Water Fountain by Alec Benjamin Lyrics Meaning – The Cascade of Youth and Lost Innocence
Lyrics
She told me that she loved me and she didn’t love him
And that was really lovely ’cause it was innocent
But now she’s got a cup with something else in it
It’s getting kind of blurry at a quarter-past-ten
And he was in a hurry to be touching her skin
She’s feeling kind of dirty when she’s dancing with him
Forgetting what she told me by the water fountain
Now he’s grabbing her hips, and pulling her in
Kissing her lips, and whispering in her ear
And she knows that she shouldn’t listen
And that she should be with me by the water fountain
She couldn’t be at home in the night time because
It made her feel alone, but at that time she was too young
I was too young
I should’ve built a home with a fountain for us
The moment that she told me that she was in love too young
I was too young
Too young, too young
Too young, young
And if she ever goes back to the water fountain
The handle will be broken and the rust set in
But my hand, it will be open and I’ll try to fix it
My heart, it will be open and I’ll try to give it
Now I’m grabbing her hips, and pulling her in
Kissing her lips, and whispering in her ear
And I know that it’s only a wish
And that we’re not standing by the water fountain
Too young, too young
Too young, young
She couldn’t be at home in the night time because
It made her feel alone but at that time she was too young
I was too young
I should’ve built a home with a fountain for us
The moment that she told me that she was in love too young
I was too young
Too young, too young
Too young, young
(Too young) I should’ve built a home with a fountain for us
(Too young) the moment that she told me that she was in love
(Too young) too young
(Young) I was too young
Alec Benjamin’s ‘Water Fountain’ is more than just another melody weaving through the airwaves; it’s a poignant tale immortalized in tune. Through a blend of gentle acoustic strums and earnest vocals, Benjamin conveys a narrative that’s as endearing as it is heartbreaking, captivating listeners with a story of young love and the inevitable passage of time.
The song captures a bittersweet moment of clarity, as youthful naivety transitions into the sobering realities of growing up. It’s an introspective journey that serves as a universal chronicle of change and the fragility of first loves. Below, we plunge into the depths of the song’s stirring lyrics, unraveling the complex tapestry of emotions Alec Benjamin so masterfully depicts.
The Fountain of Youth: A Metaphor for Innocent Love
The titular water fountain serves as a powerful symbol around which the song’s entire narrative revolves. It is the sacred ground of youthful promise and untarnished dreams, the locus of purity where love is professed sans the complexities that later infiltrate adult relationships.
Benjamin taps into the fountain’s inherent symbolism of life and rejuvenation, drawing a parallel with the freshness of young, untarnished emotions. Yet as we will see, the water fountain’s sanctity is not immortal, succumbing to the very erosion it stands to defy.
Nostalgia Interlaced with Regret: A Love Misplaced
Swirling through ‘Water Fountain’ is a sense of nostalgia that’s tinged with remorse. The song’s narrator reminisces about missed opportunities and decisions made when he was ‘too young.’ The weight of the words implies a longing for the innocence once shared and the times when choices seemed simpler.
Benjamin’s narrative voice cradles the delicate balance between cherishing memories and grappling with the realization that youth’s lack of foresight can lead to moments and people slipping through one’s fingers. The love that could have matured alongside them remains a relic of the past.
The Hidden Meaning Behind the Broken Handle
As Benjamin articulates the heart-wrenching transformation of the water fountain – where the handle becomes broken and rusted – he encapsulates the erosion of naïveté and the profound impact of time on love and distance on relationships.
The deterioration of the fountain is akin to the fading of cherished memories and the stark realization that you cannot simply return to the past. Benjamin’s voice carries the weight of this wisdom, understanding that while physical structures may crumble, the resolve to mend, both the water fountain and the emotional rift, remains.
A Chorus that Haunts: Repeating the Pain of Growth
The repetition of the lines ‘too young’ serves as a haunting refrain throughout the song. It’s a ghostly echo of the naivety that once cloaked their perception, a lament that acknowledges they simply were not equipped with the maturity to nurture what they had.
Benjamin’s use of the chorus acts as a persistent reminder of the inescapability of growth and learning. Each iteration reverberates deeper, a chorus line turning into a life lesson etched into the mind’s melody – that even the most fervent of youthful affections can succumb to the test of time.
The Stinging Clarity of Memorable Lines
Certain lyrics from ‘Water Fountain’ lodge themselves in the consciousness with piercing clarity. Lines like ‘She told me that she loved me by the water fountain’ evoke a snapshot memory, vivid and poignant, encased in the amber of music and time.
This lyrical craftsmanship showcases Benjamin’s understanding of the power of simplicity to convey complex emotions. The artist’s words transcend mere sentences, painting a picture of moments that, once vivacious and colorful, now face the sepia-toned tints of yesterday’s truths.
