Waterfalls
Verse 1: T-Boz
A lonely mother gazing out of the windowStaring at a son that she just can't touchIf at any time he's in a jam, she'll be by his sideBut he doesn't realize he hurts her so muchBut all the praying just ain't helping at all'Cause he can't seem to keep himself out of troubleSo he goes out and he makes his money the best way he knows howAnother body laying cold in the gutter, listen to meChorus: T-Boz & All
Don't go chasing waterfallsPlease stick to the rivers and the lakes that you're used toI know that you're gonna have it your way or nothing at allBut I think you're moving too fastVerse 2: T-Boz
Little precious has a natural obsessionFor temptation, but he just can't seeShe gives him loving that his body can't handleBut all he can say is, "Baby, it's good to me"One day, he goes and takes a glimpse in the mirrorBut he doesn't recognize his own faceHis health is fading, and he doesn't know whyThree letters took him to his final resting place, y'all don't hear meChorus: T-Boz & All, Chilli
Don't go chasing waterfallsPlease stick to the rivers and the lakes that you're used toI know that you're gonna have it your way or nothing at all (Your way or no way)But I think you're moving too fastDon't go chasing waterfallsPlease stick to the rivers and the lakes that you're used toI know that you're gonna have it your way or nothing at allBut I think you're moving too fastVerse 3: Left Eye
Come on!I seen a rainbow yesterday, but too many stormsHave come and gone, leaving a trace of not one God-given rayIs it because my life is ten shades of gray?I pray all ten fade away, seldom praise Him for the sunny daysAnd like His promise is true, only my faith can undoThe many chances I blew to bring my life to anewClear blue and unconditional skiesHave dried the tears from my eyes, no more lonely criesMy only bleeding hope is for the folk who can't copeWith such an endurin' pain that it keeps 'em in the pourin' rainWho's to blame for tooting 'caine into your own vein?What a shame, you shoot and aim for someone else's brainYou claim the insane, and name this day in timeFor falling prey to crimeI say the system got you victim to your own mindDreams are hopeless aspirations in hopes of coming trueBelieve in yourself, the rest is up to me and youChorus: T-Boz & All, Chilli
Don't go chasing waterfallsPlease stick to the rivers and the lakes that you're used toI know that you're gonna have it your way or nothing at allBut I think you're moving too fastDon't go chasing waterfallsPlease stick to the rivers and the lakes that you're used toI know that you're gonna have it your way or nothing at allBut I think you're movin' too fast (Ooh, you're movin' too fast)Don't go chasing waterfalls (Don't go, don't go)Please stick to the rivers and the lakes that you're used toI know that you're gonna have it your way or nothing at all (I know, I know, your way, hey)But I think you're moving too fastWhat the song means
"Waterfalls" is a cautionary song about young people who chase fast, risky lives and ignore the warnings of the people who love them. Its narrators watch from the outside: a mother who cannot reach her son, friends who see the danger clearly, and a bystander who sees the wreckage of a life lost to the streets. The chorus repeats one plea, to stay with the safe and familiar paths, because the person chasing the falls is moving too fast to see where they lead.
The song moves from observation to despair and then to a fragile hope. The first verses describe a son caught in trouble, a family praying without relief, and a death in the gutter. The middle verse shows a young man seduced by temptation and then dying of an illness he never understood, as he looks in the mirror and no longer recognizes himself. The final verse, sung by Left Eye, turns inward. It speaks of a life lived in gray shadows, of addiction and violence, and then ends on a call to self-belief: dreams can come true, but only if the person takes responsibility for their own choices.
The key images carry the meaning. The waterfall stands for reckless speed and sudden, dangerous drops, while the rivers and lakes represent the calm, known life. The "ten shades of gray" describe a life steeped in hardship, and the rainbow and sunny days suggest the hope that is always just out of reach. Together, these images turn a story about specific tragedies into a warning about how easily ambition can become self-destruction.
Key phrases explained
- chasing waterfalls
- chasing risky, fast-paced dangers — The central metaphor for reckless living that the chorus warns against.
- tooting 'caine
- snorting cocaine — Slang for snorting cocaine, showing the drug use that ruins the narrator's life.
- ten shades of gray
- a life full of hardship and misery — Left Eye's image of a bleak, depressing existence without sunlight or hope.
- Three letters
- HIV (widely read as AIDS) — A coded reference to the illness that ends the second verse's young man's life.
- Your way or no way
- either on your terms or not at all — An idiom expressing stubborn, all-or-nothing thinking that drives the reckless behavior.
Song info
- Release date
- 1994-11-15
- Album
- CrazySexyCool
- Written by
- Left Eye, Rico Wade, Sleepy Brown, Ray Murray, Brandon Bennett, Marqueze Ethridge
- Produced by
- Organized Noize
- Samples
- Bobbi Humphrey – Jasper Country Man
- Interpolates
- Paul McCartney – Waterfalls
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