“Change” by Big Thief

Credit: 4AD

There is no change without death. What once was must die to transform. It doesn’t have to be negative; it’s just part of the process. Big Thief embraces this truth and gently sends the message home on the band’s song “Change.” The song navigates themes of loss and transformation, presenting death not as an end, but as a part of the cycle of life that demands reflection, acceptance and peace.

Big Thief Embraces the Unavoidable 

The opening lyrics of the song, “Change, like the wind, like the water, like skin,” set the tone for a philosophical journey, equating change to natural forces that are constant, fluid and uncontrollable. Change is something that cannot be avoided, just as death cannot be avoided. Big Thief doesn’t shy away from this truth, but instead faces it head-on, framing it as an intrinsic part of being alive.

One of the most striking aspects of the song is its gentle acceptance of death. The lyrics do not dwell on fear, anger or regret, which are common emotions associated with mortality. Instead, they focus on a kind of surrender, an understanding that death is another form of change, much like the seasons shifting or a river flowing. This acknowledgment of death as natural rather than tragic is what gives the song its calming, almost serene tone. It’s a quiet invitation to accept the inevitable transitions in life, even the ones that seem the most difficult to comprehend.

Credit: Wikimedia Commons

A Softer Touch

Big Thief’s treatment of death is also interwoven with gratitude. While death faces few challengers in terms of pain caused to humanity, it’s also something we need. Without death and change, life would become meaningless. Big Thief’s Adrienne Lenker elaborates:

Death, like a door
To a place we’ve never been before
Death, like space
The deep sea, a suitcase

Would you stare forever at the sun
Never watch the moon rising?
Would you walk forever in the light
To never learn the secret of the quiet night?