Song Meaning

The lyrics of "In Waves" immediately plunge into a feeling of profound separation and regret. The speaker laments how "we ended up so far," hinting at a lost connection. There's a palpable sense of stagnation, with days spent in a "living grave." This sets a tone of weary introspection and unresolved tension. A central tension emerges from the speaker's own self-awareness juxtaposed with a direct challenge to another. The line "You can't tell me you're not like this" suggests a shared, perhaps unspoken, struggle with regret and missed opportunities, staring down "the pages of the shit you've missed." This implies a mutual recognition of flaws and a yearning for transformation, even if it feels out of reach. The most striking imagery arrives with the contrast between "turning up at parties like a hurricane" and the immediate qualifier, "but it comes in waves." This vivid metaphor captures a cyclical pattern of intense, perhaps destructive, social bursts followed by a return to a more predictable, recurring emotional state. The repeated "waves, waves, waves" underscores the inescapable, rhythmic nature of these emotional cycles, suggesting a pattern that is both overwhelming and familiar. The lyrics are effective in their raw honesty and the stark contrasts they present. The speaker's admission, "I could be cleaner but I stay bathing in filth," reveals a self-destructive streak alongside a "craving to be still." This internal battle, coupled with the outward projection onto another, creates a deeply relatable portrait of human struggle – the desire for change battling against ingrained habits and the relentless ebb and flow of emotional tides.