“You’re clearly restless” — Did I Ever Tell You (Vol. 6)
*“Did I Ever Tell You” is a column in my monthly newsletter where I talk about the songs I’ve written. This was first published in the July edition. Subscribe here to get it delivered straight to your inbox every month.
“You’re clearly restless”
Time Go Come doesn’t have an intro; something most of my songs have. A few chords to bring you into the song, to say welcome. It starts urgently — which is pretty ironic for a song that is primarily about waiting for a better time.
The first words that came to me were from the chorus. The verses didn’t show themselves until later but the chorus told me enough of what this song was supposed to be — a song about hope.
In my February letter to you, I said that “the human capacity for hope can feel like insanity sometimes” and I stand by this. But we need hope. And sometimes hope is ridiculous because you are usually facing the opposite of what you hope for but your brain and heart go dreaming up a better day when the day in front of you is the darkest you’ve ever seen.
When I decided to start writing the verses, this was the concept I wanted to explore. I wanted to start the song with a few truths — describing what it actually feels like at the moment when you need hope:
You’re clearly restless
You’re losing sleep
You’re picking pieces of what you once called your heart
And you’re falling apart
But that’s not all. When you’re facing the dark days, time just drags along and in those moments you wish someone had told you that this was what it meant to be alive:
The clock stays ticking
The hands they move
And no one told you of what you’d lose
Oh my dear
And there’s nothing to do
Then comes the chorus. The one I mentioned earlier, about hope. It starts with admitting that it may get very bad. That a time may find you speechless and clutching your chest:
But the time go come when you no fit talk again
And the time go come when your heart feels like it’s going down the drain
These things happen, it’s the way of the world. But then there’s the good part. A time will come when you won’t cry anymore. That’s the main thing, that’s the hope.
Time and chance dey happen to us all
But the time go come when you no go cry at all
The time go come
The second verse, sung by Ruka, continues the story and explores all the ways life will surprise you:
You’re scared of falling
You’re scared you’ll drown
You can’t remember when your smile turned to a frown
And then into tears
You might be getting used to the darkness, but you shouldn’t:
Oh yes this tunnel is all you’ve known
And there’s a light at the end
Or so you’ve been told
And you can’t wait to see
The last verse of the song is a rap verse written and performed by the very talented Phlow. I enjoyed composing this part of the song with Rhaffy because this is where the song begins to crescendo. The horns are alive, the strings feel like you’re at the opera and the drums are banging.
And at the end of her verse, Phlow says:
E go better again when the day ends
And hope shows up again.
Days will be long and loneliness will feel like a noose around your neck but you must try to remember that as time goes on its way, it will bring pain and then joy. So if it’s painful now, hang in there.
The time go come.
Listen to Time Go Come from The Cost Of Our Lives
