Dear God, this song is on my “Pop” playlist, and I kind of paid attention to it for the first time this morning. I’ve always liked the sound, but until about 45 minutes ago, I couldn’t have told you what it was about. But this morning, when it came on my iPod, something encouraged me to stop and look at the lyrics. It had so much more meaning that I expected.

Here are the words to the song as well at a link to the music video which was the music video of the year in 1995:

“Waterfalls”
Performed by TLC,
Songwriters: Lisa Lopes / Marqueze Ethridge / Patrick Brown / Raymon Ameer Murray / Rico Renard Wade

A lonely mother gazing out of her window
Staring at a son that she just can’t touch
If at any time he’s in a jam she’ll be by his side
But he doesn’t realize he hurts her so much
But all the praying just ain’t helping at all
‘Cause he can’t seem to keep his self out of trouble
So, he goes out and he makes his money the best way he know how
Another body laying cold in the gutter
Listen to me

Don’t go chasing waterfalls
Please stick to the rivers and the lakes that you’re used to
I know that you’re gonna have it your way or nothing at all
But I think you’re moving too fast

Little precious has a natural obsession for temptation
But he just can’t see
She give him loving that his body can’t handle
But all he can say is, “Baby, it’s good to me”
One day he goes and takes a glimpse in the mirror
But he doesn’t recognize his own face
His health is fading and he doesn’t know why
Three letters took him to his final resting place
Y’all don’t hear me

Don’t go chasing waterfalls
Please stick to the rivers and the lakes that you’re used to
I know that you’re gonna have it your way or nothing at all
But I think you’re moving too fast

I seen rainbow yesterday
But too many storms have come and gone
Leavin’ a trace of not on God-given ray
Is it because my life is ten shades of gray
I pray all ten fade away
Seldom praise Him for the sunny days
And like his promise is true
Only my faith can undo
The many chances I blew
To bring my life to anew
Clear blue and unconditional skies
Have dried the tears from my eyes
No more lonely cries
My only bleedin’ hope
Is for the folk who can’t cope
Wit such an endurin’ pain
That it keeps ’em in the pourin’ rain
Who’s to blame
For tootin’ caine in your own vein
What a shame
You shoot and aim for someone else’s brain
You claim the insane
And name this day in time
For fallin prey to crime
I say the system got you victim to your own mind
Dreams are hopeless aspirations
In hopes of comin’ true
Believe in yourself
The rest is up to me and you

Don’t go chasing waterfalls
Please stick to the rivers and the lakes that you’re used to
I know that you’re gonna have it your way or nothing at all
But I think you’re moving too fast

Don’t go chasing waterfalls
Please stick to the rivers and the lakes that you’re used to
I know that you’re gonna have it your way or nothing at all
But I think you’re moving too fast

I don’t really want to take the time here to deep dive into each verse, but, instead, I’d like to step back and think about how this song speaks to me.

The first thing that hit me was the frustration of a parent. At any stage of life I wanted to be so much more than I could be for my children, but it’s just not possible. At this point, I have 48 years of living and they have 22 and 19, respectively. I’ve learned things that I simply cannot impart to them. Of course, there’s still so much that I don’t know and still have to learn. They have to learn all of it for themselves. And sometimes the mistakes they make will be irreparable. Even worse, sometimes things will happen to them to harm them that are beyond their control. What is in their control is how they will respond to them. Will they let me, my wife, or someone else help them? More importantly, will they turn to you for comfort, guidance, and freedom, or will they allow it to break them?

The second thing that I take from this song is that we all have choices to make. From the mother in the first verse, to her son, to the man in the second verse, and then to his girlfriend/wife, each person is responding to their life and what they will seek for happiness and peace, and how they will choose to love a person who is destroying themselves. In the first verse, the son decided to make money through selling drugs and she decided to be next to him whenever he was in a jam. In the second verse, the woman’s love wasn’t enough her him and exposed both of them to HIV/AIDS. The mother, in particular, strikes me Does she make a mistake by always being by his side when he gets in trouble? Was more “tough love” needed. Or is that cruel. Did the song writer include those words intentionally?

Father, I could go on and on, but at the end of the day, this song is about fallen humans (all four of them) needing to reach out to you That’s what it comes down to for me as well. I am fallen. My wife is fallen. My children are fallen. None of us has anymore standing in your eyes than the other. So I guess my prayer is, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen