His song Dark and Deep was selected for inclusion on Songs Inspired By Literature, Chapter One, a benefit CD to raise money for adult literacy campaigns. Other artists on that CD include Suzanne Vega, Aimee Mann, Grace Slick and Bruce Springsteen.
David has performed on the main stage of the internationally known Kerrville Folk Festival, and he was featured as the headline act at the 2004 Auckland Folk Festival. While there he was awarded lifetime membership in the Guitar Association of New Zealand, only the third international performer to be given that honor in the history of the organization.
David is the co-founder and director of Proyecto para las Escuelas Guatemaltecas, a non-profit organization that funds projects to improve schools in Guatemala. For more info, check the web site: www.pegpartners.org.
In the last year LaMotte has published a children's book based on his award-winning children's song S.S. Bathtub, a live concert DVD and a retrospective collection of Peace and Justice songs from his previous records, as well as his latest CD, Change, a collaborative project with cellist Stephanie Winters.
water
David LaMotte Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where the water meets the land
They smiled a little nervously
As the ocean took the sand
They went down below the shoreline
And they hauled it back again
But the heavy rain and the hurricane
And the water's gonna win
The water's gonna win
Bring it all back
It will wash away again
The water's gonna win
Pack it up or pack it in
The water's gonna win
The glass of water you were sipping
As you watched the morning come
Has quenched the thirst of seven others
Underneath a younger sun
We are memories and moments
We are born and born again
Rushing stream and breathing steam
The water's gonna win
The water's gonna win
Ascending and falling and rising up again
The water's gonna win
Ride the tide and ride the wind
The water's gonna win
Haul the rocks and sign the papers
Pour another glass of gin
Cut the ribbon with the scissors
But the water's gonna win
You went down beside the river
Just about a year ago
Gave the ashes to the current
Saw them swirl into the flow
You still hold it all inside you
You can't stop once you begin
Close your eyes and feel it rising
The water's gonna win
The water's gonna win
You can't hold back the tide
You can't hide from what's within
The water's gonna win
Feel it move beneath your skin
The water's gonna win
It will with keep flowing through
All we are and all we've been
The water's gonna win
Forever and amen
The water's gonna win
"Water" by David LaMotte is a compelling song about the power of nature, particularly water, and how it eventually breaks down all barriers. The lyrics open with a reference to a hotel built on the shore where the land meets the water. The builders were proud of their creation, but they were also a little worried because the ocean was constantly eroding the sand beneath the structure. They were fighting a losing battle, constantly hauling sand back from below the shoreline. They might have won minor victories, but eventually, the water is going to win. The power of nature is too great, and it will always triumph over the creations of humans.
As the song progresses, the meaning of water becomes more profound. It's not just about the ocean's power to erode the land beneath the hotel, but it's about water being a life force. The glass of water sipped in the morning quenches the thirst of seven others under a younger sun. Water is life, and it's a force that keeps us going. We are born, we live, and we die, but water keeps on flowing, and it's inevitable that it will win in the end. The water is our memories, and every moment that we've lived. We are the rushing stream and the breathing steam, but we're also the water that's going to win.
The song's final verse presents an individual's metaphorical death where they take their ashes down to the river and let them go. But just like the sand beneath the hotel, they too eventually are taken by the water. Humans can't fight it, and we can't win against the forces of nature. Eventually, we all succumb to the power of water, and it will win.
Line by Line Meaning
So they built their shiny hotel
They constructed a flashy building
Where the water meets the land
At the intersection of sea and shore
They smiled a little nervously
They displayed some anxiety
As the ocean took the sand
The sea engulfed the soil
They went down below the shoreline
They went beneath the water's edge
And they hauled it back again
They retrieved the material
But the heavy rain and the hurricane
Extreme weather conditions
And the water's gonna win
The sea will ultimately triumph
The glass of water you were sipping
The beverage in front of you
As you watched the morning come
While observing the dawn
Has quenched the thirst of seven others
Has satisfied ample individuals
Underneath a younger sun
In a prior era
We are memories and moments
We are comprised of recollections and experiences
We are born and born again
We are continually created anew
Rushing stream and breathing steam
Speedy body of water and exhaled vapor
The water's gonna win
The sea will ultimately triumph
Pack it up or pack it in
Leave or confront the challenge
Ascending and falling and rising up again
Going up and down and up again
Ride the tide and ride the wind
Go with the flow
Haul the rocks and sign the papers
Transport the minerals and execute contracts
Pour another glass of gin
Pour another gin cocktail
Cut the ribbon with the scissors
Sever the ribbon with the cutting tool
But the water's gonna win
The sea will ultimately triumph
You went down beside the river
You journeyed next to the body of water
Just about a year ago
Approximately one year ago
Gave the ashes to the current
Scattered the remains in the river
Saw them swirl into the flow
Observed the remains rotate in the water
You still hold it all inside you
You still possess it all within you
You can't stop once you begin
Once started, it cannot be stopped
Close your eyes and feel it rising
Shut your eyes and perceive it increasing
You can't hold back the tide
The sea cannot be contained
You can't hide from what's within
You cannot conceal the interior
The water's gonna win
The sea will ultimately triumph
Feel it move beneath your skin
Notice it shifting beneath the skin
It will with keep flowing through
It will continue to course through
All we are and all we've been
Everything we are and have been
The water's gonna win
The sea will ultimately triumph
Forever and amen
Eternally and verily
Lyrics © CAPITOL CHRISTIAN MUSIC GROUP, Capitol CMG Publishing
Written by: ANTHONY DAVID HARRINGTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind