# meaning of Natalie Merchant's "Wonder" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 24, 2016, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-natalie-merchants-wonder/744091 "2016-01-24T17:33:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2016, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-natalie-merchants-wonder/744091/1 "2016-01-24T17:33:30Z")
[![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/6zpYFAzhAZY/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AH-BIAC4AOKAgwIABABGEYgVShlMA8=&rs=AOn4CLC5S9LEg4DqOW-QQaqbeOEfymU07A "Natalie Merchant - Wonder") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zpYFAzhAZY) The song is about…_what_…exactly? ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2016, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-natalie-merchants-wonder/744091/2 "2016-01-24T17:45:44Z")
From the song wiki > [@](#): > > In a BBC “Mastertapes” interview, Natalie said the song “… was about a child born with a congenital disease.” - a set of twins she had known personally. [3] ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2016, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-natalie-merchants-wonder/744091/3 "2016-01-26T00:01:46Z")
We recently saw the documentary _Paradise is There, a Memoir by Natalie Merchant_ about the 20th anniversary re-recording of her album _Tiger Lily_. The song \*Wonder \*has been adopted as an anthem by parents of special needs children. The screening was at Chicago’s _Gene Siskel Film Center_ and Merchant was at the screening answering questions. The doc features parents of several children with various conditions, including a pair of sisters with a genetic defect that made their skin produce the effect of 3rd degree burns from practically any contact. ---
**Author:** ![mcgato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac8455/32.png) [@mcgato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mcgato)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2016, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-natalie-merchants-wonder/744091/4 "2016-01-26T15:21:14Z")
On another message board, some guy was asking for suggestions for a song for the father-daughter bride first dance. Someone suggested “Wonder” by Natalie Merchant. Very quickly people suggested that the poster did not understand the meaning of the song. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2016, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-natalie-merchants-wonder/744091/5 "2016-01-26T15:31:05Z")
I always picture a girl with Down’s Syndrome when I hear this song. Is it my imagination, or is it one of the images from the video?I don’t \*think \*I’ve seen the video (don’t like Merchant and don’t particularly like the song so don’t know why I would watch). ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2016, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-natalie-merchants-wonder/744091/6 "2016-01-26T17:06:58Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > I always picture a girl with Down’s Syndrome when I hear this song. Is it my imagination, or is it one of the images from the video?I don’t \*think \*I’ve seen the video (don’t like Merchant and don’t particularly like the song so don’t know why I would watch). The video shows a number of women and girls singing/dancing including a young girl who appears to have Downs Syndrome. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2016, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-natalie-merchants-wonder/744091/7 "2016-01-27T06:27:24Z")
Shit, it’s been 22 years since Natalie left 10000M ? Well, now I feel old.