Thoughts on "What the Water Gave to Me"

What the Water Gave Me / A chance encounter with a seagull during
a walk along the Gulf of Mexico at Port Aransas, Texas.

Recently, the passionate song "What the Water Gave Me" by Florence and the Machine came up on shuffle in my iPod's "Morning Becomes Eclectic" playlist. One good listen of the song led to another and, soon after, it got me thinking about water and its importance in religion.

The significance of water in scripture as described in both The Bible and The Quran is tremendous.  Water is mentioned in the Bible 442 times in the New International Version and 363 times in the King James Version. After all, water speaks of physical or natural birth. Water speaks to us of the word of God and Allah. Water speaks to us of ablution. Water speaks to us of a spiritual life.

In The Bible, Genesis II describes the perfect conditions of the garden of Eden, a garden which was watered by a river. Of course, without water, the garden would have died, as plants, animals and humans cannot survive without water. Indeed, this river is a beautiful picture of the life that Christ gives to His children through the Spirit of God.

In The Quran, the Holy Book asserts that water is, by the will of God, the sole basis for the emergence of life: "We have made every living thing out of water." (Sura 21 The Prophets, ayat 30). And, water is often used to describe Paradise.

In the Quranic account of the forming of the Cosmos, there is a great emphasis placed on water, as demonstrated in other ayat (verses) in the preceding sura (chapter) which lists heaven, earth, the sun, night and day as natural factors in the creation of the universe. It also speaks of a single element that infuses life into the universe: the element of water.

In addition to The Bible and The Quran, the Chinese taoist philosopher Lao Tzu, who wrote Tao Te Ching (The Book of the Way), said: "Nothing in the world is more flexible and yielding than water. Yet, when it attacks the firm and the strong, none can withstand it, because they have no way to change it. So, the flexible overcome the adamant, the yielding overcome the forceful. Everyone knows this, but no one can do it."

The element of water has appeared often in popular song. "Bridge Over Troubled Water" by Simon and Garfunkel; "Rain" by The Beatles; "Riders on the Storm" by the Doors; and "Sitting on the Dock of the Bay" by Otis Redding, all come to mind. Which brings me back to "What the Water Gave Me."

In 2011, Florence Welch, the lead singer for the the English indie folk-rock group Florence and the Machine, and Eg White penned the song "What the Water Gave Me." It is written in the key of C Minor and contains not only ethereal vocals, harps and strings, but also a gospel-like organ and soaring gospel-rooted harmonies.

In a Wikipedia article about "What the Water Gave Me," titled after a famous Frida Kahlo painting, Welch elaborated on the title and meaning of the song: "It's a song for the water, because in music and art what I'm really interested in are the things that are overwhelming. The ocean seems to me to be nature's great overwhelmer."

Welch continues: "When I was writing this song I was thinking a lot about all those people who've lost their lives in vain attempts to save their loved ones from drowning. It's about water in all forms and all bodies." Additionally, she says, the song talks about "children who are swept out to sea, and their parents go in after them and try to rescue them."

Time it took us

To where the water was

That's what the water gave me

And time goes quicker

Between the two of us

Oh, my love, don't forsake me

Take what the water gave me

Lay me down

Let the only sound

Be the overflow

Pockets full of stones

Lay me down

Let the only sound

Be the overflow

And oh, poor Atlas

The world's a beast of a burden

You've been holding on a long time

And all this longing

And the ships are left to rust

That's what the water gave us

So lay me down

Let the only sound

Be the overflow

Pockets full of stones

Lay me down

Let the only sound

Be the overflow

'Cause they took your loved ones

But returned them in exchange for you.

But would you have it any other way?

Would you have it any other way?

You could have it any other way

'Cause she's a cruel mistress

And the bargain must be made

But oh, my love, don't forget me

When I let the water take me

So, lay me down

Let the only sound

Be the overflow

Pockets full of stones

Lay me down

let the only sound

Be the overflow

Lay me down

Let the only sound

Be the overflow

Pockets full of stones

Lay me down

Let the only sound

Be the overflow.

  

This reaffirming, epic song, whose themes mix images of death (legendary writer Virginia Woolf's suicide; her walking into the water with her pockets filled with stones) with declarations of undying love, was critically praised by both U.S. and British critics. One called it "overwhelming in its bombast, yet delicate in its sonic detail."

Like many biblical scriptures, "What the Water Gave Me" is lovely, passionate and intense all rolled together. The revelatory joy in Florence Welch's voice by the end of the song shows us what one critic described as "just how emotionally powerful and engaging a pop song can be."

Indeed.

What the water gives us is life.

Note: YouTube video of Florence and the Machine performing "What the Water Gave Me" live on 'Later...with Jools Holland', BBC2, November 2011.