No Time
Iris DeMent Lyrics


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My father died a year ago today,
The rooster started crowing when they carried Dad away
There beside my mother, in the living room, I stood
With my brothers and my sisters knowing Dad was gone for good

Well, I stayed at home just long enough to lay him in the ground
And then I caught a plane to do a show up north in Detroit town
Because I'm older now and I've got no time to cry

I've got no time to look back, I've got no time to see
The pieces of my heart that have been ripped away from me
And if the feeling starts to coming, I've learned to stop 'em fast
Cause I don't know, if I let them go, they might not want to pass
And there's just so many people trying to get me on the phone
And there's bills to pay, and songs to play, and a house to make a home
I guess I'm older now and I've got no time to cry

I can still remember when I was a girl
But so many things have changed so much here in my world
I remember sitting on the front porch when an ambulance went by
And just listening to those sirens I would breakdown and cry

But now I'm walking and I'm talking doing just what I'm supposed to do
Working overtime to make sure that I don't come unglued
I guess I'm older now and I've got no time to cry

I've got no time to look back, I've got no time to see
The pieces of my heart that have been ripped away from me
And if the feeling starts to coming, I've learned to stop 'em fast
Cause I don't know, if I let them go, they might not want to pass
And there's just so many people trying to get me on the phone
And there's bills to pay, and songs to play, and a house to make a home
I guess I'm older now and I've got no time to cry

Now I sit down on the sofa and I watch the evening news
There's a half a dozen tragedies from which to pick and choose
The baby that was missing was found in a ditch today
And there's bombs a-flying and people dying not so far away
I'll take a beer from the 'frigerator and go sit out in the yard




And with a cold one in my hand I'm gonna bite down and swallow hard
Because I'm older now and I've got no time to cry

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Iri DeMent's song "No Time" are a poignant reflection of life and death, and the inevitability of change. The song is written from the perspective of someone who has lost their father a year ago, and finds themselves compelled to keep on moving forward, despite the temptation to stop and grieve. The lyrics describe the emotional difficulty of facing loss and the longing for a simpler time in life.


The song's opening lines reflect the sense of grief that comes with losing a parent. The rooster crowing is a powerful symbolic image that evokes an unfathomable reality- that life goes on, even when someone that is deeply loved has passed away. Despite this jarring experience, the singer finds themselves compelled to carry on with their life- driven by obligations, responsibilities and other people's demands.


As the lyrics progress, it becomes clear that the singer is someone who has become accustomed to working hard and putting on a brave face. They have learned how to keep their emotions in check and stay away from feeling too much. Even when they are reminiscing, they do not allow themselves to become too sentimental- always keeping their eyes on the future and focusing on what needs to be done to keep moving forward.


In conclusion, "No Time" is a powerful song that speaks to the human experience of dealing with loss, grief, and the pressures of life. Although it is a sad song, it has an evocative sense of hope that comes with realizing that despite it all, life goes on.


Line by Line Meaning

My father died a year ago today,
The singer’s father died exactly a year ago today


The rooster started crowing when they carried Dad away
When the singer’s father was being taken away, the rooster began to crow


There beside my mother, in the living room, I stood
The singer stood in the living room with their mother


With my brothers and my sisters knowing Dad was gone for good
The artist and siblings accepted the fact that their father had passed away


Well, I stayed at home just long enough to lay him in the ground
The artist didn’t stay long after the funeral


And then I caught a plane to do a show up north in Detroit town
The singer went to Detroit for a show after the funeral


Because I'm older now and I've got no time to cry
The singer considers themselves too busy to mourn


I can still remember when I was a girl
The artist can remember her childhood


But so many things have changed so much here in my world
The artist recognizes that much has changed


I remember sitting on the front porch when an ambulance went by
The artist used to sit on the porch and cry when they heard an ambulance


And just listening to those sirens I would breakdown and cry
The sound of the siren was enough to trigger their emotions


But now I'm walking and I'm talking doing just what I'm supposed to do
Now the artist is able to carry on with their day-to-day routine


Working overtime to make sure that I don't come unglued
The singer is working extra hard to stay composed


Now I sit down on the sofa and I watch the evening news
The singer sits down to watch the news


There's a half a dozen tragedies from which to pick and choose
The news reports contain a multitude of tragic stories


The baby that was missing was found in a ditch today
One of the stories on the news is about a baby who was found in a ditch


And there's bombs a-flying and people dying not so far away
The news also covers bombings and people dying in other locations


I'll take a beer from the 'frigerator and go sit out in the yard
The singer goes outside with a beer to relax


And with a cold one in my hand I'm gonna bite down and swallow hard
The singer takes a deep breath and tries to calm themselves down


Because I'm older now and I've got no time to cry
The artist reiterates that they feel they’re too busy to mourn




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ANDREW ELDRITCH, CRAIG DAVID ADAMS, GARY MARX, WAYNE HUSSEY

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

Morris Starkey

Every note she sings has a tear in it...


NO TIME TO CRY
[Verse 1]
My father died a year ago today
The rooster started crowing when they carried Dad away
There beside my mother, in the living room, I stood
With my brothers and my sisters, knowing Dad was gone for good
Well, I stayed at home just long enough
To lay him in the ground and then I
Caught a plane to do a show up north in Detroit town
Because I'm older now and I've got no time to cry

[Chorus]
I've got no time to look back, I've got no time to see
The pieces of my heart that have been ripped away from me
And if the feeling starts to coming, I've learned to stop 'em fast
Because I don't know, if I let 'em go, they might not wanna pass
And there's just so many people trying to get me on the phone
And there's bills to pay, and songs to play
And a house to make a home
I guess I'm older now and I've got no time to cry

[Verse 2]
I can still remember when I was a girl
But so many things have changed so much here in my world
I remember sitting on the front yard when an ambulance went by
And just listening to those sirens I would breakdown and cry
But now I'm walking and I'm talking
Doing just what I'm supposed to do
Working overtime to make sure that I don't come unglued
I guess I'm older now and I've got no time to cry

[Chorus]

[Verse 3]
Now I sit down on the sofa and I watch the evening news:
There's a half a dozen tragedies from which to pick and choose
The baby that was missing was found in a ditch today
And there's bombs a'flying and people dying not so far away
And I'll take a beer from the refrigerator
And go sit out in the yard and with a cold one in my hand
I'm going to bite down and swallow hard
Because I'm older now: I've got no time to cry

[Chorus]

[Outro]
I guess I'm older now
I just ain't got no time to cry
No time to cry.[x3]



Rick Broderick

No Time to Cry...lyrics
Iris DeMent


My father died a year ago today.
The rooster started crowing when they carried Dad away.
There beside my mother, in the living room, I stood,
With my brothers and my sisters, knowing Dad was gone for good.
Well, I stayed at home just long enough,
To lay him in the ground and then I,
Caught a plane to do a show up north in Detroit town.
Because I'm older now and I've got no time to cry.
I've got no time to look back, I've got no time to see,
The pieces of my heart that have been ripped away from me.
And if the feeling starts to coming, I've learned to stop 'em fast.
'Cause I don't know, if I let 'em go, they might not wanna pass.
And there's just so many people trying to get me on the phone.
And there's bills to pay, and songs to play,
And a house to make a home.
I guess I'm older now and I've got no time to cry.
I can still remember when I was a girl.
But so many things have changed so much here in my world.
I remember sitting on the front yard when an ambulance went by,
And just listening to those sirens I would breakdown and cry.
But now I'm walking and I'm talking,
Doing just what I'm supposed to do.
Working overtime to make sure that I don't come unglued.
I guess I'm older now and I've got no time to cry.
I've got no time to look back, I've got no time to see,
The pieces of my heart that have been ripped away from me.
And if the feeling starts to coming, I've learned to stop 'em fast.
'Cause I don't know, if I let 'em go, they might not wanna pass.
And there's just so many people trying to get me on the phone.
And there's bills to pay, and songs to play,
And a house to make a home.
I guess I'm older now and I've got no time to cry.
Now I sit down on the sofa and I watch the evening news:
There's a half a dozen tragedies from which to pick and choose.
The baby that was missing was found in a ditch today.
And there's bombs a'flying and people dying not so far away.
And I'll take a beer from the 'fridgerator,
And go sit out in the yard and with a cold one in my hand,
I'm gonna bite down and swallow hard.
Because I'm older now: I've got no time to cry.
I've got no time to look back, I've got no time to see,
The pieces of my heart that have been ripped away from me.
And if the feeling starts to coming, I've learned to stop 'em fast.
'Cause I don't know, if I let 'em go, they might not wanna pass.
And there's just so many people trying to get me on the phone.
And there's bills to pay, and songs to play,
And a house to make a home.
I guess I'm older now and I've got no time to cry.
I guess I'm older now: I just ain't got no time to cry.
No time to cry.
No time to cry.
No time to cry.
Source: Musixmatch



All comments from YouTube:

Randy Ward

Been listening to Iris for many years.Never gets old.Wonderful voice and Great songwriter

Devin Gademan

Thank you for your beautiful music, Iris Dement. You have touched my heart with your albums. Greetings from Germany!

Trebor Retsehc

Unbelievable voice, amazing lyrics.

shoutinghorse

Beautiful song, Beautifully sung by a Beautiful lady with a Beautiful voice. You can't get much more perfect than that.

Ray Smith

Love her voice.

Stuart Thompson

What I admire most about Iris is that she has always done it her way.  No selling out in her genes.

Neal Baker

Very true.

Vicki Gauerke

While I let her rest for awhile, I always go back to Iris. Songs like this remind me why I do.
No one is close to her voice and phrasing .

wendy woodward

Brilliant !!!

simplyDiann

I'm wanting to cry. My God, I miss my parents. This is a beautiful, poignant song.

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