From the Levitate (album) .. 2009.
Features: Bruce Hornsby (piano, vocals, keyboards); Bobby Read (reeds); J.V. Collier (bass); Sonny Emory (drums); J.T. Thomas (organ, keyboards); R.S. Hornsby (guitar); Doug Derryberry (guitar).
Lyric analysis by Daz
Continents Drift meaning and interpretation
Bruce Hornsby’s “Continents Drift” metaphorically explores the dynamics of love over time, comparing romantic relationships to the slow, inevitable movement of tectonic plates. The song captures how love, like continents, gradually changes and shifts, sometimes leading to separation.
Young love and discovery
The first stanza reflects the youthful excitement of a new relationship, with lines like “We were new to love when we were young” symbolising the initial phase of a passionate connection. “Gravity unwinding” hints at a carefree feeling where the couple feels connected by nature’s pull, unaware of how fragile young love can be.
The reference to “the eastern coast met the western shore” symbolises two individuals from different backgrounds or lives uniting. The imagery of land masses fitting “like a glove” suggests a natural, perfect connection between two people.
Continents drifting and dividing
The recurring line “Continents drift” refers to the slow, inevitable process of change in relationships. Just as continents move over time, relationships evolve, often without the couple realising it. The “glacial measured motion” metaphor suggests that while the change is slow, it is steady and unstoppable. “Fault lines” here symbolise the underlying issues or differences that cause a gradual divide.
Maturity and separation
The song’s later verses contrast the experience of love in youth with the experience in maturity. “We’re old hands at love, no longer young” describes a couple who have spent years together, but now find themselves drifting apart. “Shorelines change” reflects how the couple’s emotional landscape has evolved, and the light “casts a shadow between us” indicates distance growing between them, both physically and emotionally.
The symbolic power of nature
Throughout the song, Bruce uses natural imagery – continents, oceans, mountains, and fault lines – as metaphors for the forces that shape and eventually divide relationships. These symbols highlight the uncontrollable and inevitable changes that take place over time, both in the physical world and in human relationships. The “fault lines” serve as a reminder of the cracks or pressures that build up over time in any relationship, often going unnoticed until separation occurs.
“Continents Drift” offers a poignant commentary on the cyclical nature of relationships, using geological metaphors to reflect the slow, unstoppable drift of love from unity to separation. Through its imagery of continents and natural forces, the song illustrates how relationships evolve, change, and sometimes fall apart, despite the best efforts of those involved.