The Water Cure
Systematic Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

As a child I set the freedom down
Guided my life about
I believed what you said when you said you loved me
Tried to smile I spent my life on trial
Another broken child
I pretend it's o.k. when you lie to love me
You're the wolf outside my door
And I swear you're waiting to break my soul
Don't you know?
I tried to live I tried to die
Placed your hands over my life
You tried to run you tried to hide
You're the water cure of life
As a man I played the game again




I tried to call you friend
As you kick in my face while you say you trust me

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Systematic's song The Water Cure appear to speak about the experience of enduring emotional abuse and manipulation at the hands of someone who claims to love the author. The song opens up with the author reflecting on their childhood and how they had previously found freedom in their life. However, everything changed when they became the victim of emotional manipulation, and they internalized the lies that were told to them. They lived in a constant state of sadness, despair, and self-doubt, which led them to feel like a broken child. Despite this, they forced themselves to pretend that everything was okay when they knew deep down inside that it was not.


Through these lyrics, the author identifies their abuser as a wolf who waits outside their door, ready to break their soul. They tried to live and die, but the abuser always seemed to have control over their life. The abuser placed their hands over the author's life, attempting to control every aspect of it. The author recognizes that the abuser was a water cure of life, who controlled them like water controls someone who is drowning. The song concludes with the author reflecting on their life journey and how they tried to play the game of trust as an adult, only to be kicked in the face by someone that professed to love them.


Overall, The Water Cure by Systematic paints a picture of the emotional manipulation and abuse that many people endure but are often unable to articulate. The lyrics can be seen as a warning to others to identify and avoid toxic relationships in their lives and seek help when it becomes necessary.


Line by Line Meaning

As a child I set the freedom down
When I was young, I gave up my independence and let others control my life.


Guided my life about
I allowed others to dictate my path and make decisions for me.


I believed what you said when you said you loved me
I trusted those who claimed to care for me, even when their actions proved otherwise.


Tried to smile I spent my life on trial
I pretended to be happy, but felt constantly judged and criticized by those around me.


Another broken child
I was another innocent victim of broken systems and abusive relationships.


I pretend it's o.k. when you lie to love me
I know deep down that I am being lied to, but choose to put on a facade of happiness anyway.


You're the wolf outside my door
You are a threat to my safety and well-being, lurking outside my metaphorical door.


And I swear you're waiting to break my soul
I am convinced that you have malicious intentions and seek to harm me emotionally and spiritually.


Don't you know?
Do you not realize the harm you are causing me?


I tried to live I tried to die
I have struggled to survive and at times even contemplated taking my own life.


Placed your hands over my life
You have controlled every aspect of my existence, leaving no room for me to make my own choices.


You tried to run you tried to hide
You have attempted to escape the consequences of your actions and the pain you have caused me.


You're the water cure of life
You are a source of suffering and torture in my life, causing as much pain as the water cure torture method used to extract information.


As a man I played the game again
As I grew older, I still found myself participating in the same patterns of victimization and control.


I tried to call you friend
Despite the history of abuse, I still held out hope for a positive relationship with you.


As you kick in my face while you say you trust me
You continue to hurt and humiliate me, despite professing to trust and care for me.




Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found

More Versions