A Matter of Time

So, the album Battle Born seems to tell the story of a young Flowers meeting his first love, having this relationship crumble, and meeting the love of his life, Tana. This song follows 3 songs about this struggling relationship (Runaways, The Way It Was and Here With Me) and finally it ends in this song.

I really love the lyrical connections in this album- all the songs link to each other not just in their basic ideas, but the use of the same phrases lets us know that these are the two same people. e.g. "fallin' back on forever" and "Laughing with your girlfriends" link this to Miss Atomic Bomb (which is also linked to Mr. Brightside through him referring to himself as having had "eager eyes" - not to mention the integration of the brightside riff) and "You got me drivin' through the streets for an answer to the mystery" links this to 'The Way It Was' ("I drove through the desert last night, I carried the weight of our last fight... it's like we're going under")

The key to this song meaning is the title - A Matter of Time - Which means that something is inevitable, was always going to happen, something you can't stop from helping.

He obviously meets someone, perfect "not a care in the world, not a burden on your mind... it was a matter of time.." and from that moment there entire story together, the love and the heartbreak was all inevitable.

The lyrics then point to not a happy relationship, but a troubled one, a paranoid love.. "there's a panic in the house and its bound to surface... walking through the front door makes me nervous".

He then recalls when things were good for them, in the better days "When we first met, headstrong and filled with doubt Made just enough hustling tables that summer to take you out I was fallin' back on forever when you told me about your heart You laid it on the line... it was a matter of time..."

Then he goes back to things being sour now, wondering why and why it can't work, they love eachother it should be all that matters, it should be simple: "We found ourselves a place, We belong in it forever Ain't that what it's all about? Make a promise and keep it Come hell or high water, We'd figure it out"

Can't you see that it's tearing me up inside? Look what's laying at our feet That's the wreckage of broken dreams And burned out halos And it's here on our street Here he's acknowledging the ruin of the relationship, its here at their feet, everything they dreamed of ended, burnt out halos.

The overall song to me is entirely about this - everything about their relationship, from when they met and she was perfect, to when they had something good together, to the paranoia, the jealousy and then the end of the relationship. All of this, the good and the bad, was always going to happen, it was just a matter of time.

As an aside the best thing about this song for me is the paranoia absent from some of TK's more recent work.

Sadly, I relate to this lyrics and most of the other ones on the album. Call it the long-term relationship blues.

To me, it's about the tension building up in a marriage that you can feel, but that's not being talked about (out of fear what it will bring). You feel there's something awfully wrong, but you can't seem to fix it ("it's just a matter of time"):

• "You're looking for a way out I can feel it"
• "Your feelings are your own Now you keep 'em under lock and key"
• "There's a panic in this house and it's bound to surface Just walkin' through the front door makes me nervous It's creepin' up the floorboards, got me wondering where I stand I cannot put out the fire, I got a book of matches in my hand"

And you wonder how it came to this, while you used to be so happy and in love together (the passage about the heart and laughing with her girfriends). You're sad and angry because s/he married you and promised to be with you forever:

"We found ourselves We belong in it forever Ain't that what it's all about? Make the promise and keep it Come hell or high water We'd figure it out"

You're angry and want to confront him/her: "I know you're weary, look at me Flailin' in the corner Here's the towel Go on, throw it in"

You feel sad and like everything's gone to hell, pleading for some sympathy: "Can't you see that it's tearing me up inside? Look what's laying at our feet That's the wreckage of broken dreams And burned out hales And it's here on our street "

To me, The Way it Was and Runaways are also about these same feelings: a marriage that seems to be breaking apart but you really don't want to.

Great Killers song again! Brandon Flowers just makes me happy!