Guru
Alanis Morissette Lyrics


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I started young
I was enthralled
By your agape
As a student
I kept going
Colour me captured
Disillusioned enough
Needed your guidance
And so I turned
Over to you
To lead me home

And then I said

Guru teacher
Guruji I bow to you
Humbled by your knowledgeable education
Guruji I bow to the divine in you
Please consider me your utmost humble student

And so I fell
Under your spell
I was enraptured
Your every word
I held onto
‘Til it was gospel

You weren’t deterred
From your asserts
We’re identical
I will admit
I saw your face
Inside my face

Guru teacher
Guruji I bow to you
Humbled by your knowledgeable education
Guruji I bow to the divine in you
Please consider me your utmost humble student

[Souleye Rap]

You had enough of subservience, and so you stopped me.
You saw my light seen as your light, gave it back to me.
I eventually saw that your jewel was in my pocket.
It had been there the whole time throughout my search.
And I finally saw...

Guru teacher
Guruji I bow to you
Humbled by your knowledgeable education
Guruji I bow to the divine in you
Please consider me your utmost humble student”

Guru teacher
Guruji I bow to you
Taken by your knowledgeable education




Guruji I bow to the divine in you
Thanks for pointing back to my inherent wisdom.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Alanis Morissette's "Guru," delve into the theme of surrendering oneself to a teacher or guide, becoming utterly devoted to their ways and teachings. The song tells a story of a student who was enamored by their guru, captivated by their every word, wanting nothing more than to follow in their footsteps. The student surrenders to their guru, seeking guidance and help to find their way home.


The lyrics mention the term "agape," which in Greek means the highest form of love, selfless and unconditional. It highlights the guru's unconditional love that the student was fascinated by. The phrases "colour me captured" and "under your spell" convey how the student was entirely taken by the guru's aura and teachings.


However, midway through the song, there is a shift in perspective with the introduction of Souleye's rap. The student realizes that the guru had been telling them to search within themselves all along, to uncover their inherent wisdom. They see that the conscious knowledge that they have been seeking is already within them, and they don't need the guru to be enlightened.


The song is an intuitive interpretation of the relationship people have with their spiritual leaders. The lyrics hint at the possibility of blind devotion, often falling prey to the charisma of the spiritual leader while seeking guidance to find their truth.


Line by Line Meaning

I started young
I was young when I began following you


I was enthralled
I was captivated and fascinated by you


By your agape
By your unconditional love


As a student
As someone eager to learn from you


I kept going
I continued to follow you


Colour me captured
You completely captured my attention and devotion


Disillusioned enough
Disappointed enough in myself or the world to seek guidance


Needed your guidance
I felt I needed your guidance to find my way


And so I turned
And so I looked to you for answers


Over to you
To you I entrusted my understanding of the world


To lead me home
To guide me to a place of true understanding and peace


Guru teacher
Respectfully addressing you as a teacher and spiritual guide


Guruji I bow to you
I humbly bow to you and acknowledge your wisdom


Humbled by your knowledgeable education
I am grateful and humbled by your teachings


Guruji I bow to the divine in you
I recognize the divine within you and pay my respects


Please consider me your utmost humble student
Please allow me to be your most devoted and humble student


And so I fell
And so I became completely devoted to you


Under your spell
Completely enchanted by your teachings


I was enraptured
I was completely captivated by your guidance


Your every word
I held onto and believed everything you said


I held onto
I clung to every bit of guidance you gave me


‘Til it was gospel
I took everything you said as absolute truth and gospel


You weren’t deterred
You never wavered in your beliefs and teachings


From your asserts
From the things you asserted as truth


We’re identical
Our beliefs and thoughts were in complete alignment


I will admit
I realize now, in hindsight


I saw your face
I saw my own reflection in you, and looked to you as a spiritual mirror


Inside my face
Recognizing the divine within myself reflected in you


Taken by your knowledgeable education
I am grateful and humbled by your teachings


Thanks for pointing back to my inherent wisdom
Thank you for showing me that the wisdom was within me all along




Contributed by Colin P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@joaoferreira-gh8nn

Guru

I started young 
I was enthralled 
By your agape 
As a student 
I kept going 
Colour me captured
Disillusioned enough 
Needed your guidance 
And so I turned 
Over to you 
To lead me home

And then I said

Guru teacher 
Guruji I bow to you 
Humbled by your knowledgeable education 
Guruji I bow to the divine in you 
Please consider me your utmost humble student

And so I fell 
Under your spell 
I was enraptured 
Your every word 
I held onto 
‘Til it was gospel

You weren’t deterred 
From your asserts 
We’re identical 
I will admit 
I saw your face 
Inside my face

Guru teacher 
Guruji I bow to you 
Humbled by your knowledgeable education 
Guruji I bow to the divine in you 
Please consider me your utmost humble student

[Souleye Rap]

You had enough of subservience, and so you stopped me.
You saw my light seen as your light, gave it back to me.
I eventually saw that your jewel was in my pocket.
It had been there the whole time throughout my search.
And I finally saw...

Guru teacher 
Guruji I bow to you 
Humbled by your knowledgeable education 
Guruji I bow to the divine in you 
Please consider me your utmost humble student”

Guru teacher
Guruji I bow to you
Taken by your knowledgeable education
Guruji I bow to the divine in you
Thanks for pointing back to my inherent wisdom.



@wolvie30

I started young
I was enthralled
By your agape
As a student
I kept going
Colour me captured
Disillusioned enough
Needed your guidance
And so I turned
Over to you
To lead me home
And then I said
Chorus:
Guru teacher
Guruji I bow to you
Humbled by your knowledgeable education
Guruji I bow to the divine in you
Please consider me your utmost humble student
And so I fell
Under your spell
I was enraptured
Your every word
I held onto
'Til it was gospel
You weren't deterred
From your asserts
We're identical
I will admit
I saw your face
Inside my face
Chorus:
Guru teacher
Guruji I bow to you
Humbled by your knowledgeable education
Guruji I bow to the divine in you
Please consider me your utmost humble student
I give praise to the beautiful and glorious
It's never too late, what I've learned is amorphous
Thanks for the tip, your advice is important
Never get lost in my North Star ??
?? if things feel wrong
? is for the darkness and rue(?) is for the light
Eye to eye now, we bow, we face each other
Respect ?? with balance for one another
Continue religion(?) on a day to day basis
Fundamental growth started with the basics
It seems smarter than I thought I'd ever be
Until you empowered me now I follow my epiphany
Act low (?) watching smoke rise from chimney
Thanks for giving me a vision what I couldn't see
Not every sigh(?) that I breathe will be the same as you
On this pathway to trans..???.. true
You've had enough
Of subservience
And so you stopped me
You saw my light
Seen as your light
Gave it back to me
I eventually saw
That your jewel
Was in my pocket
It had had been there
The whole time
Throughout my search
And I finally saw
Chorus:
Guru teacher
Guruji I bow to you
Humbled by your knowledgeable education
Guruji I bow to the divine in you
Please consider me your utmost humble student



All comments from YouTube:

@carlosbitencourt6511

The wordsmith-ness of this composer is out-of-this-worldly gorgeous ❤️

@laurah.160

she is a musical genius. she has healed me from so much trauma

@debfan74

such a wonderful song and it should have been on the full album :-)

@MephProduction

ewwww it has rap on it.. delete it.

@CSorickOmaha

My favorite song off "Havoc & Bright Lights"! I CANNOT stop listening to this song!! It's amazing!! I'm glad I got my CD at Target!!! Only $8.99 too!!

@joaoferreira-gh8nn

Guru

I started young 
I was enthralled 
By your agape 
As a student 
I kept going 
Colour me captured
Disillusioned enough 
Needed your guidance 
And so I turned 
Over to you 
To lead me home

And then I said

Guru teacher 
Guruji I bow to you 
Humbled by your knowledgeable education 
Guruji I bow to the divine in you 
Please consider me your utmost humble student

And so I fell 
Under your spell 
I was enraptured 
Your every word 
I held onto 
‘Til it was gospel

You weren’t deterred 
From your asserts 
We’re identical 
I will admit 
I saw your face 
Inside my face

Guru teacher 
Guruji I bow to you 
Humbled by your knowledgeable education 
Guruji I bow to the divine in you 
Please consider me your utmost humble student

[Souleye Rap]

You had enough of subservience, and so you stopped me.
You saw my light seen as your light, gave it back to me.
I eventually saw that your jewel was in my pocket.
It had been there the whole time throughout my search.
And I finally saw...

Guru teacher 
Guruji I bow to you 
Humbled by your knowledgeable education 
Guruji I bow to the divine in you 
Please consider me your utmost humble student”

Guru teacher
Guruji I bow to you
Taken by your knowledgeable education
Guruji I bow to the divine in you
Thanks for pointing back to my inherent wisdom.

@Cloudxxx23

I wish this and other unreleased and exclusive tracks are available on iTunes. 🤔😟

@MsYulia2702

My God, what a gem❤

@debfan74

Another great non lp track!!! Too bad this was not on the album! I LOVE It!!!

@GerardoPenaMorissette

Esta genial la cancion

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