LifeTime
Bob Mould Lyrics

The clouds move between
There's a barrier between us (the singer) and someone else, represented by clouds and the cityscape of New York.

You and me and New York City
The singer is separated from another person, and the city represents a third, neutral element that both share.

The song gets fuzzy on the AM radio
A metaphor for distance, unclear reception of a transmission that might represent someone trying to communicate with the singer.

Tucked underneath the pillow
The artist hides or subconsciously suppresses the signal they are receiving.

I move my fingers slow
The artist is trying to control the level of transmission, and, by extension, the relationship they're having with the other person.

Across the frequencies
The singer is searching for the best possible channel for their message.

And try to dial in the sound
Continuing with the metaphor, the singer is trying to create a clear and concise signal, that would be easy to understand.

To drown the noise out
The artist aims to minimize the interference of other signals, to focus on what's truly important (our connection).

And stop the world from falling
The artist wants to arrest or avoid a possibly painful outcome of their relationship ending.

How it anchors me now
The artist sees our relationship not as something negative, but as something that grounds and fulfills them.

Half the verse it disappears
The message itself is hard to interpret, and only so much of it comes through.

In the static and the haze
Continued signal interference; despite the difficulty, the signal is still there, and the transmission (our relationship) is ongoing despite difficulties.

(what a lifetime we have)
Parenthetical thought reinforcing the ambition to make this relationship a lifelong one.

And the second refrain gets lost in the rain
Similar to earlier lines, the message is unclear due to external factors.

But that's the magic and mystery
The randomness and unpredictability of the world itself can create beauty: it's the little moments that we remember, not necessarily the big ones.

That's how we fall in love
We fall in love because of unpredictable, hard-to-pin-down factors, and that's what makes it beautiful and worthwhile.

We worship God together
There's something religious, spiritual and ritualistic about our relationship; it's something bigger than just us.

And worship us alone
Despite our outward focus, there's something very private and intimate about our love.

As we kneel at the bed
Further emphasizing the religious connotation, we have a sacred & singular space where both of us are in harmony.

You turn the light out
We create a space of intimacy by leaving everything else outside.

And say good night out loud
We actively acknowledge our agreement to create this space and leaves the world outside our door.

What a lifetime we have
Reiterating the idea of lifelong happiness together.

So when you're old and broken down
Looking to an indefinite future.

And you can't conjure up a sound
Even in the distant future, we may still be communicating in some way, but it may become more difficult.

Don't despair, my darling
Don't worry about the difficulties that may arise; we can be content that we've supported each other throughout life.

The tubes will glow and fill the room
As a callback to earlier lines, the last lyrics suggest an image of light and warmth in the midst of darkness and coldness; we can still enjoy a strong connection, even when it's more difficult to keep in touch.

With the scent of burning dust
Despite the metaphorical and physical decay associated with candles, or with slow-moving transmissions, we can still find beauty and warmth within them.

That's the lifetime we have
Concluding the song with another reference to how, despite the difficulties that can arise or the relentless forward march of time, we can still connect in meaningful ways.