When the time comes I put my feet in the water
It's not as warm as I expect
Will I go down like a preachers son?
Or will I come back up like a world war vet?

Will I watch my brothers die?
Speak true words into their lives?
Will I hold them close and tell them why
The life they led was sacrifice?

I don't know much
But I know about love
And how it hurts me to give up
It hurts me to give up

When the time comes I put my hands on the table
They are examined for what they are
A long life line that's been cut short
By the road, the time, the battle scars

What I would give to be back home
Where the sunsets over the water
Someone save me from these preachers sons
Save me from their daughters

Still I don't know much but
But I know about love
And how it hurts me to give up
It hurts me to give up

Why do we always say we're fine
When it's obvious we lie
Why don't we ever tell the truth
What do we got to lose?

And I don't know much
But I know about love
And how it hurts me to give up
It hurts me to give up

And I don't know much
But I know about love
And how it hurts me to give up
It hurts me to give up



Lyrics submitted by thesablerose

When the Time Comes Lyrics as written by Matthew Mac Donald

Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

When The Time Comes song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

7 Comments

sort form View by:
  • 0
    General Comment

    It's about taking God's love and applying it to your life. It is a diffucult thing and it's easy just to not do it, but sometimes convictions will hurt you if you do. When your brothers or sisters are in need, that is when they need love, and that's when they need God.

    fite_4_Christon June 06, 2008   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
Magical
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
Album art
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
Album art
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
Album art
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
Album art
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it. “I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.