Alex Warren‘s “Eternity,” the opening track from his highly anticipated 2025 debut album You’ll Be Alright, Kid, is far more than just a sad song. It is a raw, devastatingly honest, and deeply personal exploration of profound grief. At its core, “Eternity” is a conversation with the ghosts of lost loved ones—specifically, Warren’s parents—and a visceral expression of the disorientation, pain, and enduring love that define life after their passing.
Released as the album’s final single, “Eternity” sets the tone for a project built on vulnerability and resilience. This is not a song about a romantic breakup, though some listeners initially interpreted it that way. Instead, it’s a first-person account of navigating a world that feels empty, a “hell” that the singer now calls “home,” after losing the people who were his entire world. The song’s meaning is inextricably linked to Alex Warren’s own tragic backstory, transforming personal pain into a universal anthem for anyone walking the lonely path of grief.
Part 1: The Personal Tragedy Behind the Music
To fully grasp the depth of “Eternity,” one must understand the life of Alex Warren. Long before his rise as a musician, Warren gained fame on platforms like TikTok, often sharing snippets of his life with a raw honesty that resonated with millions. Central to his story is the immense loss he experienced at a young age.
Losing Both Parents
Alex Warren’s father died of kidney cancer when Alex was just nine years old. This foundational loss shaped his childhood. Years later, his relationship with his mother became strained, and tragically, she passed away in 2021 due to complications related to alcohol use. By his early twenties, Warren had lost both parents, leaving him to navigate adulthood without their guidance.
In interviews, Warren has been incredibly open about how these experiences fuel his music. He told PEOPLE magazine that his “silly little songs” are a way to “keep my parents alive.” He confirmed explicitly that “Eternity” was written to “explain what the feeling of grief is like” after these immense losses. His album title, You’ll Be Alright, Kid, is a message he wishes he could give his younger self, a promise that surviving this pain is possible.
This context is not just background information; it is the source of the song. “Eternity” is not a fictional story; it is Alex Warren processing his real, lived trauma through his art. Every line, every metaphor, is steeped in the reality of his grief.
Part 2: In-Depth Lyrical Analysis: Verse 1 – The Sound of Grief
The song opens with imagery that immediately grounds the listener in the physical and emotional experience of deep mourning. It’s not about a single dramatic event, but the slow, agonizing passage of time after loss.
Time and Tears
Hear the clock ticking on the wall Losing sleep, losing track of the tears I cry Every drop is a waterfall Every breath is a break in the riptide
The “ticking clock” is a classic symbol of time passing relentlessly, but here, it also represents the agonizing slowness of grief. Each second feels heavy. The inability to sleep (“Losing sleep”) is a common symptom of depression and mourning.
Warren then uses powerful hyperbole to describe his tears. Each tear isn’t just a drop; it’s a “waterfall,” signifying the overwhelming, uncontrollable nature of his sorrow. This isn’t quiet sadness; it’s a deluge.
The line “Every breath is a break in the riptide” is a brilliant, complex metaphor. A riptide is a powerful, unseen current that pulls you under. Grief is this riptide. Just breathing, the most basic act of survival, feels like a momentary, exhausting struggle against an overwhelming force that is constantly trying to drown him.
Part 3: The Chorus – A Conversation with Paradise
The chorus is the heart of the song, where Warren directly addresses the person he has lost. It’s a raw outpouring of longing, confusion, and a sense of profound abandonment.
“It Feels Like an Eternity”
But it feels like an eternity Since I had you here with me Since I had to learn to be Someone you don’t know
The title phrase captures the distorted perception of time in grief. Whether it has been days, months, or years, the absence feels infinite, like an “eternity.”
The line “Since I had to learn to be / Someone you don’t know” is particularly poignant. It speaks to the transformative nature of grief. Losing someone, especially a parent at a young age, fundamentally changes who you are. The person Warren has become—an adult, a musician, a husband—is someone his parents never got to meet. He had to grow up without them, becoming a stranger to the people who should have known him best.
The Sacrifice for Paradise
To be with you in paradise What I wouldn’t sacrifice Why’d you have to chase the light Somewhere I can’t go?
Here, Warren directly confronts the reality of death. “Paradise” is the afterlife, the place where his loved ones now reside. His longing is so intense that he would “sacrifice” anything to be reunited with them there.
The question “Why’d you have to chase the light / Somewhere I can’t go?” is the cry of the survivor. “Chasing the light” is a common euphemism for dying, moving towards the afterlife. The pain comes from the finality of it. They have gone to a place (“paradise,” “the light”) where he, still living, cannot follow. It’s a fundamental separation that feels unfair and unbearable. This line beautifully captures the feeling of being “left behind” by death.
“As I Walk This World Alone”
The post-chorus repetition of “As I walk this world alone” reinforces the profound sense of isolation that follows loss. Even if surrounded by friends or family (like his wife, Kouvr, who is a frequent subject of his happier songs), the absence of that specific person creates an inescapable feeling of being fundamentally alone in the world.
Part 4: In-Depth Lyrical Analysis: Verse 2 – The Ghosts of “What Could’ve Been”
The second verse delves into the haunting nature of grief, where memories and dreams offer fleeting comfort but ultimately inflict more pain.
Dreams and the Wilderness
Another glimpse of what could’ve been (Ooh) Another dream, another way that it never was Falling back in the wilderness (Ooh) Waking up, rubbing salt in the cut
Grief is often punctuated by dreams of the deceased or fantasies of alternate realities where they never left (“what could’ve been”). These moments feel real, offering a temporary escape.
But Warren describes this escape as “Falling back in the wilderness.” The “wilderness” is the raw, untamed landscape of his grief. These dreams are not a sanctuary; they are a dangerous place where he gets lost again.
The cruelty comes upon waking. The relief of the dream dissolves, and the reality of the loss crashes back in. “Waking up, rubbing salt in the cut” is a visceral metaphor for how these fleeting moments of imagined reunion only make the pain of their absence sharper and more agonizing.
Part 5: The Bridge – The “Hell” of the New Normal
The bridge is the song’s darkest moment, where Warren describes his current reality—life without his loved ones—in stark, bleak terms.
A Starless Sky and a Hell Called Home
It’s an endless night, it’s a starless sky It’s a hell that I call home (Hell that I call home)
Night and darkness are common symbols for grief, but Warren intensifies them. It’s not just night; it’s an “endless night.” It’s not just dark; it’s a “starless sky,” devoid of any hope or light.
The most devastating line is “It’s a hell that I call home.” This is his new reality. The world, once familiar and safe, now feels like “hell” because of their absence. And this “hell” is not a temporary state; it’s his permanent address. It’s the “home” he must learn to live in.
The Long Goodbye
It’s a long goodbye on the other side Of the only life I know
This line captures the ongoing, unending nature of grieving someone you deeply loved. The “goodbye” is not a single event; it’s a continuous process (“a long goodbye”) that stretches across the rest of his life.
“The other side / Of the only life I know” refers to the stark division his life now has: Before Loss and After Loss. The life “after” feels like a foreign country, separated from the familiar past (“the only life I know”) by the impassable border of death.
Part 6: The Sound: Minimalist Pain
The production of “Eternity” is intentionally minimalist, allowing Warren’s voice and the raw emotion of the lyrics to take center stage. It features simple acoustic guitar plucks, subtle vocal harmonies, and a quiet backing choir that adds an almost spiritual, hymn-like quality.
Warren’s vocal performance is key. He starts in a “deep, chesty baritone,” almost speaking the words, conveying a sense of weary numbness. As the emotion builds, his voice lifts into a more conventional, powerful pop pitch, cracking with pain in the chorus. This dynamic range mirrors the waves of grief itself—from quiet despair to overwhelming cries of anguish.
The song avoids big, cathartic drops or complex instrumentation. Its power lies in its restraint. It sounds like grief feels: quiet, heavy, and persistent.
Part 7: The Music Video: A Visual Metaphor for Absence
The official music video for “Eternity” complements the song’s themes with simple yet powerful imagery. It depicts Alex Warren performing the song alone in various settings—a stark room, driving a car, walking through empty landscapes.
Symbolism of Emptiness
The recurring visual motif is emptiness. The rooms are sparsely furnished, the landscapes are vast and unpopulated. This visually represents the “walking this world alone” theme. The world feels empty because the people who filled it are gone.
The Rearview Mirror
There are shots of Warren looking in the rearview mirror while driving. This is a classic symbol of looking back at the past. He is moving forward in life (driving), but he is constantly glancing back at the memories, at the people who are no longer in the passenger seat.
Light and Shadow
The video plays with light and shadow, often showing Warren partially obscured or moving from darkness into fleeting moments of light. This mirrors the lyrics about “chasing the light” and the “starless sky.” Grief is a place of shadows, and the “light” (happiness, hope, the presence of the loved one) feels distant and unattainable.
The video avoids complex narratives or dramatic acting. Its strength is in its simplicity, focusing entirely on Warren’s emotional performance and the stark, lonely atmosphere that mirrors the song’s devastating core message.
Conclusion: An Anthem for Survivors
“Eternity” is a landmark song for Alex Warren, transforming him from a social media personality into a genuine artist capable of profound emotional depth. It is a heartbreakingly specific account of his own losses, yet its themes of absence, longing, and the struggle to redefine oneself after tragedy are universally resonant.
The song is a testament to the enduring power of love, even across the divide of death. It acknowledges the “hell” of grief but doesn’t wallow in it. Instead, it offers a raw, honest portrayal of what it means to survive. It’s a song for anyone who has felt the seconds tick by like an eternity since they last held their loved one, for anyone who has had to learn to be “someone you don’t know,” and for anyone still walking this world, fundamentally alone but carrying the weight of love and memory with every step. “Eternity” is not just a song about loss; it’s an anthem for those left behind.