These lines; to me, make sense only as reference to the Biblical story of Hagar (slave-girl with whom Abraham had Ishmael). The story goes that after Abraham's wife, Sarah (who'd been unable to conceive until the age of 90 and then bore Abraham his second son, Isaac) made Abraham expel Hagar and Ishmael. Abraham was leery of such a measure, but God assured him that He would look out for Hagar and Ishmael in their exile in the desert.
The relevant Biblical account the line from GSET quoted in the Subject is the miraculous discovery of water issuing from the ground after Hagar prayed to God for help.
So the speaker that says "Mama" is Ishmael, talking to his mother Hagar.
Her search for water had included her running seven times between two hills in Mecca (Safa and Marwah), which is a ritual recreated to this day by Muslims who pilgrimage there.
Also, the Zamzam well in Mecca, from which pilgrims to Mecca drink, is identified as the same water source that miraculously saved Ishmael and Hagar.
And again, this "understanding" of these lyrics was not immediate but "clicked" long after I'd learned more of the story of Ishmael, who is considered an outcast.
Note: The preceding line about "Abraham and Isaac digging on well" likely refer to "Abraham's Well" in Beersheba, Israel.
Hunter lyrically conflated the separate wells, though obviously with no mention of Ishmael and Hagar.
Extra info: Muslims believe it was Ishmael whom God ordered Abraham to kill, not Isaac.
"Call me Ishmael." - Famous first line in Herman Melville's Moby Dick by its narrator, who identifies himself as an outcast.
The relevant Biblical account the line from GSET quoted in the Subject is the miraculous discovery of water issuing from the ground after Hagar prayed to God for help.
So the speaker that says "Mama" is Ishmael, talking to his mother Hagar.
Her search for water had included her running seven times between two hills in Mecca (Safa and Marwah), which is a ritual recreated to this day by Muslims who pilgrimage there.
Also, the Zamzam well in Mecca, from which pilgrims to Mecca drink, is identified as the same water source that miraculously saved Ishmael and Hagar.
And again, this "understanding" of these lyrics was not immediate but "clicked" long after I'd learned more of the story of Ishmael, who is considered an outcast.
Note: The preceding line about "Abraham and Isaac digging on well" likely refer to "Abraham's Well" in Beersheba, Israel.
Hunter lyrically conflated the separate wells, though obviously with no mention of Ishmael and Hagar.
Extra info: Muslims believe it was Ishmael whom God ordered Abraham to kill, not Isaac.
"Call me Ishmael." - Famous first line in Herman Melville's Moby Dick by its narrator, who identifies himself as an outcast.
