Lyrics are Poetry

Alicia Keys is the Renaissance woman that no one ever speaks of in the new millennium. Her lyrics are called ‘deep’. Her rhythms dance between soulful chords and hip hop baselines. Fans love her because she sings their personal truths. But in an industry that is so clearly defined with labels like rhythm and blues, hip hop, soul, rock and reggae where do you put a woman who cannot be defined.

A singer, songwriter, poet, pianist, writer, child prodigy who is an around the way, keepin’ it real, all the way live sista defies the imagination. But yet here she is adding published author to her string of titles. Her book tears for water (Putnam) is already on the New York Times Bestseller list less than a week after its release.
Here Ms. Keys shares her deepest darkest moments of fear, uncertainty and pain side-by-side with her musings about the world and life and happiness. Her poems, which have been accumulated over the years, remind many of us what we have been through and others find relief in the fact they are not the only ones. Nearly half of tears for water consists of the lyrics from her two albums, Songs in A Minor and The Diary of Alicia Keys. Some journal type entries are sprinkled throughout the book and give us a peak into her mindset at the time they were written.

Tears for water is a solid compilation of poetry and prose which is definitely a great addition for any fan of poetry or Ms. Keys herself. Here is verse to whet your appetite;
golden child
Hello morning
now I see you
cause I am awake
What was once so sweet and secure
has turned out to be fake
Girl, you can’t be scared
gotta stand up tall and let ‘em see what shines in you
Push aside the part
lying in your heart
like the ocean is deep, dark and blue

©2004 – This is an excerpt from the poem ‘golden child’ part of the collection in “tears for water” by Alicia Keys