It Keeps Coming

Song Meaning

The lyrics paint a picture of profound transformation, starting with a dream of a machine that alters the self and leads to acceptance. This initial shift is almost magical, turning the narrator into a part of nature – "hands of leaves," becoming "the trees" – a state of silence and, paradoxically, love. It suggests a desire for an escape from a previous self, seeking solace in a radical, non-verbal existence. The core tension emerges with the direct address to a "friend," revealing the painful undercurrent of this change. The narrator admits to being "in pain" and being "shaped with your shame," indicating that the transformation wasn't entirely self-driven but influenced by external judgment. This leads to a disturbing blurring of identities, where the narrator becomes "you, lonely and afraid," highlighting a loss of self in the pursuit of belonging. The repeated phrase "It keeps coming" acts as a relentless, overwhelming force, mirroring the persistent nature of the pain, shame, or perhaps the external pressures that drive the narrator's metamorphosis. This repetition builds a sense of inescapable momentum, a feeling that the changes, both desired and imposed, are continuous and unavoidable. The imagery of struggling to "receive" a "bite from the Earth" further emphasizes this difficulty in processing or integrating these overwhelming experiences. Ultimately, the lyrics articulate a complex struggle for peace and self-definition amidst external pressures and internal pain. The narrator's declaration to "make my own / Paradise of peace" offers a glimmer of agency, a defiant stance against the forces that "keep coming." It's a raw portrayal of how profound change can be both a sought-after escape and a deeply wounding process, leaving one questioning where the self truly resides.