Water remembers everything
Water has seen it all
Water will find her winding way
Down to the sea after all
No matter how they dam her
Water shall be free
Excerpt of lyrics from “Water Remembers” by Eileen Hazel, from the album “Water Is Life”
As any pagan knows, the four sacred elements, plus spirit of course, make life possible. In 2026, water songs came pouring through me as an homage to this sacred element. Water is in danger, which means all life is threatened. My latest album Water Is Life is a series of song prayers for water, and many of these songs can be brought into your rituals with a simple teaching.
Mama Ocean
This song came through me as I walked the shores of the Pacific Ocean near my home. It is said that all life comes from the sea. These prayers ask for her comfort and wisdom, invoking Yemaya, the Yoruba Orisha of the living Ocean, considered the Mother of All.
Mama ocean, mama ocean, source of all life
Mama ocean, mama ocean, source of all life
Waves of life, ways of life
Waves of life, ways of life
Yemaya, Yemaya, Yemaya Ma
Excerpt of lyrics from “Mama Ocean” by Eileen Hazel, from the album “Water Is Life”
This is an easy song to bring into a water ritual using call and echo. I often pull it into a ceremonial context with a simple heartbeat on the frame drum.
Water Is Life: a layer song
Songs with many layers are beloved in the community singing movement I am part of. This one is best sung by a group, with each singer (or multiple singers) holding one part while all of them overlap.
Try teaching it at your next ritual and let the beauty and truth of these words wash over everyone. Take your time with each part until your ritualists have it in their bones, then gradually layer them together.
Voice of the Mermaid
This song came through me in a workshop with Suzanne Sterling and Ravyn Stanfield. The invitation was to imagine the lives of our descendants a thousand years in the future, and then write a letter from those descendants back to the ancestors of our time. What came through was a song of longing for the beauty of the earth our descendants may inherit. I already feel an ache for the beings of the ocean that have been lost or are endangered: the whales, and even the mythical mermaids.
Remember when we lived on Earth
Before we all set sail
Trees were breathing out oxygen
For all of us to inhale
Oh, remember the whale
Where is the voice of the mermaid?
Where is the song of the whale?
Excerpt of lyrics from “Voice of the Mermaid” by Eileen Hazel, from the album “Water Is Life”
Waterwoman album cover
Waterwoman
The imagining of Waterwoman came through me just a couple of months after Water Is Life was released. Nannama, whom I invoke in the chorus, is one of the names of Nammu, the ancient Sumerian goddess of the primordial sea. Once I learned a little more about her, it was clear she wanted to be named as the water goddess in this song. As one source puts it, “As the Mother and Origin of all Creation, Her presence is in everything that exists.”
Waterwoman, ever flowing, ever flowing to the sea
Waterwoman, in your power, always wild, always free
Nannama, Divine Mother, we are made of You
Nannama, Sacred Mother, we return to You
Excerpt of lyrics from the single “Waterwoman” by Eileen Hazel
Water ritual altar, photo by Eileen Hazel
Enjoy bringing these into your water rituals, or just listening!
Both the album Water Is Life and the single Waterwoman can be bought and streamed on my Bandcamp page, which is the most direct way to support me. Water Is Life is also available on all streaming services including: Tidal, Spotify and Apple Music.
Eileen and the Conch
Photo credit: Kimba Joy Theurich
For more information about Eileen Hazel, including her collected articles here on Pagan Song, her bio, and links to Eileen’s sites on the web, check out Eileen Hazel’s author page on Pagan Song.
All lyrics, music, and album cover designs in this post by Eileen Hazel, including featured image of Water is Life album cover.
For more Pagan Song posts on music and the element of Water, check out Ginger Ackley’s 2024 post on Calling Water, and Alane Crowomyn’s 2019 post Ecomancy: Our Goddess of Water.
Visit our homepage to see the full list of the musicians who write for the Pagan Song blog.
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