The title track of Hozier's second album finds him singing about the death of the planet, the end of humankind, and how love can be found in the darkest of circumstances. That love soon might end And be known in its aching Shown in this shaking Lately of my wasteland, baby "It's dealing with the absolute worst case scenario to a comical point," Hozier explained to Billboard. "[If] it's an absurd love song that's about the world ending in no metaphorical way, at least make it a whistle-able tune... You get great results out of just approaching that light and dark."
Without discounting the resilience of human love, the song touches on environmental issues like the damage we're inflicting on the oceans. It shares a theme with other tracks on the album, including "As it Was" and 'Would That I," that contain imagery touching on the reality of world problems. "While there's other songs on there that have doom and gloom and might touch upon it, 'Wasteland Baby' goes straight for it," Hozier told NME. "It lets us imagine how the worlds might end in a very real sense. But as long as there's people, that 'You and I', there's always potential for kindness and that is something to be hopeful about."
Hozier told ABC News his subject matter on the album was heavily influenced by current events. "I think it was really just approaching like some of the concerns and some anxieties of the time," he explained. "I think if you're familiar with the Doomsday Clock, I think that moved two minutes to midnight. And I think it was really just engaging with that and going, 'Look, here are the fears, here are the concerns.'"
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