This Time Imperfect
AFI Lyrics
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Forever haunted, more than afraid
Asphyxiate on words I would say
I'm drawn to a blackened sky as I turn blue
There are no flowers, no, not this time
There'll be no angels gracing the lines
Just these dark words I find
I'd show a smile but I'm too weak
I'd share with you could I only speak
Just how much this, hurts me
I cannot stay here, I cannot leave
Just like all I loved, I'm make-believe
Imagined heart, I disappear
Seems no one will appear here and make me real
There are no flowers, no, not this time
There will be no angels gracing the lines
Just these dark words I find
I'd show a smile, but I'm too weak
I'd share with you could I only speak
Just how much this hurts me
I'd tell you how it haunts me
I'd tell you how it haunts me
(Cuts through my day and sinks into my dreams)
I'd tell you that it haunts me
(Cuts through my day and sinks into my dreams)
You don't care that it haunts me
Oh, there are no flowers, no, not this time
There will be no angels gracing the lines
Just these stark words I find
I'd show a smile, but I'm too weak
I'd share with you could I only speak
Just how much this hurts me
Just how much this hurts me
Just how much you
This Time Imperfect by AFI is a song about feeling trapped in one's emotions and haunted by the past. The opening lines, "I cannot leave here, I cannot stay / Forever haunted, more than afraid / Asphyxiate on words I would say / I'm drawn to a blackened sky as I turn blue," set the tone for the rest of the song. The singer is unable to move on from his or her pain and is suffocating under the weight of their own thoughts and feelings. They are drawn to darkness and despair, and feel as though they are drowning in it.
The lyrics also touch on the theme of disillusionment and disappointment. The lines "Just like all I loved, I'm make-believe / Imagined heart, I disappear / Seems no one will appear here and make me real" suggest that the singer feels as though they are not living a real life, and that they have been let down by those they loved. They are searching for something or someone to make them feel alive again, but cannot find it.
The chorus, "There are no flowers, no, not this time / There'll be no angels gracing the lines / Just these dark words I find / I'd show a smile but I'm too weak" reinforces the idea that there is no hope or light in this situation. The singer cannot even summon the strength to put on a brave face and pretend that everything is okay.
Overall, This Time Imperfect is a song about feeling trapped and hopeless, but also about the search for meaning and connection in the face of overwhelming pain and disillusionment.
Line by Line Meaning
I cannot leave here, I cannot stay
I am stuck in a place of haunting and fear, unable to move forward or back
Forever haunted, more than afraid
The weight of my past and present traumas leaves me in a state of constant distress
Asphyxiate on words I would say
I am suffocating under the weight of unsaid words and unexpressed emotions
I'm drawn to a blackened sky as I turn blue
My depression drags me towards darkness and the brink of despair
There are no flowers, no, not this time
This moment is not marked by beauty, hope or positivity
There'll be no angels gracing the lines
There are no higher powers or divine intervention to help make things better
Just these dark words I find
All I have is this bleak language to describe the pain and emptiness I feel
I'd show a smile but I'm too weak
I don't have the strength to pretend that everything is okay, even with those closest to me
I'd share with you could I only speak
If only I could voice my troubles and connect with someone, I would
Just how much this, hurts me
The extent of my anguish and suffering is beyond measure
Just like all I loved, I'm make-believe
I feel like I am just an illusion of myself, disconnected from reality and those who once mattered to me
Imagined heart, I disappear
My sense of self and my ability to feel love or connection is fading away
Seems no one will appear here and make me real
I fear that no one will see me or hear me and help bring me back to a place of authenticity and wholeness
I'd tell you how it haunts me
My troubles and pain are so profound, they reverberate through my day and invade my dreams
(Cuts through my day and sinks into my dreams)
My distress and trauma are impossible to ignore, affecting both my waking and sleeping life
You don't care that it haunts me
I feel invalidated and unsupported in my struggles, even by those I had counted on for help
Just how much this hurts me
The depth of my despair and anguish cannot be overstated
Oh, there are no flowers, no, not this time
This moment is devoid of any positive or uplifting elements
Just these stark words I find
All I have is the stark and harsh language to describe my experience of pain and emptiness
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing
Written by: ADAM A CARSON, DAVID PADEN MARCHAND, HUNTER LAWRENCE BURGAN, JADE ERROL PUGET
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Closurenomore
Funny that I’m in my 30s now and I needed this song more than I did in my teens
@joeyloucks912
Truth. I'm 36 and this is way more meaningful to me now than it was back then
@ITSFRICKENADAM
The 30s are tough
@avinash4evr
Now we are more interested in finding true meaning behind these beautifuly written lyrics. Inner struggle of 30s is real 😂
@ITSFRICKENADAM
@@avinash4evr I think the 30s are us maturing and coming to the realization of responsibilities of life. I think we're more established, completely independent and are facing more realities than in our 20s. Less protected from the world. It's a tough pill to swallow. I moved out when I was 20 but the 30s were still a tougher decade for me.
@elizabethcrossley6853
Same
@barbiemccann9201
I just lost my daughter Tuesday after a long battle with depression at the age of 24. This was one of our favorite songs. I would tell her that I would want this played at my funeral, I didn’t care if I passed at 100, just add it to the list.
I never imagined it being the other way around. 😔💜
@emilyclements7720
I’m 32 and this song hits me harder then ever before I absolutely adore Afi
@paulsecrest9427
I am 45 and this song breaks my heart. Reminds me of dead who are no longer around. And it reminds me of parts of myself that are cold and dead now.
@sk8n854
I'm 40. Started listening to AFI in the 90s. Loved their music then. Still love it now.