Water The Root

(Intro) Yeah... The stem learns to bend. But where does the strength come from? Not from the light. Not from the air. From below. From the root. From the water. You gotta water the root. Everything else is just decoration. (Vers 1) Water the root, not the leaf, not the flower The stem can only stand for so many hours On the strength of what's below, on the drink that seeps deep The knowledge that you water is the promise you keep I used to chase the light, thought that was the source But the light is just the guide, not the real force The real force is under, in the dark, in the soil Water the root, save yourself the toil The root drinks slow, the root drinks deep The root remembers what the surface forgets to keep So I stopped looking up for the answers I need I started watering the root, I started planting the seed (Pre-chorus) Water the root, water the ground The only real wisdom is the wisdom you've found In the dark, in the deep, in the patient, the slow Water the root — that's all you need to know (Chorus) WATER THE ROOT, LET IT GROW DEEP THE STEM WILL FOLLOW, THE LEAF WILL SLEEP THE FLOWER WILL OPEN WHEN THE TIME IS RIGHT WATER THE ROOT — BRING THE WATER, BRING THE LIGHT NOT THE LIGHT FROM ABOVE, THE LIGHT FROM WITHIN THE WATER YOU GIVE IS THE MEDICINE WATER THE ROOT, LET IT SPREAD, LET IT FLOW WATER THE ROOT — THAT'S ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW (Vers 2) What do you water your root with? Tell me now Is it fear or is it love? Is it the fake or the vow? Do you feed it with the scrolling, the news, the noise? Or do you give it ancient water, the quiet, the poise? The root don't care for the surface trends The root just drinks what the water sends So be careful what you pour into the soil of your spine Be careful what you let into the underground shrine I water my root with silence and with song With the ancestors who told me I was strong With the plant that taught me how to heal With the wind that taught me how to feel Not perfect. Just real. Not fast. Just slow. Water the root. That's all you need to know. (Pre-chorus) Water the root, water the source The stem will find its natural course Water the root, water the base The flower will find its rightful place (Chorus) WATER THE ROOT, LET IT GROW DEEP THE STEM WILL FOLLOW, THE LEAF WILL SLEEP THE FLOWER WILL OPEN WHEN THE TIME IS RIGHT WATER THE ROOT — BRING THE WATER, BRING THE LIGHT NOT THE LIGHT FROM ABOVE, THE LIGHT FROM WITHIN THE WATER YOU GIVE IS THE MEDICINE WATER THE ROOT, LET IT SPREAD, LET IT FLOW WATER THE ROOT — THAT'S ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW (Bridge — The Underground River) There's a river underneath the concrete There's a spring that the system can't delete It flows from the ancestors, through the root, through the bone Water your root with that water alone Not the water of the surface, polluted and thin The water of the underground, where the roots begin To remember their purpose, to remember their name Water the root, the river's the same Same as the one that carved the canyon Same as the one that grew the banyan Same as the one that's been flowing since before Water the root, and you'll never be poor (Vers 3) Now I sit by the root in the quiet of the day Not asking for anything, just learning to stay With the water that rises from the deep, from the dark The root is the teacher, the root is the spark I don't need the validation of the world above I water my root with patience and with love Not the love that they sell, the love that I found In the underground soil, in the hallowed ground So if you feel yourself wilting, if your stem feels weak Stop chasing the surface, stop trying to peak Get low. Go down. Find the source. Water the root. Let it run its course. (Final Chorus — Deep, grounded, triumphant) WATER THE ROOT, I WATER MINE EVERY DAY, EVERY NIGHT, EVERY TIME THE STEM DON'T WORRY, THE LEAF DON'T STRESS WATER THE ROOT — LET THE FLOWER BLESS WATER THE ROOT, THAT'S THE PRAYER THE UNDERGROUND RIVER IS FLOWING RIGHT THERE WATER THE ROOT, LET IT GROW, LET IT GO WATER THE ROOT — THAT'S ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW WATER THE ROOT! WATER THE ROOT! NOT THE STEM, NOT THE LEAF, NOT THE FUTURE FRUIT WATER THE ROOT — THE ONLY TRUTH WATER THE ROOT — FROM THE ROOT COMES THE ROOF (Outro) (Bass fades. Water dripping. Roots stretching. A voice, soft, full, home.) Yeah... They ask me how I stand so tall. I tell them: I don't stand on the stem. The stem is just the messenger. The root is the message. Water your root. Every day. The stem will take care of itself. Spinnereye. Root waterer. Deep drinker. Slow grower.