Eluviation
original lyricswith explanation of the term
Preface
These lyrics are a peek at an upcoming collaboration with , beatmaker extraordinaire. I took one of his pieces entitled Eluvium [beat 062] and used it to practice writing some fast raps and ended up with this piece. I had to slow it down several bpm 'cause it's really cookin'! Looking forward to sharing the audio version once I get it recorded and we finish it up. For now, here's the written lines! Anyway, what is eluviation/illuviation? Glad you asked ;)
Eluviation/Illuviation
These are terms in soil science. I have only a very rudimentary understanding of them, gleaned from this YouTube video entitled "AGPR201 16 02 Eluviation," in which Mr. Jerry Kjack (former Soil Science professor at Walla Walla Community College) asserts:
"Two terms associated with this movement [of soil] are the terms "Eluviation," spelled E-L, and "Illuviation," starting with the letters I-L.
Eluviation is where we are leaching or moving materials from an upper region of the soil profile down to a greater depth.
Illuviation is the zone within that profile where these materials are being redeposited.
So if you have eluviation at one portion of the profile you will have illuviation at another region deeper down in the profile.
So we understand that these terms describe the process of this soil movement, but what is the significance of it?
He continues:
These processes will cause differences in color at different depths within the soil profile, and also differences in structure development. They will begin to show us the distinctions between the horizons and sub-horizons in the soil profile.
So, these terms basically concern motion within soil that contributes to the short and long term formation of subterranean structural units, which are typically "blocky, prismatic, columnar, or even plate-y" as Mr. Kjack goes on to describe.
This basic information was enough to capture my imagination and lead me to write this piece that discusses, metaphorically, becoming the soil that sinks down deeper until we are "home" in the illuvial deposit. Of course, this has to do with grounding and reconnecting with our roots in the natural world, as well.
Lyrics
Eluviation: soaking into the loam
I'm tryna make it all the way to the illuvial zone, I'm home!
Everybody thinks it's elegant to fly high. Not I!
Wanna sink into the earth down with the minerals.
Now one could say it's anticlimactic
To commingle with the plates below the ground.
Coalescing in a rock block with a slow pop
Hibernating down below deep where the sound stop.
Been around for a while, but only now going columnar—
My formation prismatic's been morphing, jagged edges shift in
Torsion twist, a new impetus, telling you, this foundation is limitless.
I'm centered in bliss, serene, but still
The density of this world seems obscene.
To slow you down, vibration dulled,
The pleasures call, gourmet
That's world renowned.
Before you enrolled in preschool
They strolled into your home cooly, made you a hedonist
With the entertainment that seemed innocuous
They pumped you full of subliminal messages
To make sure you got the gist of the materialist gospel.
Excuse me, didn't mean to make it controversial!
So where were we? Oh yeah!
I just want to be grounded down, melting into the sound
Of the eternal pulsebeat: thriving omnipresent life that
Roars with unbearable heat, magmatic passion
Intense yet chill at the same time.
This is real value—organic, priceless, sublime.
Call me a heretic, but I don't need your flashy products,
Gold painted sawdust. Just need the fresh vegetables and herbs
On the homestead with my herds. Unplugged from the propaganda
And the fear tactics that seek to divide humanity and convince us of lack.
Going back to our roots through the process of
Eluviation: soaking into the loam
I'm tryna make it all the way to the illuvial zone, I'm home!
Everybody thinks it's elegant to fly high. Not I!
Wanna sink into the earth down with the minerals.