Chilton said in the September 1994 issue of Guitar Player that he considers himself a "musical performer, not a songwriter" and that some of his songs sound only "half-baked" to him. Nonetheless, his compositions have been performed by a number of artists, including Teenage Fanclub, This Mortal Coil, The Bangles, Wilco, Graham Coxon, Garbage, Tom Bradbury, Son Volt, Counting Crows, Elliott Smith, Jeff Buckley, Superdrag, Evan Dando, Cat Power, Yo La Tengo, Placebo, Xiu Xiu, and His Name Is Alive. The Replacements wrote the song Alex Chilton in his honor on their 1987 Pleased to Meet Me album, produced by Jim Dickinson in Memphis.
On March 17, 2010, Alex Chilton died of an apparent heart attack in a hospital in New Orleans. He was 59.
Time After Time
Alex Chilton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What good are words I say to you?
They cant convey to you whats in my heart
If you could hear instead
The things Ive left unsaid
Time after time
So lucky to be loving you
So lucky to be
The one you run to see
In the evening, when the day is through
I only know what I know
The passing years will show
Youve kept my love so young, so new
And time after time
Youll hear me say that im
So lucky to be loving you
In Alex Chilton's song 'Time After Time', the singer expresses his feeling of love to his partner by acknowledging that mere words are not enough to convey what he feels in his heart. The singer believes that the love between him and his partner is unique, and there are things he thinks but has left unsaid, and he wishes his partner could hear those unsaid things. The singer expresses that he feels fortunate to be in love with his partner and be the one they come to see at the end of the day. He acknowledges that he does not know everything, but with time, he is sure that his love will remain new and young, and he repeatedly tells his partner how lucky he is to be loving them.
The lyrics of the song show how the singer acknowledges the difficulty of expressing intense emotions through language. Despite that, he still tries to express his feelings through his words. He recognizes the significance of time, believing that with time, true love endures and grows stronger. The song shows how the singer understands the importance of communication in a relationship, yet he also understands that there are things more profound than what language can express. The lyrics show the outstanding songwriting skills of Alex Chilton, and the melody is quite beautiful and fits perfectly with the message of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
What good are words I say to you?
I'm struggling to express my true feelings with words alone.
They can't convey to you what's in my heart
Words alone cannot express the depth of my love for you.
If you could hear instead
If only you could listen to my heart, you'd understand my love better.
The things I've left unsaid
There are still so many things I want to express, but I'm limited by words.
Time after time
Repeatedly, over and over again.
I tell myself that I'm
I remind myself that I am
So lucky to be loving you
Grateful and fortunate to have the opportunity to love you.
So lucky to be
I'm grateful that I
The one you run to see
Your love for me is apparent as you seek me out so eagerly
In the evening, when the day is through
After a long, tiring day, you still want to spend time with me.
I only know what I know
I'm aware of what I'm feeling and I'm certain about it.
The passing years will show
We may face challenges in the future, but as time goes by, my love will remain strong.
You've kept my love so young, so new
Thanks to your love, I feel youthful and passionate like I am in the beginning.
And time after time
Consistently, repeatedly
You'll hear me say that I'm
I want to keep reminding you that I am
So lucky to be loving you
Grateful and fortunate to have the opportunity to love you.
Contributed by Jonathan D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.