Don’t Drink the Water — Dave Matthews Band

This year I saw Dave Matthews Band live with my daughter. Don’t Drink the Water, from their 1998 album Before These Crowded Streets, tells a haunting story of conquest and displacement, with driving rhythm and menace.

Seen through a Christian lens, the song asks what happens when power replaces compassion and people treat others as possessions. God calls us to welcome, not to push out. But the best part of that night was sharing it with my daughter. Years from now, I may forget the setlist, but I’ll remember being there together.

“When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. Love them as yourself.” Leviticus 19:33-34