Lyric discussion by jobezark 

Cover art for Troubled Times lyrics by Fountains of Wayne

Guys, it's FoW-- don't read too much into the lyrics.

The song is so obviously about a guy who is into a girl that probably doesn't even know he's alive, and how he lives this fantasy that someday it'll turn out she feels the same way about him. The "moral" of the song is essentially "don't give up". The lyrics indicate that if he gives up, this fantasy can never become reality. So why bother trying? Well, because you never know! You never will know with another person if you don't try.