Song Meaning
The lyrics for "Keeper Of The Time" immediately confront the listener with a stark directive: release what burdens you. If something "wakes you in the night" or has "taken hold of you," the message is clear—it's time to "set it loose." This opening sets an urgent, almost therapeutic tone, urging an emotional reckoning.
The core tension emerges as the lyrics pivot to *why* this release is so crucial. The narrator introduces the profound idea that "a body will remember," acting as a silent archive. It holds "more than one's own mind," suggesting that our physical selves retain experiences and emotions that conscious thought might overlook or suppress, making the body a deep, often unconscious, repository of our past.
This concept is powerfully illustrated through vivid water imagery. The body is described as "storing rivers while they rage," a striking metaphor for containing intense, turbulent emotions or traumatic memories. The subsequent line, "Your leevee when it breaks," suggests an inevitable overflow, a moment when these deeply held experiences can no longer be contained, forcing a confrontation with what has been stored.
The relentless, almost hypnotic repetition of "Tis the keeper of the time" throughout the latter half of the lyrics solidifies this central theme. It transforms the phrase into a mantra, emphasizing the body's enduring role as a witness and container of every moment. This insistent repetition makes the concept resonate deeply, underscoring the inescapable presence of the past within us and the profound weight it carries.