Nothing But the Water

One of my favorite music artists out there right now is Grace Potter. I absolutely love everything about this young woman. She can sing, she can play guitar, she can rock the Hammond Organ, she can dance, and she is beautiful. I would be a liar if I said the last thing I mentioned didn't help, because it does. I'm a sinner, I'm working on it...

A lot of her songs deal with real life in story telling fashion. You may be thinking, what the heck is so creative about that? Well nothing on the surface, but in the way she tells the story you are captivated and engaged. There are a lot of sin/grace elements in her songs. Since the Law of God, natural Law, is written upon the hearts of all it is the case that many times maybe even most of the time humans do the Law out of created instinct. Now, is this doing of the Law salvific? No, it is not. But nevertheless there is still a doing of the Law that ensues even from those who do not believe, like Ms. Potter.

All of that is for another post. What I want to deal with specifically is her song, Nothing But the Water. It may be one of the strongest non Christian songs I have ever heard about Baptism, check out the lyrics:

I have seen what man can do
When the evil lives inside of you
Many are the weak
And the strong are few
But with the water
We’ll start anew

Well, won’t you take me down to the levy, take me down to the stream, take me down to the water, we’re gonna wash our souls clean, take me down to the river, take me down to the lake, Yes, we’ll all go together, we’re gonna do it for the good lord’s sake

I have fallen so many times
For the devil’s sweet, cunning rhymes
And this old world
Has brought me pain
But there’s hope
For me again

Well, won’t you take me down to the levy, take me down to the stream, take my down to the water, we’re gonna wash our souls clean, take me down to the river, take me down to the lake, Yes, we’ll all go together, we’re gonna do it for the good lord’s sake

Tried my hand at the bible, tried my hand at prayer, but now nothing but the water is gonna bring my soul to bare, but now nothing but the water is gonna bring my soul to bare

These lyrics scream Baptism at you. This is a two part song, with this first part being sung slowly and to little or no instrumentation, just her powerful voice. I have seen what man can do when the evil lives inside of you. Evil lives inside of man, of humanity, and we are capable of some pretty destructive things. The only reason we do not outright destroy each other is because the Law keeps us in check (again a further exposition on the Law is for another post sometime). Many are weak and the strong are few, but with the water we'll start anew.

Where is it that we start anew? At the waters of baptism. Take me down to the water, we're gonna wash our souls clean. We go down to the waters of baptism because it is God's promise to us. God claims us and gives us our names at Baptism. This is of no doing on our own, it is a means of grace. "Well wait a minute, what about when I came to faith and believed on my own, I made the choice to then get baptized, when was I justified?" Good question. One could make the point that they were "saved" or justified at the moment of their believing, but then the whole process of that and subsequent education all culminates in Baptism which is entirely God's work. Our coming to faith and being baptized is 100% God's work and no part of our own.

Grace is invoking rich spiritual imagery with baptism here. Whether or not she is specifically speaking to baptism I would think it is safe to say she had the Christian concept of baptism in mind when writing this song. I have fallen so many times for the devils sweet cunning lies, And this old world has brought me pain, But there's hope for me again. It is undoubtedly the case that we fall so many times in this world for the devil and his sweet cunning lies. This world does bring us pain, but because of THE WATER there is hope for humanity again. We go to the water because it is not just water but water and GOD'S WORD. God's Word together with the water is what frees us and makes us a child of God.

I also love the last line, Tried my hand at the bible tried my hand at prayer, but now nothing but the water is gonna bring my soul to bare. This is not at all to dismiss the importance of God's Word or prayer, both are embodied in scripture, the very Word of God. But I like the twist one can make off of her words here. It doesn't matter the biblical scholar you were in life, or that you followed the book perfectly, or tried to anyway because that is what Grace means when she says, "tried my hand at the bible," she sees it completely as law. She tried living up to the standards of the bible, and even in her prayer she could not live up to the standards. So what at the end of our life is there left to bring our soul to bare? The water and Word of God which washes us clean in baptism is what gives us our comfort and our hope. It is nothing we do, it is everything God has done and will do. He attaches us to that promise in the water, in Baptism.

I have tried to find my way, to make it through to a better day
I have cried a mighty song, but in the morning everything was gone
So come on water sweet water, wash me down
So come on water sweet water, wash me down

I have tried so many times to put out the devils fire
But every time I sit down to pray, the devils charm pulls me away
So come on water sweet water, wash me down
So come on water sweet water, wash me down
Up in heaven, they know the rule, you’ve got to get down to the bathing pool
Everybody, you’ve got to get in line
Down at the river, we’re doing fine with the water sweet water, wash me down
Come on water sweet water, wash me down

Now I’m ready and it’s my time and if I give a nickel, I might get a dime
Only the water can help me now
I’ll find glory somewhere, somehow with the water sweet water, wash me down
Come on water sweet water, wash me down

Grace shows us she was dealing with "what she tried to do" by the opening lyrics of Nothing But the Water part II. She has tried everything, so come on sweet water, wash me down. We cannot put out the devil's fire, every time we try to sit down and praise God whether before during or after, the devil is there to charm us away. Up in heaven, they know the rule, you got to get down to the bathing pool. To get into God's Kingdom one is to be baptized and in that baptism united with Christ's death and resurrection. This is entirely the work of God (Mark 16:6, Romans 6).

This is all God's promise, we find our glory in the glory of what Jesus Christ has done for us, and the sweet water and Word of God wash us down and cleanse us from our sin, uniting us in that victory. So when we realize we haven't done enough (even though we are called to do), and that we are not good enough, we can and will rest assured in the promise God gave to us in our Baptism by the water.