Daniel Caesar’s “Always” and the Obscurities of Permanence

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Emmanuel chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

Daniel Caesar, Canadian R&B singer/songwriter, is most famously known for his hit songs “Best Part” and “Get You”. However, on his later album, NEVER ENOUGH, which was released in 2023, Caesar introduces the song “Always”. “Always” is an emotionally driven song about the narrator, assumingely Caesar himself, and a past relationship of his. Caesar delves into the idea of heartbreak creating vulnerability, and the different meanings of permanence to the human experience.

“Baby, baby

There will always be

A space for you and me 

Right where you left it”

Caesar’s opening lines call out to his former lover offering them an open door to reconcile and return to the relationship. The use of “there will always be/A space for you and me” is a direct notion to the idea of permanence in human relations. How long does “always” actually represent? At the point and time of this verse, “always” is forever. The narrator doesn’t believe he will ever heal, and that he’ll run right back to his ex if she presents herself again. The narrator is forgoing his future, in this moment, he is stuck in what was and is unable to see what will be. The word “always” acts as an anchor, it wedges itself into the narrator’s mind, body, and soul, creating an unrealistic sense of permanence. This ultimately eases the narrator’s nerves about having to start over, because he’s able to continue on believing he can return to the way things used to be at any given point. Permanence is first described in these lyrics, as simply being a sense of false hope. 

“And I’ll be here

Because we both know how it goes

I don’t want things to change

I pray they stay the same, always”

Caesar then shifts the idea of permanence to reflect the inability for one to stop the inevitable cycle of change. He recognizes that this image of a life with his lover that he so dearly holds on to, is not realistic. He doesn’t want things to change, but knows they will, and that they have to. That’s the thing with permanence, it’s not ever truly obtainable. For instance, if you stain a shirt, the markings and smudges may never go away, but the shirt will eventually unthread and decompose, depleting the stain along with the shirt itself. He even notes that both partners in the past relationship “know how it goes”, that they won’t ever come back, or if they do it won’t be the equivalent of what it used to be prior to the split. The same permanence that once comforted the narrator, now taxes him with realism, forcing him to come to the harsh truths of the situation, and of life itself. 

“Just know I’m not a phase

I’m always-ways-ways

Always-ways-ways” 

Caesar now turns permanence onto himself as an individual separated from the romance that the song speaks about. “I’m not a phase/I’m always” is the narrator’s way of attempting to hit his ex where it hurts, while simultaneously explaining the beauty of humanity and individuality. There is not another person like the narrator, and the same goes for everybody who has lived or is currently living in this world. Caesar does something truly beautiful with these lines, encapsulating the confidence that is provoked by rage. While upon first listen these lines might come across as arrogant, you come to realize that they prove just another obscurity of permanence. We see him use “always” again, but this time it’s not an anchor for Caesar, it’s the explanation for the distinct differences between every human being. Caesar presents that there is permanence in legacy, singularity, and uniqueness of every soul to ever exist. 

“My love for you ain’t goin’ nowhere

Always

I will be here”

For the final rendition of permanence’s meaning in the song, Caesar describes love as being the most permanent factor in life. You can walk away from something or someone, and still nurture and care for it in a place of your heart that is no longer taking center stage. Love transcends distance, generations, and even hatred. It scales across all plains to remain evident, even if it’s not love in the ways it was before. While someone’s love for something can change as well, it’s the act of loving it in the first place that is permanent, even if it is stuck in a specific place or time. Caesar knows the love is over, but that it also cannot be removed from its place in existence. It’s stuck right there in the song’s final lines, remaining the only permanent aspect of the song’s ideologies.