Lyric discussion by Siskoid 

Cover art for Bye Bye Bye lyrics by Plants and Animals

It's about living in the past in the hopes that riding out the present will bring you to a future that's just like that past. Or rather, it's about (violently) coming out of that state and ultimately, accepting it.

Images like the still river and the perennial flowers and shadows speak to this anti-temporal idea. The world is different because you're different.