Test of Time
Everon Lyrics

I was born
The beginning of the song is a statement of fact about the singer's literal birth.

As just another small town boy in '69
The singer was born in a small town in 1969, nothing particularly remarkable about his birth.

I had only little worries on my mind
As a child, the singer didn't have many cares or concerns weighing on his mind.

The world seemed kind when I was young
The artist's perspective on the world was that things were generally good when he was young and everything was taken care of for him.

An endless gentle flow of days
The artist's youth seemed to be a continuous, gentle stream where everything was easy and didn't require much effort.

Not a lot in life seemed really serious
When the singer was young, he didn't have a lot of responsibilities or things that he had to take seriously.

As time moved on
The song transitions from the singer's past to the present as time had passed.

There were lots of things I had to learn
As the artist got older, he had to gain knowledge and understanding about certain things in life.

Such as, if you want to take you've got to
One of the things the artist had to learn was that if you want to receive something, you have to give something in exchange.

Give a little in return
In order to receive something, the artist had to learn the importance of exchanging something of equal or lesser value in return.

And though life seemed gentle still
Even as the singer got older, life still seemed relatively easy and gentle.

Somehow it got slightly more serious
Despite life still seeming easy, there were more responsibilities and things to take more seriously as the artist got older.

A winner, in our times, is someone
The song takes a turn to criticize society's viewpoint of what success or winning looks like in modern times.

Who sells his soul at the highest price
The singer believes that in order to be considered a winner in society's eyes, one must sacrifice a lot of themselves and their values.

To be a slave to profession
The singer believes that many people become a slave to their job or profession in order to succeed in their career.

Slave to the grind
This line is meant to emphasize the idea of being a slave to one's work and how it can grind a person down.

To whatever other master
The artist believes that people can be a slave to many different things, not just their career, but also to money or other life pressures.

The test of time shows what we're made of
The chorus of the song emphasizes that the true measure of a person's character is revealed over time and in how they withstand life's struggles.

The test of time will reveal the truth
The singer believes that with time, the truth about a person's character and their life's choices will become clear.

The test of time will see us stay afloat or drown, win or lose
Through the test of time and the struggles it brings, a person will either be able to stay afloat or drown depending on the choices they make and their character.

All at once
The song takes a nostalgic turn as the artist reminisces on the good memories of youth.

We look back on the best days of our lives
The artist reflects on the fact that the best days of one's life are often in their youth.

Find out none of our teenage dreams hold water
Despite how great the singer remembers their teenage years, they find that none of the things they dreamed of as a teenager have come true.

By the age of thirty-five
The artist picks a somewhat arbitrary age to emphasize how quickly time passes and how important it is to make the right choices in life.

Time's not in endless supply
The singer emphasizes how precious time is and that it's not something that is limitless and should be taken for granted.

And that's why all in life is serious
The singer concludes that because time is limited and the test of time will reveal one's true character, all aspects of life should be taken seriously.

The test of time tells how much we can carry
Another variation of the chorus that emphasizes that the struggles and tests of life will reveal how much a person can handle and bear.

The test of time will see us flex or break
Just as time will show how much a person can carry, it will also reveal if a person will bend or break under the pressure and tests of life.

The test of time will show no mercy, time never waits
The artist emphasizes the importance of understanding that time waits for no one and will not show mercy in revealing a person's true character and choices in life.