The meaning of the lyrics of the song "Seasons Run" by the artist "xx, The"

The song "Seasons Run" by The xx uses the metaphor of changing seasons to convey feelings of anxiety, fear, and a sense of being lost in the face of uncertainty and inevitable change.

Rain in the lyrics symbolizes life's challenges and hardships that "always affect" the lyrical hero. The phrase "I don’t know how the seasons run / But I feel like I’m always out of time” speaks to a feeling of lagging behind life, an inability to adapt to change, and find one’s place in the world.

The hero is torn between the desire to hide from the storm (“Will I stay here til I see the sun?”) and the need to act (“Or should I step outside?”). The image of "lightning and distant thunder" conveys a sense of impending danger that paralyzes and prevents one from gathering strength.

Fears and doubts grow like a thunderstorm, and with the first drops of rain, symbolizing the beginning of a difficult period, "emotions flow in a stream." The hero sees "a faint gleam of his predecessor," a hint that similar trials have already happened in the past, but how to prepare for them, how to cope with the inevitable? He feels himself “slowly fading away”, gripped by fear and hopelessness.

The repetition of the verses at the beginning and end of the song emphasizes the cyclical nature of the hero's experiences, his being trapped in this cycle of fears and doubts. He still does not know the answer to the question of what he should do: resign himself and wait for improvement, or find the strength to resist life's storms.