Out of Water, Into Marriage

Out of Water, Into Marriage is a short vocal composition by Pakistani Qawwali maestro Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. The track appears as the sixth entry on Bandit Queen, Vol. 51, a compilation released on January 1, 1995, under the Oriental Star Agencies Ltd. label. The album belongs to a series of digital media releases that repurpose Khan’s recordings, though the specific thematic or contextual link to the Bandit Queen title remains undocumented.

The track spans 53 seconds and exemplifies Khan’s signature improvisational style within the Qawwali tradition. His vocal delivery combines rapid taans (melodic runs) with rhythmic phrasing, accompanied by minimal instrumental support typical of his solo or small-ensemble performances. The brevity of the piece suggests it may function as an interlude or excerpt from a longer session, though no extended version or live source recording is confirmed in available references.

Bandit Queen, Vol. 51 was distributed in digital formats, reflecting Oriental Star Agencies’ practice of reissuing Khan’s work across multiple volumes during the 1990s. The label, founded in Birmingham, UK, specialized in South Asian devotional and classical music, often compiling archival material without detailed liner notes. No producer, session musicians, or recording location are credited for this track or the parent album.

The composition’s lyrical content—if derived from traditional Sufi poetry—aligns with Khan’s broader repertoire of spiritual themes, though no verified translation or textual analysis exists for this specific recording. The title Out of Water, Into Marriage may reference metaphorical transformations in Sufi allegory, but contextual evidence is absent from the release metadata.