In the song “A Fish on Land,” Lhasa De Sela uses the symbols of water, fish, and breathing to express the theme of transformation.

A)    Lhasa De Sela states, “A fish on land, Gasping for breath,” which can represent the struggles when somebody or something is out of their natural environment.

B)    Inhaling a breath of fresh air represent life while gasping can represent struggle: “The Taoists also referred to the two phases of respiration as ‘opening and closing of gates to heaven’” (Stevens 415).

C)    A river is not a living person or thing but very much is full of life and “is an evocative symbol of human life and death” (Stevens 111).