By The Time I Get To Phoenix
Hayes Isaac Lyrics

I'm talking about the power of love now
The singer is introducing the theme of the song, which is the power of love.

I'm gonna tell you what love can do
The singer is going to narrate a story about the impact of love in someone's life.

You know when they say love makes the world go 'round, that's the truth
The singer is emphasizing the universal truth that love has a significant impact on people's lives.

Now I want your imagination, I want you to travel with me
The artist is inviting the audience to join him on a journey of storytelling.

Oh come on, come on, come on
The artist is urging the audience to engage with him and to follow the story.

This young man was raised in the hills of Tennessee
The singer is introducing the singer of the story, a young man who grew up in Tennessee.

When he reached the age of maturity, he moved to the West Coast
The singer moved to the West Coast after he became an adult.

And he fell in love when he got out there to this young girl
The artist met a girl and fell in love with her when he moved to the West Coast.

And then the inevitable
The artist is implying that something bad or tragic happened in the artist's love story.

Became engaged and they were married
The artist and the girl got engaged and married.

Oh, oh, the power of love was upon them
The singer is emphasizing the strength of the love between the singer and the girl.

But you see, girls, I don't mean to come down on you
The artist shifts his attention to addressing the female audience members.

But this man loved this woman so
The singer is reiterating the deep love that the singer had for the girl.

He could see no wrong, no, no, no
The singer is emphasizing that the singer was blinded by his love and couldn't see the girl's flaws or mistakes.

He spent his last dime on the woman because he loved her
The singer was willing to spend all his money on the girl because he loved her.

And you know, girls
The artist addresses the female audience members again.

You can take love and kindness sometime for weakness and she took it for granted
The artist is highlighting that the girl took the artist's love and kindness for granted.

Yeah, and she tipped out on it
The girl cheated on the singer.

See, ain't nobody gonna believe what to tell him no way, fool
The singer implies that no one will believe the singer's side of the story.

Oh, yeah, girls, you do like that sometimes
The artist acknowledges that girls sometimes cheat on their partners.

But one day, one day, the old boy got sick and he had to come home
The artist got sick and had to return to his hometown.

I don't have to tell you what he found
The artist implies that the audience knows what the artist found when he got home.

Oh, yeah, it hurt him so bad
The singer is reiterating the pain that the singer felt.

He said, "Baby, Mama, why?" That's all he could say
The artist couldn't comprehend why the girl cheated on him.

But she said, "Oh, go on fool, you're doing it," but the man wasn't doing it
The girl gave a flimsy excuse for her infidelity, but the singer couldn't believe her.

But that's the only excuse she could give him
The singer implies that the girl didn't have a valid excuse for cheating on the singer.

He said, "Mama, I can't take it. I've got to leave you. I'm gonna leave you."
The singer decides to leave the girl because he couldn't bear the pain of her infidelity.

When she tried to straighten up, she said she was gonna straighten up
The girl promises to change and make things right.

She got a little job to help him out with the bills too,
The girl got a job to help the artist financially.

But that was just a sham because he found it again and again
The girl's promises were empty because she cheated on the singer multiple times.

And seven times he left this woman and seven times he came back
The singer couldn't fully move on from the girl despite her infidelity.

And he taken all that he could stand
The artist had reached his limit and couldn't take any more pain.

And the eighth time that this went down, he said, "Mama, I've got to go."
The artist decides to leave the girl for good.

He said, "I'm leaving my heart right here,"
The artist is heartbroken to leave the girl, but he knows it's necessary for his well-being.

Oh, I don't wanna go, but I've got to leave you, mama
The singer acknowledges that leaving the girl is necessary but he doesn't want to do it.

And he's been going down the highway
The artist is on a road trip after leaving the girl.

I guess it was around 3:30 in the morning
The singer gives a time reference for when the singer is driving.

He could hardly see the road with tears in his eyes
The singer is crying and can't see properly while driving.

He could barely see the sign that read on the side of the road
The singer can barely read the road signs through his tears.

The next town is 125 miles away
The artist still has a long distance to cover before he reaches the next town.

And these very words came into his mind. He said
The artist recalls a song that relates to his situation.

By the time I get to Phoenix, she'll be rising
The singer predicts that when he reaches Phoenix, the sun will be rising.

Oh, and she'll find a note I left hanging on her door
The singer has left a note for the girl at their house.

She'll laugh when she reads the part that says I'm leaving
The artist knows that the girl will not take his leaving seriously and will laugh at his note.

Yes she will. Why?
The artist implies that the girl's reaction will be dismissive because she has taken the artist for granted in the past.

'Cause I've left that girl so many times before, oh
The artist has left the girl multiple times before, and she doesn't believe he'll actually leave for good this time.

By the time I make Albuquerque, she'll be working
The singer predicts that when he reaches Albuquerque, the girl will be at work.

And she'll probably stop at lunch
The artist assumes that the girl often stops for lunch during her workday.

Just to give her, her sweet good thing a call
The singer imagines that the girl will call him during her lunch break because he was her 'sweet good thing.'

Oh, she'll hear, oh, oh
The singer is referring to the girl picking up the phone.

The phone keeps right on ringing and ringing and ringing and ringing and ringing and ringing
The phone keeps ringing, and there's no answer from the girl's end.

Oh, and ringing off the wall
The phone keeps ringing, and it's driving the artist crazy.

Mama, mama, mama, that's all
The artist is calling out to the girl, realizing that she's not going to answer.

And by the time I get to Oklahoma, she'll be sleeping
The singer predicts that when he reaches Oklahoma, the girl will be asleep.

She'll turn softly in her restless sleep, call my name out low
The singer imagines that the girl will call out his name in her sleep, hinting that she'll miss him.

And oh, then she'll cry just to think I-I-I-I-I
The artist implies that the girl will cry when she realizes that the artist has left her for good.

Would really leave her
The girl didn't believe the artist would ever leave her, but now she knows he's gone.

For time after time after time after time and time again, I've tried to tell her so
The artist has tried to convince the girl that he was serious about leaving her, but she didn't take him seriously.

But she was a non-believer, oh, and she did know
The girl didn't believe the singer and knew he was in love with her, so she took him for granted.

Oh, that I-I-I-I-I-I would really go
The artist emphasizes that the artist has left the girl for good, and she can't believe it.

She didn't believe I would really go
The girl didn't take the singer's warnings seriously and didn't believe he would actually leave her.

Oh no
The singer's leaving is real and significant.

I hate to leave you, baby, yes I do
The singer hates to leave the girl but knows he needs to do it for his own well-being.

I really, really, really hate to go, oh yeah
The artist is emphasizing the pain of leaving someone he once loved deeply.

But this heart of mine just can't take no more
The artist has reached his breaking point and can't handle any more heartbreak.