Any Old Time
Alison Krauss & Union Station Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Any old time, you want to come back home
Drop me a line, and say no more you'll roam
You had your chance to play the game fair
When you left me, sweetheart
You only left a load of care

Now that you're down
I'm going to stick by you
If you will only say
Your roamin' days are thru

Well, now, you'll find me here
Like the day you left me alone




Any old time
You want to come back home

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Alison Krauss & Union Station's song Any Old Time are a powerful message of forgiveness and willingness to mend broken relationships. The opening line, "Any old time, you want to come back home" is a clear invitation to a former lover to return to the safety and comfort of home. The imagery here is that of a mother welcoming back her child that had left home to travel the world. The second line, "Drop me a line, and say no more you'll roam" is an extension of the invitation, with the singer urging the former lover to stay home and stop wandering.


The third line, "You had your chance to play the game fair" is a gentle reminder that the door to the relationship is always open, but that there must be a commitment to honesty and loyalty. The fourth line, "When you left me, sweetheart, you only left a load of care" references the pain and heartbreak that came with the former lover's departure. The second verse expresses the singer's pledge to stay loyal, offering support and solidarity during tough times. The final line, "Well now, you'll find me here, like the day you left me alone" emphasizes the singer's unwavering devotion to the relationship, despite the former lover's mistakes.


Line by Line Meaning

Any old time, you want to come back home
Whenever you feel like returning to our relationship, just let me know


Drop me a line, and say no more you'll roam
Send me a message telling me that you won't be leaving me alone anymore


You had your chance to play the game fair
You had an opportunity to be honest and faithful in our relationship


When you left me, sweetheart
When you walked away from me, my love


You only left a load of care
You only caused me a lot of pain and heartache


Now that you're down
Now that you're in a difficult situation


I'm going to stick by you
I'm going to be loyal to you and support you


If you will only say
If you will just tell me


Your roamin' days are thru
That you won't be leaving me anymore


Well, now, you'll find me here
I'll still be here waiting for you, just like the day you left me alone


Like the day you left me alone
Just as I was when you left me before


Any old time
Whenever you're ready


You want to come back home
If you want to come back to our relationship




Contributed by Bailey Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Comments from YouTube:

Henry 44 mag.

She's always been a good singer to me and can play the fire out of the fiddle.

Bethy-Lou

Amazing voice. Lovely song. Made my break enjoyable. WTCS, thank you!

Ronnie Watkins

The voice of an angel!!

Primrose Haran

She has such a fantastic voice great song thank you for this lovely post

SweetHeartHolly

Thank you SO much for getting this up here! I LOVE to hear Alison sing this song!!! (big smile)
God bless you and AKUS always!!!
Holly in east Tennessee (a fan of Alison since 1994)

BillRightHere

I love her singing and the band on this. I think this version owes quite a bit to the version Maria Mulduar recorded around 1973, on her debut as a solo artist. Maria's version is a little more jazzy to my ears. A great Jimmie Rodgers tune - one of my favorites.

Francesco Bigari

Alison Krauss singing Jimmie Rodgers... AMAZING!

Volkmar Fölss

Great performance! Greatings from a montain in Austria(you know, no kangaroo)

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