This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Hey, when I think about all my time and all my struggle
Through all my grinding and all my troubles
Man I came out from nothing , all I had was a hustle
With a blindfold trying to find pieces to the puzzle, no muzzle
I tell it like it is, that's that, right or wrong, I'm a call it how I see it
Don't forget that impossible is nothing, you're environment's irrelevant
Just don't let your emotions over power your intelligence
Refuse to give up, your mistakes don't define you
They don't dictate where you heading, they remind you
That time keep ticking, let your mind keep clicking
Never stop thinking, be aware of your decisions
And beware of the collisions and the potholes hidden
In the road that you travel on your lifelong mission
Just listen, everyday like a snap shot taken
If you live you could learn to just be patient
'Cause life is like a slide show
All the places I go
And all the things that I know
Through all the highs and lows
'Cause life is like a slide show
And all the things that I've seen
And all the things that I've dreamed
You cant take away from me
'Cause life is like a slide show
As I look back at a fly young cat
Who could rap with a dream, look where I took that
Beginnin' on Bankhead, then it spread out
Vision in my head, all I had to do is to get it out
When I walked out of my house, and look at my street
All I seen is opportunity that lead me to truancy
I ain't really have a role model to influence me
Uncle Quint, they said next it's gon' be you in it
As a juvenile caught cases so fluently
Look at my life and learn from it, don't do it
If I only knew back then what I know now,
How much better life woulda been if I'da slowed down
Maybe I 'da been Kanye, instead of seeing gun play
But God got a plan, I'll understand one day (yeah, yeah)
But one day of life, like a snap shot taken (yeah)
Just believe you can make it happen, be patient
'Cause life is like a slide show
All the places I go
And all the things that I know
Through all the highs and lows
'Cause life is like a slide show
And all the things that I've seen
And all the things that I've dreamed
You can't take away from me
'Cause life is like a slide show
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Looking back on my life time (ooh)
See the slides go by (ooh)
Time to wonder why
Looking back on where I've been
I remember when
You remember then
'Cause life is like a slide show
All the places I go
And all the things that I know
Through all the highs and lows
'Cause life is like a slide show
And all the things that I've seen
And all the things that I've dreamed
You cant take away from me (oh)
'Cause life is like a slide show
Oh
'Cause life is like a slide show
Oh, oh
'Cause life is like a slide show
I've seen, I've dreamed
Oh life is like a slide show
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Hey, when I think about all my time and all my struggle
Through all my grinding and all my troubles
Man I came out from nothing , all I had was a hustle
With a blindfold trying to find pieces to the puzzle, no muzzle
I tell it like it is, that's that, right or wrong, I'm a call it how I see it
Don't forget that impossible is nothing, you're environment's irrelevant
Just don't let your emotions over power your intelligence
Refuse to give up, your mistakes don't define you
They don't dictate where you heading, they remind you
That time keep ticking, let your mind keep clicking
Never stop thinking, be aware of your decisions
And beware of the collisions and the potholes hidden
In the road that you travel on your lifelong mission
Just listen, everyday like a snap shot taken
If you live you could learn to just be patient
'Cause life is like a slide show
All the places I go
And all the things that I know
Through all the highs and lows
'Cause life is like a slide show
And all the things that I've seen
And all the things that I've dreamed
You cant take away from me
'Cause life is like a slide show
As I look back at a fly young cat
Who could rap with a dream, look where I took that
Beginnin' on Bankhead, then it spread out
Vision in my head, all I had to do is to get it out
When I walked out of my house, and look at my street
All I seen is opportunity that lead me to truancy
I ain't really have a role model to influence me
Uncle Quint, they said next it's gon' be you in it
As a juvenile caught cases so fluently
Look at my life and learn from it, don't do it
If I only knew back then what I know now,
How much better life woulda been if I'da slowed down
Maybe I 'da been Kanye, instead of seeing gun play
But God got a plan, I'll understand one day (yeah, yeah)
But one day of life, like a snap shot taken (yeah)
Just believe you can make it happen, be patient
'Cause life is like a slide show
All the places I go
And all the things that I know
Through all the highs and lows
'Cause life is like a slide show
And all the things that I've seen
And all the things that I've dreamed
You can't take away from me
'Cause life is like a slide show
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Looking back on my life time (ooh)
See the slides go by (ooh)
Time to wonder why
Looking back on where I've been
I remember when
You remember then
'Cause life is like a slide show
All the places I go
And all the things that I know
Through all the highs and lows
'Cause life is like a slide show
And all the things that I've seen
And all the things that I've dreamed
You cant take away from me (oh)
'Cause life is like a slide show
Oh
'Cause life is like a slide show
Oh, oh
'Cause life is like a slide show
I've seen, I've dreamed
Oh life is like a slide show
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Lyrics submitted by TheEmceeKing
Slide Show Lyrics as written by Clifford J. Harris Clifford Harris
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
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.
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
wow this song is deep, its about keeping your head up during hard times and to remember where you came from and be humble. I personally love this song it gets me thinking about all the good memories in my life. john legend was perfect for the chorus. t.i.'s lyrics were top of the line in this song
deeep.
in the beginning when he says about all my time is he talking about being in jail?
"If I only knew back then what I know now, how much better life it would have been if I slowed down." This line really holds a great deal of meaning to me and I think it does to a lot of people. If I knew what I know now before, how different could my life have been. When I look back on the "slide show" that was, its easy to see how good life could've been, but you can't think of life in that sense because only tomorrow brings and yesterday has already been brought.
This song is amazing - I first heard it on a plane back from Singapore. It's rare that one line in a song can be so true but life really is like a slide show. I always feel like moments and people and feelings pass by before they can truly be appreciated.