Akel Dama
Me'Shell Ndegéocello Lyrics

Who covers themselves with the light As if it were a garment?
Who wraps themselves in God's glory and shines like a garment?

Who makes the angel's spirit From the flames of the fire?
Who brings forth the spirit of angels from the fire?

Laid the foundation of the earth So that it shall not be moved Covered it with the deep of the ocean
God established and secured the earth's foundation and then covered it with the depths of the ocean.

Who stands above the mountains And at your word, they fled, They hastened away
Who stands mightily above the mountains and commands them to obey your word, causing them to flee?

Send the springs into the valley That flow through the hills And give drink to the beasts of the field And quench their thirst
Send the springs to the valley and hills to provide water for the beasts, quenching their thirst.

By you the birds of the heavens Have their home And sing amongst the branches
Birds find their homes in your creations, singing sweetly amongst the branches.

The earth is satisfied by the fruit of your works
The earth is filled and satisfied by the fruits of your labor.

Cause the grass to grow for the cattle And the vegetation For the service of the human So that they bring forth the fruit from the earth
Allow the grass and vegetation to grow for the cattle's sustenance and for the humans to reap fruit from the earth's bounty.

The wine that makes glad the heart of man And oil that makes his face shine The wine that makes glad the heart of man And oil that makes his face shine Makes the face shine
The wine and oil that makes man happy and brings out his inner radiance, making his face to shine.

I like to watch the leaves fall, last breath Sweet ash from the slash and burn And lazy eyes from being in a dream Talk to the trees Please, me, see, be, free, Heed, believe, see, breath Need and want nothing I need and want nothing
I enjoy watching the leaves slowly fall, breathing in the sweet ash from deforestation, and feeling calm from my dreams. I often converse with trees, requesting to be liberated and believe in freedom, feeling content with needing and wanting nothing.

Dry roses hang from the bed Nakedness is all around Barren is my soul I beg to be a child born for Love So i sway to the pulses of the rivers of blood That flow through my body 'cause I believe in things you cannot see
Dried roses hang from the bed, stark nudity surrounds me, and my soul feels empty. I yearn to be reborn as a child of love, and sway with the rivers of blood that flow within me because I have faith in things that are not visible.

To some god is the light That leads them to believe, That they see, And know everything To some god is the light That leads them to believe That they see, And know everything
Some see God as the illuminating force that enables them to believe they have control over all they see and know.

But if one is to truly be born again You would have to gouge out your eyes, Cut out your tongue, And grieve And cry like a baby That's been snatched away Cry like a baby that's been snatched away Sister, Cry like a baby that's been snatched away Brother, Cry like a baby that's been snatched away
To be completely reborn, one must relinquish their perceptions and grieve over the loss of their old selves. They should mourn like a baby that has been taken away, shedding tears like a newborn, and purging their old ways.

To some god is the light That leads them to believe that they see, And know everything I sway to the pulses of the rivers of blood That flow through my body 'cause i believe in things, That you cannot see
Some view God as the guiding force that enables them to see and comprehend everything. I sway with the rhythmic pulses of my life-sustaining blood because I trust in things that evade sight.