Adam Lives in Theory
Lauryn Hill Lyrics


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Adam lives in theory
Trying to turn stone into bread
Masquerading like he got it figured out
Cut off from the sunshine, only smart in his own head
Leaving his descendants to hope and doubt
Left to his devices, those worth the sacrifices
Praying to the alter of himself
Making pilgrimages, thinking he's religious
Like he's got all the light, and no one else

He takes the unsuspected
'cause he knows they're not connected
And he shows them how to be just as he is
Virtually real, and commercially appealed
To the lust of all the people where he lives

Eve was so naive, blinded by the pride and greed
Wanting to be intellectual
Drifting from the way she got turned down one day
And now she thinks that she's bisexual

Caught up in emotion
Burning up in her devotion
To the king of exploitaion in the field
She handed him her virtue
'cause he told her "I won't hurt you"
So she lay with him to see how good it feels

Now can you tell me, what, what we gonna do now
Where we gonna go now, what we gonna say now
Now can you tell me, what, what we gonna do now
Where we gonna go now, what we gonna say now

Now after the sensation, and the empty fornication
She brought affection home into her bed, quickly multiplying
Now the 3 of them are dying by the poison she perceived to be good head
Now Eve and her husband are perverted in their judgment
'cause everything appears to be the same
They entertain suggestion,
Next time just use protection

Desiring to cover up their shame
But much to their demise, poor decision closed their eyes
To the very antidote to their dilemma
Burning in their lust,
Both of them were dealt to us
Destroying the original agenda
Praying to the sky, in order to maintain a lie
They exhausted every possible conclusion,
They can't even entertain the solution,
In a brain filled with vain information and pollution

Hiding from the truth,
He provided an excuse to explain away his desperate situation
When confronted, blamed his wife
Giving birth to carnal life
Refusing to acknowledge what he done

Now if we can agree with who created us to be
Who says we're guilty everyone before his eyes
Making no exceptions, since the day of our conception
Predisposed to hating truth, and loving lies

Then can you tell me, what, what we gonna do now
Where we gonna go now, what we gonna say now
Then can you tell me, what, what we gonna do now
Where we gonna go now, what we gonna say now

Stop walking in pride, let the thief be crucified
Un-learn everything you know, and let him teach you
Line upon line, every step upon pre-step, say goodbye,
To this decaying social system
He wants to know, how far we're willing to go
If we love him like we say we do,
He will try us

Just don't regress,
Or slip into hopelessness
Once he's satisfied his love,
He won't deny us,

And then he'll tell us,
What, what we gonna do now
Where we gonna go now, what we gonna say now

And then he'll tell us,




What, what we gonna do now
Where we gonna go now, what we gonna say now

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Lauryn Hill's song "Adam Lives in Theory" offer a critical commentary on humanity's tendency to be self-centered and self-righteous, and our constant search for validation and meaning in life. The first verse refers to Adam, the biblical figure who eats the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, and then tries to turn stone into bread, hoping to satisfy his own desires. He thinks he has everything figured out, but he is cut off from the sun (a symbol of truth) and only smart in his own head. This leaves his descendants (i.e. humans) to hope and doubt, as they follow his misguided ways.


The second verse refers to Eve, who is described as naive, blinded by pride and greed, and drifting from the right path. She falls for the king of exploitation (symbolizing sin and temptation) and loses her virtue, which leads to disastrous consequences for her and humanity as a whole. The idea of using protection is also subtly referenced in this verse. The third verse highlights the consequences of humans' actions, and the fact that we are predisposed to hating the truth and loving lies. The song ends with a call to reject pride and materialism, to un-learn what we know, and to let God teach us.


Interestingly, the title of the song is a reference to French philosopher Jean Baudrillard's postmodern theory of hyperreality, which argues that modern society is obsessed with simulacra (copies without an original) and that we have lost touch with reality. The song also samples a recording of a speech by Marcus Garvey, the Jamaican political leader and Pan-Africanist.


Line by Line Meaning

Adam lives in theory
Adam lives in hypothetical and speculative thinking


Trying to turn stone into bread
Attempting to do the impossible


Masquerading like he got it figured out
Pretending to have everything figured out while lacking understanding


Cut off from the sunshine, only smart in his own head
Disconnected from reality and only intelligent in his own imagination


Leaving his descendants to hope and doubt
Leaving future generations to rely on hope and uncertainty


Left to his devices, those worth the sacrifices
Using his own strategies that seem valuable but end up being a waste


Praying to the alter of himself
Worshipping and serving only himself


Making pilgrimages, thinking he's religious
Embarking on a spiritual journey with a false sense of piety


Like he's got all the light, and no one else
Believing to have all the answers and no one else understands


He takes the unsuspected
Taking advantage of the unguarded and vulnerable


'cause he knows they're not connected
Knowing they are not in touch with their reality


And he shows them how to be just as he is
Teaching others to emulate his false behavior


Virtually real, and commercially appealed
Appearing to be real and attractive for commercial purposes


To the lust of all the people where he lives
Preying on the desires of people who share his lifestyle


Eve was so naive, blinded by the pride and greed
Eve was ignorant of her own limitations and blinded by her own desires


Wanting to be intellectual
Desiring to be knowledgeable or profound


Drifting from the way she got turned down one day
Straying away from her true path and aim, which caused her rejection once


And now she thinks that she's bisexual
She thinks she is attracted to both sexes now


Caught up in emotion
Controlled by her feelings and desires


Burning up in her devotion
Consumed by her commitment to someone or something


To the king of exploitation in the field
Devoted to the exploiter who is the master of his profession


She handed him her virtue
She gave him her innocence


'cause he told her "I won't hurt you"
Believing his lies and empty promises


So she lay with him to see how good it feels
Succumbing to her curiosity and desire for pleasure


Now can you tell me, what, what we gonna do now
Asking what to do next


Where we gonna go now, what we gonna say now
Asking what should be done and said next


Now after the sensation, and the empty fornication
After the temporary physical pleasure and meaningless sexual acts


She brought affection home into her bed, quickly multiplying
She brought home love and care that led to a rapid growth of her household


Now the 3 of them are dying by the poison she perceived to be good head
Now all three of them are being ruined by the toxin she believed was pleasurable pleasure


Now Eve and her husband are perverted in their judgment
Eve and her husband went astray from their moral compass


'cause everything appears to be the same
Because everything appears similar to one another, no one seems to be different


They entertain suggestion, next time just use protection
They considered and embraced the idea of using protection next time


Desiring to cover up their shame
Wanting to conceal their disgrace


But much to their demise, poor decision closed their eyes
Unfortunately, their poor decisions led to their destruction in the end


To the very antidote to their dilemma
Ignoring the very solution to their problem


Burning in their lust, both of them were dealt to us
Suffering in their desires, both were given to us as an example


Destroying the original agenda
Ruining the plan that God had put in place


Praying to the sky, in order to maintain a lie
To maintain a falsehood, they prayed to the heavens


They exhausted every possible conclusion
Trying everything to find a solution


They can't even entertain the solution, in a brain filled with vain information and pollution
Unable to even consider a solution due to a mind filled with worthless knowledge and contamination


Hiding from the truth
Avoiding the truth or concealing it


He provided an excuse to explain away his desperate situation
He concocted a justification to avoid accountability for his difficult situation


When confronted, blamed his wife
When confronted, he accused his wife instead of admitting his own wrongdoing


Giving birth to carnal life
Producing a life that is sensual in nature


Refusing to acknowledge what he done
Unwilling to accept responsibility for his actions


If we can agree with who created us to be
If we agree with how we were meant to be created


Who says we're guilty everyone before his eyes
God sees everyone as guilty


Making no exceptions, since the day of our conception
No exceptions have been made since the day we were born


Predisposed to hating truth, and loving lies
Inclined to hate honesty and embrace deceit


Stop walking in pride, let the thief be crucified
Stop being arrogant and let sin be destroyed


Un-learn everything you know, and let him teach you
Forget everything you know and allow Him to teach you


Line upon line, every step upon pre-step, say goodbye
Every single step counts, and say goodbye for good


To this decaying social system
To the society that is becoming worse over time


He wants to know, how far we're willing to go
He wants to test our commitment


If we love him like we say we do
If we truly love him like we profess


Just don't regress, or slip into hopelessness
Avoid backtracking or losing hope completely


Once he's satisfied his love, He won't deny us
After He sees our love, He won't refuse us


And then he'll tell us, what, what we gonna do now
Then He'll instruct us on what to do next


Where we gonna go now, what we gonna say now
Where we will go and what we will say next




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: LAURYN HILL

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

YN

Adam lives in theory
Trying to turn stone into bread
Masquerading like he got it figured out
Cut off from the sunshine, only smart in his own head
Leaving his descendants to hope and doubt
Left to his devices, those worth the sacrifices
Praying to the alter of himself
Making pilgrimages, thinking he's religious
Like he's got all the light, and no one else

He takes the unsuspected
Cause he knows they're not connected
And he shows them how to be just as he is
Virtually real, and commercially appealed
To the lust of all the people where he lives

Eve was so naive, blinded by the pride and greed
Wanting to be intellectual
Drifting from the way she got turned down one day
And now she thinks that she's bisexual

Caught up in emotion
Burning up in her devotion
To the king of exploitation in the field
She handed him her virtue
Cause he told her "I won't hurt you"
So she lay with him to see how good it feels

Now can you tell me, what, what we gonna do now
Where we gonna go now, what we gonna say now
Now can you tell me, what, what we gonna do now
Where we gonna go now, what we gonna say now

Now after the sensation, and the empty fornication
She brought affection home into her bed, quickly multiplying
Now the 3 of them are dying by the poison she perceived to be good head
Now Eve and her husband are perverted in their judgment
Cause everything appears to be the same
They entertain suggestion,
Next time just use protection

Desiring to cover up their shame
But much to their demise, poor decision closed their eyes
To the very antidote to their dilemma
Burning in their lust,
Both of them adulterous
Destroying the original agenda
Praying to the sky, in order to maintain a lie
They exhausted every possible conclusion,
They can't even entertain the solution,
In a brain filled with vain information and pollution

Hiding from the truth,
He provided an excuse to explain away his desperate situation
When confronted, blamed his wife
Giving birth to carnal life
Refusing to acknowledge what he done

Now if we can agree with who created us to be
Who says we're guilty everyone before his eyes
Making no exceptions, since the day of our conception
Predisposed to hating truth, and loving lies

Then can you tell me, what, what we gonna do now
Where we gonna go now, what we gonna say now
Then can you tell me, what, what we gonna do now
Where we gonna go now, what we gonna say now

Stop walking in pride, let the thief be crucified
Un-learn everything you know, and let him teach you
Line upon line, precept upon precept, say goodbye,
To this decaying social system
He wants to know, how far we're willing to go
If we love him like we say we do,
He will try us

Just don't regress,
Or slip into hopelessness
Once he's satisfied his love,
He won't deny us,

And then he'll tell us,
What, what we gonna do now
Where we gonna go now, what we gonna say now

And then he'll tell us,
What, what we gonna do now
Where we gonna go now, what we gonna say now



Crazy for Donuts

Alot of this songs too
Some of 'em you know
They don't even really have titles yet you know
So if you had any suggestion you know
Just raise your hand
So I call 'em like a line in the song you know
So this one 'em
We refer to it as 'Adam Lives in Theory'
And when I refer to Adam I'm really speaking to all of humanity, you know
Without an exception of anybody, you know
And I, I know that alot of the content of this songs
Is very heavy you know
But ermm, fantasy is what people want but reality is what they need
And I'm just retired from the fantasy part
Because I realized that
Y'all gon' make me cry

Adam lives in theory
Tryna turn stone into bread
Masquerading like he got it figured out
Cut off from the sunshine, only smart in his own head
Leaving his descendants to hope and doubt
Left to his devices, those worthless sacrifices
Praying to the alter of himself
Making pilgrimages, thinking he's religious
Like he's got all the light, and no one else

He takes the unsuspected
'Cause he knows they're not connected
And he shows them how to be just as he is
Virtually real, and commercially appealed
To the lust of all the people where he lives

Eve was so naive, blinded by the pride and greed
Wanting to be intellectual
Drifting from the way she got turned down one day
And now she thinks that she's bisexual

Caught up in emotion
Burning up in her devotion
To the king of explotation in the field
She handed him her virtue
'Cause he told her "I won't hurt you"
So she lay with him to see how good it feels

Now can you tell me, what, what we gonna do now
Where we gonna go now, what we gonna say now
Now can you tell me, what, what we gonna do now
Where we gonna go now, what we gonna say now

Now after the sensation, and the empty fornication
She brought affection home into her bed, quickly multiplying
Now the 3 of them are dieing by the poison she perceived to be good
Now Eve and her husband are perverted in their judgment
'Cause everything appears to be the same
They entertain suggestion,
Next time just use protection

Desiring to cover up their shame
But much to their demise, poor decision closed their eyes
To the very antidote to their dilemma
Burning in their lust
Both of them adulterous
Destroying the original agenda
Praying to the sky, in order to maintain a lie
They exhausted every possible conclusion
They can't even entertain the solution in the brain
Are filled with vain information and pollution

Hiding from the truth
He provided an excuse to explain away his desperate situation
When confronted, blamed his wife
Giving birth to carnal life
Refusing to acknowledge what he done

Now if we can't agree with who created us to be
Who says we're guilty everyone before his eyes
Making no exceptions, since the day of our conception
Predisposed to hating truth, and loving lies

Then can you tell me, what, what we gonna do now
Where we gonna go now, what we gonna say now
Then can you tell me, what, what we gonna do now
Where we gonna go now, what we gonna say now

Stop walking in pride, let the thief be crucified
Un-learn everything you know, and let him teach you
Line upon line, every step upon pre-step, say goodbye
To this decaying social system
He wants to know, how far we're willing to go
If we love him like we say we do
He will try us

Just don't regress
Or slip into hopelessness
Once he's satisfied his love
He won't deny us

And then he'll tell us
What, what we gonna do now
Where we gonna go now, what we gonna say now

And then he'll tell us
What, what we gonna do now
Where we gonna go now, what we gonna say now

I'm telling you, telling you
I'm telling you, I'm telling you
I'm telling you, I'm telling you
He's gonna tell us, tell us, tell us
Ooh ooh, eh!



Keiangela Tugerson

LYRICS

LISTEN

SIMILAR SONGS

1 of 4

2 of 4

Adam lives in theory
Trying to turn stone into bread
Masquerading like he got it figured out 
Cut off from the sunshine, only smart in his own head
Leaving his descendants to hope and doubt
Left to his devices, those worth the sacrifices
Praying to the alter of himself
Making pilgrimages, thinking he's religious
Like he's got all the light, and no one else

He takes the unsuspected
'cause he knows they're not connected
And he shows them how to be just as he is
Virtually real, and commercially appealed
To the lust of all the people where he lives

Eve was so naive, blinded by the pride and greed
Wanting to be intellectual
Drifting from the way she got turned down one day
And now she thinks that she's bisexual

Caught up in emotion
Burning up in her devotion
To the king of exploitaion in the field
She handed him her virtue
'cause he told her "I won't hurt you"
So she lay with him to see how good it feels

Now can you tell me, what, what we gonna do now
Where we gonna go now, what we gonna say now
Now can you tell me, what, what we gonna do now
Where we gonna go now, what we gonna say now

Now after the sensation, and the empty fornication
She brought affection home into her bed, quickly multiplying
Now the 3 of them are dying by the poison she perceived to be good head
Now Eve and her husband are perverted in their judgment
'cause everything appears to be the same
They entertain suggestion,
Next time just use protection

Desiring to cover up their shame
But much to their demise, poor decision closed their eyes
To the very antidote to their dilemma
Burning in their lust,
Both of them were dealt to us
Destroying the original agenda
Praying to the sky, in order to maintain a lie
They exhausted every possible conclusion,
They can't even entertain the solution,
In a brain filled with vain information and pollution

Hiding from the truth,
He provided an excuse to explain away his desperate situation
When confronted, blamed his wife
Giving birth to carnal life
Refusing to acknowledge what he done

Now if we can agree with who created us to be
Who says we're guilty everyone before his eyes
Making no exceptions, since the day of our conception
Predisposed to hating truth, and loving lies

Then can you tell me, what, what we gonna do now
Where we gonna go now, what we gonna say now
Then can you tell me, what, what we gonna do now
Where we gonna go now, what we gonna say now

Stop walking in pride, let the thief be crucified
Un-learn everything you know, and let him teach you
Line upon line, every step upon pre-step, say goodbye,
To this decaying social system
He wants to know, how far we're willing to go
If we love him like we say we do,
He will try us

Just don't regress,
Or slip into hopelessness
Once he's satisfied his love,
He won't deny us,

And then he'll tell us,
What, what we gonna do now
Where we gonna go now, what we gonna say now

And then he'll tell us,
What, what we gonna do now
Where we gonna go now, what we gonna say now



All comments from YouTube:

morongwa serumula

I played this song a lot when I was at the darkets and lowest part of my life. Dealing with unemployment, depression and mourning the loss of my mom, my dad and my two grandmothers. Today I am happy, I have a beautiful one-year-old daughter, I have a beautiful job in management consulting and the future looks bright.

Jahmaine

Blessings

silat brothers

Wow! God bless you

Genson Pinto

This album brought me through very difficult moments, it's message allowed me to feel Normal, I am now 10years married with a 9yr old boy and a 7yr girl... Blessed Album! Blessed are the Ancestors

Chief KolAss

Reply number4 culmination of lifel love ❤️ this song ..love growth listened then and now ….😂😂👍🏾here we are

Osho

congrats

3 More Replies...

JusJosh&TheMic

For people questioning "what work she's done" hush that mouth. You don't know what work she has done but her music is activism and healing in itself. It's plenty enough and has inspired many to make changes. There are many forms of activism and making changes. Art can be one of them. It's about using what you have to do some good and she's done plenty.

Sabrina Hawkins

I agree 100% Joshua mccool

Dea Bulltail

Agree. Lauren is a artist! Something we slowly lost with this new generation.

JusJosh&TheMic

Yeah. We have a lot of great artists but sadly, most of them don't get major backing. I will never understand how Ledisi is not a household name around the world.

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