Lyric discussion by Sorrynametaken 

Cover art for Cease lyrics by Bad Religion

Here is how I see it, verse by verse.

“Blacktop pavement cover me Like a chemical reaction or a steam roller Spreading randomly There's a distant buzz and low frequency It tickles my ear, it rumbles under my feet And it shakes the leaves off of every tree (Violently)”

This verse is from nature’s perspective of the destruction of nature.

“Institution on the Hill Like a beacon in the mind of an ancestor To ignite a people's will There's a shadowed stain on the west facade It has spread like decay to enshroud the fraud And the descendents find it oh so odd (Oh so odd)”

This is about the fleeting status of institutions, countries, empires, religions and maybe mankind itself.

“Grave memorial hewn white stone Like the comforting caress of a mother Or a friend you've always known It evokes such pain and significance What was once is reduced to remembrance And the generations pass without recompense”

This takes place in the future after mankind has lost its place as top dog on this planet.

“What pretension! Everlasting peace. Everything must cease.”

The chorus and the song in generally basically mean: “Nothing lasts forever”