"Just like Water" by Lauryn Hill

[Verse 1]
Moving down the streams of my lifetime 
Pulls the fascination in my sleeve 
Cooling off the fire of my longing 
Boiling off my cold within his heat 
Melting down the walls of inhibition 
Evaporating all of my fears 
Baptizing me into complete submission 
Dissolving my condition with his tears 

[Chorus]
He's just like the water 
I ain't felt this way in years 
He's just like the water 
I ain't felt this way in years 

[Verse 2]
Coursing through my senses, he's prevailing 
Floating through the space of my design 
Drowning me to find my inside sailing 
Drinking in the mainstream of his mind 
Filling up the cup of my emotions 
Spilling over into all I do 
If I only I could get lost in his ocean 
Surviving on the thought of loving you 

[Chorus]
He's just like the water 
I ain't felt this way in years 
He's just like the water, the water 
I ain't felt this way in years 

[Verse 3]
Bathing in the fountain of his essence 
He causes my expression to remain 
Humbled on a mountain by his presence 
Washing my intentions with his name 
Sealing off the floodgates of his passions 
Saving all his liquid for his own 
Moisturizing me to satisfaction 
In my imagination? No no! 
He's pouring out his soul to me for hours and hours 
Drawing out my nature with his hands 
Yearning I'm so thirsty for his power 
Burning to be worthy of his land 

[Chorus]
He's just like the water 
I ain't felt this way in years 
He's just like the water 
I ain't felt this way in years 

[Ad Libs Remainder]
Cleaning me 
He's purging me 
And moving me around 
He's bathing me 
And he's claiming me 
And moving me around 
Around and around and around 
And around 
Watching me, claiming me 
Moving me around 
He's purging me 
He's been cleaning me 
And moving me around 
And around

       Lauryn Hill is known for being a conscious hip hop artist. She raps, she sings, she acts; what can't she do? She is an icon, you have to search pretty hard to find someone in the US, or any other country that has not heard of her or heard her sing. She rarely says anything straight up, it always has some kind of deeper meaning. She is so gifted at doing this, that many times people do not even realize she's doing it. She is gifted because she  can eloquently (and poetically) verbalize how many of us have felt in our lifetimes at one point or another. 

        Miss Hill has had many popular songs, including ones like "Tell him," "Doo Wop (That thing," or "To Zion." These songs speak on topics of love, mistrust, adultery, and the love for your child. One of my personal favorite songs by her is called "Just like Water." I like this song because on the surface level it tells the tale of falling in love with a man, but the way it does it is the best part. 

        Water holds many meanings and symbols. Especially in religion. In christianity, it represents a rebirth and baptism of the soul. It cleans and renews the flesh so that it may be suitable for eternal life in Heaven. It washes away our sins. On a day to day basis, we recognize water as a way to wash away physical dirt and stains. Water sustains life: we need it to drink, to water our plants, to get from place to place. 

        In the first verse of this song, Ms. Hill says "cooling off the fire of my longing, boiling off the cold within his heat." I think that this is an excellent example of word play. She puts two opposing thoughts back to back. First she talks about chilling her longing. Using water in a cold sense, because she has been longing for love and passion for so long. Then she says boiling off the cold within his heat. Then the water becomes hot, in order to keep her from becoming cold. Even the word cold in itself could be a metaphor for growing old and tired of searching for a good man.

       One could even argue that this man that she speaks of is not a man at all, but rather God.  Maybe she had been searching for this purpose and hope in life, and she found it by finding God and being reborn. I love Lauryn Hill because there are so many songs and interpretations built into one.