“Waterfalls” Lyrics & Meaning (TLC)

The pop sound and catchy chorus deceived us!

Everybody loved this song, but few realized just how dark the Waterfalls lyrics meaning actually is.

Instead, most thought it had to do with actual waterfalls.

I’ve even seen an interpretation that the song is about a guy named Jason Waterfalls.

Well, it’s not. It’s actually quite a dark song.

Keep reading to learn what the lyrics to TLC’s Don’t Go Chasing Waterfalls are all about. You probably weren’t expecting this.

 

Don’t Go Chasing Waterfalls Lyrics And Meaning

Waterfalls was a popular song in the 1990’s and it still gets regular playtime to this day. The song was written by Marqueze Etheridge and released in May 1995 by the group TLC.

Waterfalls was an immediate hit, spending an incredible seven weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It wasn’t just the song that gained massive popularity but also its music video.

The video, which was produced by F. Gary Gray, showed the band members dancing in pools of water, along with visual clips of the story the song represents.

The band actually had to push for the video to be made by creating a poster with the words “Please believe in us” written on it and delivering it to their label representative.

It’s safe to say that their efforts were worthwhile. The music video went on to receive various awards. At the 1995 MTV Video Music Awards, the video won Video of the Year, Best Group Video, Best R&B Video and the Viewers Choice Award.

It isn’t just the music video that has won the band awards, but also the song itself. In 1996, the song won Best R&B Soul Single at the Soul Train Music Awards.

Waterfalls was also ranked 8th by VH1 on their 100 greatest songs of the 1990s and 13th on VH1’s 100 Greatest Songs of the Past 25 Years. The track was ranked number one for Billboard’s Summer Songs for 1995 and achieved the number 10 spot for Billboard’s 100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time.

An interesting and relatively unknown fact about Waterfalls is that Cee-Lo Green sang backup vocals. TLC and Cee-Lo Green were on the same label and therefore knew each other relatively well.

So when it came to working in the same studio at the same time, TLC asked for Cee-Lo Green to be on the track. In an interview with the Guardian in 2008, Cee-Lo Green admitted, “I didn’t realize at the time what a big song it was going to be.”

But what were he and T-Boz, Left-Eye and Chili singing about? Let’s take a look at the lyrics in full first, before we break them down and figure out what they mean.

 

Waterfalls Lyrics

 

Verse 1

A lonely mother gazing out of the window
Staring at a son that she just can’t touch
If at any time he’s in a jam, she’ll be by his side
But he doesn’t realize he hurts her so much
But all the praying just ain’t helping at all
‘Cause he can’t seem to keep himself out of trouble
So he goes out and he makes his money the best way he knows how
Another body laying cold in the gutter
Listen to me

Chorus

Don’t go chasing waterfalls
Please stick to the rivers and the lakes that you’re used to
I know that you’re gonna have it your way or nothing at all
But I think you’re moving too fast

Verse 2

Little precious has a natural obsession for temptation
But he just can’t see
She gives him loving that his body can’t handle
But all he can say is, “Baby, it’s good to me”
One day, he goes and takes a glimpse in the mirror
But he doesn’t recognize his own face
His health is fading, and he doesn’t know why
Three letters took him to his final resting place
Y’all don’t hear me

Chorus

Don’t go chasing waterfalls
Please stick to the rivers and the lakes that you’re used to
I 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 fast
Don’t go chasing waterfalls
Please stick to the rivers and the lakes that you’re used to
I know that you’re gonna have it your way or nothing at all
But I think you’re moving too fast

Verse 3

Come on!
I seen a rainbow yesterday, but too many storms
Have come and gone, leaving a trace of not one God-given ray
Is it because my life is ten shades of gray, I pray
All ten fade away, seldom praise Him for the sunny days
And like His promise is true, only my faith can undo
The many chances I blew to bring my life to anew
Clear blue and unconditional skies
Have dried the tears from my eyes, no more lonely cries
My only bleeding hope is for the folk who can’t cope
With such an endurin’ pain that it keeps ’em in the pourin’ rain
Who’s to blame for tooting ‘caine into your own vein?
What a shame, you shoot and aim for someone else’s brain
You claim the insane, and name this day in time
For falling prey to crime
I say the system’s got you victim to your own mind
Dreams are hopeless aspirations in hopes of coming true
Believe in yourself, the rest is up to me and you

Chorus

Don’t go chasing waterfalls
Please stick to the rivers and the lakes that you’re used to
I know that you’re gonna have it your way or nothing at all
But I think you’re moving too fast
Don’t go chasing waterfalls
Please stick to the rivers and the lakes that you’re used to
I know that you’re gonna have it your way or nothing at all
But 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 to
I 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 fast

 

Waterfalls Meaning

The song Waterfalls by TLC carries a strong message about the dangers of reckless behavior and the consequences of chasing illusory or risky dreams.

The lyrics caution against vices and impulsive actions through metaphorical reference to waterfalls, which represent the alluring yet potentially perilous paths in life.

Waterfalls are beautiful to look at from a distance and a lovely part of the landscape. But if you end up going through one, you could be in trouble. They can be dangerous and, all of a sudden, no longer be such a beautiful natural wonder.

This is what the lyrics to Waterfalls are trying to explain. Similar to the saying “the grass isn’t always greener,” from where you’re standing right now, the waterfall looks good.

So good, you might be tempted to “chase” it. But when you finally get there, it isn’t what you first thought it was. And the price you paid to get there wasn’t worth the rewards.

The chorus, with its memorable line “Don’t go chasing waterfalls,” advises us to stick to the safer, more familiar paths in life, rather than venturing into unknown and dangerous territories. Rivers and lakes are usually calmer bodies of water than waterfalls.

Each verse in the song unfolds as a cautionary tale, touching on serious issues of the 1990s, such as the illegal drug trade, promiscuity, and the HIV/AIDS crisis. These issues are the dangerous territories symbolized by the waterfall.

The verse tells the story of a mother who worries about her son who is chasing money and respect by dealing drugs. He ends up as “another body laying cold in the gutter.  confirming that the one thing that he was chasing cost the young man too much, which was his life.

The second verse tells about a man who succumbs to temptation and has unprotected sex. The line “three letters took him to his final resting place” tells us what happens to him in the end. The three letters in question are HIV.

TLC were big on AIDS awareness at the time and Waterfalls was actually the first hit song to directly address the AIDS crisis. And they didn’t stop with just this song. Left Eye would often wear condoms attached to her clothes and in her glasses to promote safe sex.

 

Waterfalls Lyrics Meaning: Final Thoughts

TLC’s Waterfalls uses the metaphor of alluring, yet dangerous, waterfalls to warn against the seduction of dangerous pursuits and the harsh realities they can conceal.

The song implores us to appreciate the security of familiar territory over the deceptive allure of ‘waterfalls’—the seemingly beautiful but treacherous opportunities that can lead to devastating outcomes. Those dangerous temptations come in the form of pressing issues of the time, such as the drug epidemic and the HIV/AIDS crisis.

The Waterfalls lyrics meaning is a timeless reminder to tread carefully in life’s choices and to consider the true cost of chasing after the uncertain and the unknown.

Some people have taken this song to be a warning against straying in a relationship, which could also be seen as a dangerous pursuit. For one of the most famous songs about cheating ever, read our look at the meaning of the Careless Whisper lyrics. Even if you don’t recognize the name, you will definitely recognize the saxophone parts the second you hear them.