[6] Inspired by the ending of the relationship between Buckley and Rebecca Moore,[7] the lyrics concern the despondency of a young man growing older, finding that his actions represent a perspective he feels that he should have outgrown.
[7] On August 23, 2019–the 25th anniversary of the release of Grace–Columbia/Legacy Recordings published unreleased footage of Buckley performing the song on February 19, 1994, at Middle East in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
The song was covered by Natalie Maines on her 2013 solo album Mother, with NPR's Ann Powers calling it "the sort of careening soul-metal epic that few vocalists even dare to attempt".
Edelstone deemed the song "lyrical perfection" and its bridge an "all-timer": "It's never over, my kingdom for a kiss upon her shoulder / It's never over, all my riches for her smiles when I slept so soft against her / It's never over, all my blood for the sweetness of her laughter / It's never over, she's the tear that hangs inside my soul forever.
"[5] Jacob Nierenberg of Consequence of Sound wrote that the song served as a "[reminder] that Buckley was making some of the most unique and unabashedly beautiful music of the 90s.