Secret Bad Boy and Ezra Furman’s “In the Fullness of Time (You Become All the People You Claim to Revile)” turns self-righteousness into a warning about time. The chorus keeps returning to the same line, “You become all the people you claim to revile,” letting its meaning gather weight each time it comes back. The certainty of the statement leaves little room to stand outside it.
“Tried to give it a name, but its name was mine” is an accusation back to the speaker before asking, “Are you covered in blood on the inside?” Ben Joseph describes that question as a way of asking whether we still listen to what is human within us, whether the gut still speaks and whether we are willing to hear it. The song keeps those questions open.
Bounding rock, bright synths, and the low weight of the baritone guitar keep the song moving even as its questions grow heavier. “In the Fullness of Time” never sounds interested in delivering a verdict. It asks the listener to keep looking inward before looking anywhere else.
