Recommence

Song Meaning

Benjamin Clementine's "Recommence" isn't a simple love song; it's a stark, existential reckoning with commitment in the face of relentless time. The opening lines, "Walking away / Won't stop a thing / Take a break / Then start again," immediately establish a cyclical, almost Sisyphean struggle. Clementine isn't romanticizing the relationship; he's acknowledging its inherent difficulties and the tempting, yet ultimately futile, impulse to escape. The core of the song meaning lies in the tension between the desire for freedom and the necessity of staying present. The lyrics push further into complex territory, evoking both cosmic imagery and earthly struggle. "Like a supernova / Always needing space" speaks to the individual's need for autonomy within a relationship, while the "buffalo soldier" metaphor suggests resilience and endurance in the face of adversity. The line "Time is running, running like a motherfucker" is jarring, injecting a raw urgency into the song's otherwise poetic language. This urgency underscores the fleeting nature of life and the importance of choosing to recommence, to actively engage with the relationship despite its challenges. Clementine isn't offering easy answers or saccharine platitudes. Ultimately, the "Recommence" lyrics analysis reveals a profound meditation on love as a conscious choice, not a passive feeling. The repetition of "Ain't no love, ain't no hate / Just us and what goes by" suggests a stripping away of idealized notions, leaving only the bare reality of two individuals navigating the passage of time together. The "healing rain" and the plea for the "beautiful world" to lend a hand imply a fragile hope, a belief that even amidst the relentless march of time and the inherent difficulties of love, there is the potential for growth and renewal. The final declaration, "I can't run away from my lover," is not a statement of obligation, but rather an embrace of the present, a commitment to face the unknown future together.