Everything by Ben Howard Lyrics Meaning – Unraveling the Depth of Change and Impermanence
Lyrics
These windows where we sat together
Like nothing ever happened here oh
The white house on the hill
And black clouds the weather
And the church spire, over the river
She still sits there warm, in the evening glow
But you don’t care about
These scenes I treasure
About these wore swimmers
I know, I know
Seems everything around here
Stays like stone
Seems it’s about time darling
About time we let this all go
‘Cause everything will start again anew
‘Cause everything just goes away my friend
And every king knows it to be true
That every kingdom must one day come to an end
End
End
End
And the sun vanished, may be long gone
And all these memories we’ve found
But she’ll be here when it’s all done
When our bodies laying beneath the ground
She knows everything that goes around
Comes, comes around here
She knows everything that stays here somehow
Guess we’d all begin
Everything will start again anew
‘Cause everything just goes away my friend
And every king knows it to be true
That every kingdom must one day come to an end
End oh, oh, oh
End
End
Ben Howard’s resonant track ‘Everything’ arrives like a meditative mantra against the backdrop of an ever-shifting world. It’s a rich tapestry of acoustic intimacy, woven with reflections on change, loss, and the cyclical nature of existence. The song serves as a poignant narrative, inviting listeners to peel back the layers of their own experiences.
In this exploration of ‘Everything,’ we delve into the song’s raw emotional core, analyzing how Howard conveys a universal message through his artful synergy of lyrics and melody. As we dissect the song with the finesse of auditory archaeologists, each line will be a brush stroke in a larger picture of embracing transience and finding comfort in the continuum.
The Vivid Chronicles of Change: Painting with Words
With the opening line, ‘And the birds still sing outside these windows where we sat together,’ Howard immediately sets a scene of deep nostalgia, juxtaposed with enduring natural beauty. It’s as if the song is an elegy for moments lost to time, yet the birds’ ceaseless songs suggest an undying spirit.
Throughout ‘Everything,’ Howard’s lyrics weave a rich narrative which not only mourns the change but also revels in the beauty that once was. The white house, the ominous black clouds, the steadfast church spire—each a symbol acting as an anchor in his sea of memories.
Echoes of Indifference: The Struggle with Attachment
The lyrical phrase ‘But you don’t care about these scenes I treasure,’ speaks to a poignant human dilemma: the pain of holding onto what others have let go. Howard embodies the anguish of one who cherishes the relics of the past as others move forward, indifferent to the shared history.
It’s a stark commentary on attachment and the personal weight of memories. The lines suggest that while our surroundings might remain immovable like stone, our connections with others are far more delicate, capable of being washed away by the tides of time and change.
The Inevitable Cycle: Embracing the End as a New Beginning
‘Everything will start again anew’ rings as a consoling refrain, acknowledging the impermanence of all things. Howard doesn’t just present a bleak truth but tempers it with a promise of regeneration—the acceptance that to endure is to evolve.
This acceptance breathes through the understanding that ‘every king knows it to be true, that every kingdom must one day come to an end.’ The song does not wallow in defeat, but rather, it empowers—encouraging listeners to recognize the end as an essential aspect of the cycle, not as a final demise.
The Hidden Meaning: A Testament to Eternal Witness
Beneath the rich tapestry of change, ‘Everything’ holds in its embrace a profound recognition—the eternal witness. ‘She knows everything that goes around, comes, comes around here,’ perhaps refers not just to a person, but to nature, to existence itself, as the observer of all our comings and goings.
It’s a subtle yet pivotal point in our understanding of the song. The ‘she’ Howard alludes to is timeless, impervious to the end other things face. Thus, the song might also hint at the existence of something perennial amidst transience, the underlying consciousness that watches, eternal and unchanging.
Lines That Echo in the Chamber of the Heart
Memorable lines such as ‘the sun vanished, may be long gone’ and ‘we’d all begin’ create a dichotomy of loss and hope. They stir the soul with their profound simplicity, leaving imprints long after the song fades.
Howard’s talent lies not only in his music but in his ability to capture universal truths in phrases that resonate deeply. It is these mnemonic lines that listeners will carry with them as mementos of the wisdom imparted, of the shared human experience that Howard so eloquently depicts through ‘Everything.’
