Cease

 

"This song is pretty much about how everything has a beginning and an end--life, hope, history, the universe. It seems to be an inescapable resolution, all will cease to be. It's actually too much of a brief and complicated song to be explained easily. I hope somebody helps me out here and add something."

   -Bad Aeronuts

 

"Yes, everything comes to an end..."

   -Shaman Whitemankiller

 

"With Cease, Graffin delivered yet another musically brilliant composition that elevated my opinion of Bad Religion to an even higher state. An ingenious chord progression within the verse seemingly designed to 'evoke such pain and significance' inside the listener, wailing, emotive guitar solos, and some immaculate harmonies round out this near-flawless delivery of music. Yet my intense appreciation and admiration for Cease, while certainly having root in the music, stems more from the lyrics, which are without a doubt some of Graffin's best. Their meaning is deep and hidden (at least, to me) without being pretentious or confusing; I've had conversations with a good many people, many of them very intelligent, about what the lyrics could mean, and none had a sure-fire answer to give me. My personal interpretation is that since America's foundings (the 'instiution on the hill', a clever play off of 'city upon the hill', which was the name given to the New England colony of America), we as a society have been sliding out of control, and the inevitable result of this tailspin is for everything to cease. And when it does cease, considering all of the madness occurring all around us, perhaps the resulting quiet will not be so bad after all...'a comforting caress of a mother, or a friend you've always known.' Whether my interpretation is accurate or not, it simply cannot be refuted that these lyrics are demonstrative of an astonishing song-writing ability. It would be equally as difficult to deny that Cease, both musically and lyrically, is in a class all its own, not just in comparison to other Bad Religion songs, but perhaps, the entire realm of music as well."

   -Diehard BR Fan, Josh Righter

 

"This Song is about Peace and that it cannot be forever. We could see that it cannot last forever on September 11, 2001."

    -The Punk