"Constant Craving" was co-written by k.d. lang and her frequent collaborator, Ben Mink. Mink is best known for his musical partnership with lang, though he also holds producer credits with other well-known artists such as the Barenaked Ladies, Bruce Cockburn, and Ann Wilson of Heart.
In an interview with the Buddhist publication The Shambala Sun, lang (a devoted Buddhist) said, "'Constant Craving' is all about samsara." Samsara, as defined within Buddhism, is the continuous cycle of birth and death while one moves within the six realms of existence. Each realm can be either physical or psychological, marked by a specific type of suffering.
The chorus leaves a lot of room for interpretation: Constant craving Has always been Even lang didn't get it. In a 2017 interview with NPR, she explained that the song "felt like it was incongruent to the rest of the record," but that it recently became clear. "It's an acquiescence," she said. "It's a summation of human desire. It's like yes, OK, we all are heartbroken. We're all nervous. We're all vulnerable. We're all hopeful, but at the end of the day, constant craving has always been. And it really, emotionally, just surfaced for me, the purpose of that song."
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