Hill is noted as a humanitarian, and in 1996 she received an Essence Award for work which has included the 1996 founding of the Refugee Project, an outreach organization that supports a two-week overnight camp for at-risk youth, and for supporting well-building projects in Kenya and Uganda, as well as for staging a rap concert in Harlem to promote voter registration.
In 1999's Grammy Awards, Hill was nominated eleven times and won Album of the Year (beating Madonna's critically acclaimed album Ray of Light), Best New Artist, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, Best R&B Song, Best R&B Album, setting a new record for a female performer.
Hill has four children with retired (American) football player Rohan Marley, son of the late reggae music icon, Bob Marley: Zion David Marley, born 1997, Selah Louise Marley, born 1998, and second son Joshua, born 2002. A fourth child, John, was born in 2003 and the couple married soon after.
Early life
Lauryn Hill was born in East Orange, New Jersey. Hill was the second of two children born to high school English teacher Valerie Hill and computer programmer Mal Hill. As a child, Hill incessantly listened to her parents' Motown and 1960s soul records. Music was a central part of the Hill home. Mal Hill sang at weddings, Valerie played the piano, and Lauryn's older brother Melaney played the saxophone, guitar and drums.
Hill graduated from Columbia High School (New Jersey) in Maplewood, New Jersey. Hill was an active student, cheerleader, and performer. She began her acting career at a young age, and started performing music in 1987. In 1988, 13-year old Hill appeared as an Amateur Night contestant on It's Showtime at the Apollo. Hill sang her own version of William "Smokey" Robinson's song "Who's Lovin' You?". A nervous Hill sung far away from the mic and was heckled at first; but persisted and finished her song to a standing applause, though she did not win.
Hill was childhood friends with actor Zach Braff and they both graduated from Columbia High School in 1993. Braff mentions inviting Hill to his bar Mitzvah in 1988.[1]
Hill appeared on the soap opera, As The World Turns as Kira Johnson. In December 1993, she starred in "Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit" as Rita Louise Watson. In the film, she performed the songs "His Eye Is on the Sparrow" (a duet with Tanya Blount) and "Joyful,Joyful" . It was in this role, as Rita, that she first came to national prominence, with Roger Ebert calling her "the girl with the big joyful voice". Although Sister Act I and II were originally conceived as vehicles for comedian Whoopi Goldberg, the second installment won Lauryn equal notice.
Her other acting work includes the play Club XII with MC Lyte, and the motion pictures King of the Hill (as Arletta the Elevator Operator), Hav Plenty (1997), and Restaurant (1998). She appeared on the soundtracks to Conspiracy Theory in 1996 (on the track "Can't Take My Eyes Off You") and Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood in 2002 (on the track "Selah").
Her most recent album (mixtape) entitled "The Re-Education of Lauryn Hill" was released in 2007.
Adam Lives in Theory
Lauryn Hill Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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
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
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
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
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
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.