Florence Welch: What The Water Gave Me

   Florence Welch of Florence + The Machine wrote the song What The Water Gave Me, which was released in August of 2011. But this isn't just a song that was drawn from the 26 year old's experiences and poetic mind, it has allusions to art, writing, and history that can be found in the hauntingly beautiful lyrics of the song. And, if you just read the lyrics, you will understand that this song has further meaning that should be recognized.

Virginia Woolf

   Firstly, Florence Welch has explained that the song was partially inspired by a painting by Frida Kahlo entitled What The Water Gave Me, hence the matching title.
 But Virginia Woolf is the one who inspired the majority of the lyrics of the song. The chorus is a poetic depiction of Virginia Woolf's death that occured in England in 1941. She became a famed writer posthumously, and while she lived, she suffered from bouts of depression, beginning with the death of her mother in 1895.
   Once Virginia Woolf had finished her final novel, Between The Acts, which was published by her husband after her death, she fell to depression after the poor review of some of her work and the destruction of her home in the London Blitz. This she could not overcome, and, at the age of 59, she drowned herself in the River Ouse in England by filling the pockets of her coats with stones. She wrote a letter to her husband explaining that she loved him and the depression had finally become too much, but that she had always enjoyed their time together. This story of Virginia's life and death is reflected in the lyrics of Florence's inspired song:
Time it took us

To where the water was
That’s what the water gave me
And time goes quicker
Between the two of us
Oh, my love, don’t forsake me
Take what the water gave me
Lay me down
Let the only sound
Be the overflow
Pockets full of stones
   Although this may seem like a tragic story that wouldn't seem to make a good song, it is a wonderful song that tells a tale rather than crowding the air with unoriginal phrases. I couldn't think of anyone who could have told it more tastefully or with more exquisite grandeur than Florence Welch.