music was put together in January 2012, performed in Montreal by artists who had worked with her.
On the summer solstice, June 21, 2010, a memorial ceremony took place in Bourgogne, France. Some of Lhasa’s ashes were dispersed in a small river that flows into the Mediterranean Sea.
In 2014, a park located in her home neighborhood Mile End, Montreal was renamed to commemorate Lhasa de Sela.
Sources
Lhasa de Sela on Wikipedia
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