In “Anything But,” the upbeat claps and drums portray a story of someone attempting and yearning to distance themselves from their partner. Using metaphors like riptides, stampedes, and thunder, the narrator illustrates their desire to push further away from this person.

According to Hozier, the track represents the 8th Circle of Hell, Malebolge, from Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy, which is a series of ten concentric ditches each with its specific sin and corresponding punishment. The sinners in this circle are guilty of malicious deception and betrayal.