Song Details
- Album Release Date: 2012
- Genre: garage
Song Meaning of “What’s Changed” by The Smith Street Band
What’s Changed by The Smith Street Band is a song that speaks ultimately about how people change over time, and how transitioning from one phase of life to another can fundamentally alter one’s priorities. In the chorus, the songwriter expresses regret for how much he has changed: “I want to believe again, but my heart’s so tired / I want to make peace, but my rituals have expired.” His use of the metaphor of his “rituals” shows the change is on a deep, spiritual level; his former life has become so distant that it feels like it’s foreign to him.
The verse then dives deeper, exploring how people cope with changing times, and how “emptiness and longing can last forever.” The songwriter reflects on darker moments in life, bemoaning how things that were once seemingly so familiar can become so distant over time. He seems to accept that change is natural, and ultimately inevitable; “Whatever will be will be” is a plea for the acceptance of this universal truth.
In the bridge, he reflects that the only thing that remains is change itself, as it’s the only constant in life – he accepts that change will always be something he has to accept and embrace. This song speaks to anyone who has had to face change in their life, the struggle for customers to adjust to a new normal, and to accept the parts of us that will forever remain the same. By accepting that we must adapt to change in order to grow, What’s Changed serves as a powerful reminder that not all change is bad, and that things take time.