Lhasa de Sela -- "La Marée Haute" (2003)

Sur la marée haute

Je suis montée

La tête est plaine

Mais le coeur n'a

Pas assez

When the tide was high

I took to the road

The head is full

But the heart has

Not enough

Lhasa de Sela -- or simply "Lhasa" -- died of breast cancer on January 1, 2010.  She was 37 years old.

Lhasa was born in a small town in the Catskill Mountains in 1972.  She was a child of the counterculture.  Her Lebanese-American mother and Mexican father named her after the capital of Tibet, and she had a very nomadic childhood -- she and her sisters and parents wandered throughout Mexico and the United States, living in their school bus.  

Her third and final album -- consisting entirely of English songs -- was released in 2009.  She recorded it after learning she had breast cancer.

I first heard Lhasa's music during what turned out to be a very significant occasion for me -- although I didn't appreciate how significant at the time.  It will always have a very personal meaning for me because of its associations, but I think this music stands on its own.

Here's a link to Lhasa's official website.

Here's a link to a special radio program about Lhasa that was broadcast on CBC radio shortly after her death.  

Here's the song:

Here's a video of Lhasa performing the song on television:

Here's a link you can use to buy the song from iTunes:

Here's a link you can use if you prefer Amazon: