I Didn't Know It At the Time
Tim McGraw Lyrics


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I thought that my first love would be my wife
But in junior high she moved away from here
And I thought Johnny would always be my best friend
I haven't talked to him, in fifteen years
Back when I had those fights with my old man
I never thought he'd be, an old man

And I didn't know, all those years ago
How the years would go flying by
Thought I knew it all
But I was wrong
And I didn't know, I didn't know it at the time

I never thought good jobs were hard to find
Til I let my pride cost me one
I never thought my whole life would change
Til I heard the doctor say, I had a son
I never really thought that I was lost
Til I heard my dying mother sing 'Old Rugged Cross'

And I didn't know, all those years ago
How the years would go flying by
Thought I knew it all
But I was wrong
And I didn't know, I didn't know it at the time

Oh, I thought I knew it all
Oh, but I was wrong
And I didn't know, I didn't know it at the time

I didn't know, didn't know, didn't know




I didn't know
Oh, I didn't know

Overall Meaning

In Tim McGraw's song "I Didn't Know It At the Time," the singer reflects on the moments in his life that he thought he had figured out but looking back he realizes the things he didn't know. The song begins with him thinking about his first love who he assumed would end up being his wife, but when she moved away, he learned that life doesn't always go as planned. He also thinks about his best friend Johnny, whom he hasn't talked to in fifteen years, reminding him that friendships can fade away over time. The lines "Back when I had those fights with my old man/I never thought he'd be, an old man" shows that he once saw his father as a young and strong figure, but time has passed, and now his father is old.


The second verse of the song continues with the theme of the singer reflecting on moments in his life where he thought he had it all figured out, but he was wrong. For instance, he never thought good jobs were hard to find until his pride cost him one. He never thought that he would become a father until a doctor tells him he did have a son. He never thought he was lost until he heard his dying mother sing "Old Rugged Cross." All of these experiences demonstrate that there is always more to learn, and life has a way of teaching you lessons you didn't know you needed to learn.


Line by Line Meaning

I thought that my first love would be my wife
At one point in my life, I believed that my first love would be my life partner.


But in junior high she moved away from here
However, in junior high, she had to move away from our town.


And I thought Johnny would always be my best friend
As a child, I thought my friendship with Johnny would last forever.


I haven't talked to him, in fifteen years
However, I haven't been in touch with him for around fifteen years now.


Back when I had those fights with my old man
During the time I used to fight with my father,


I never thought he'd be, an old man
I never thought my dad would grow old someday.


And I didn't know, all those years ago
All those years ago, I failed to realize the things that lay ahead.


How the years would go flying by
I didn't envision time to move as swiftly as it did and years to pass by in a flash.


Thought I knew it all
I honestly believed that I had everything figured out.


But I was wrong
However, I was naive and mistaken.


I never thought good jobs were hard to find
I never knew that landing a good job would be so difficult.


Til I let my pride cost me one
Until one day when I realized that my ego is what made me lose a job opportunity.


I never thought my whole life would change
I never anticipated my entire life would take a sudden turn.


Til I heard the doctor say, I had a son
Until a doctor revealed that I had become a father.


I never really thought that I was lost
I was in denial and never accepted that I was lost and directionless.


Til I heard my dying mother sing 'Old Rugged Cross'
Only when my mother was on her deathbed, and I heard her singing the old hymn did I realize that I was spiritually lost.


Oh, I thought I knew it all
I was arrogant and believed that I knew everything.


Oh, but I was wrong
However, I was eventually wrong.


I didn't know, didn't know, didn't know
I was blissfully ignorant or totally unaware of what was going on.


I didn't know
I was in the dark or completely unenlightened.




Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: LEE MILLER, LEE THOMAS MILLER, CHRIS STAPLETON, CHRISTOPHER STAPLETON

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

Deamber Offord

I love Tim McGraw his music has meaning and his voice is great he is a true talent and yes i am black and love country music :-)

Kim Paul

Missing our dad, finally realize how wise he was, gone almost two years now. Now realizing just how much we counted, and turned to him. Shamefully, I suppose took Dad for granted. Some same that’s when you know you’ve done it right, when your children live with confidence freely light hearted. Thank you to Dad for that, but somehow feel I didn’t let him know enough how much we appreciated what he did for us.

ells creek farm

I feel the same about my grandma who raised me 😔 now she is in a nursing home struggling with happiness I try to make her happy

Willie John Kristofferson

What a phenomenal album. 🎶

Michael Jay Wong

I use to not listen to country music very much. Then when I started listening to Tim McGraw I started opening my taste into Country Music along with Metal, Rap, Worship, & Pop. You just have to get used to Country, that's all.

MN Bushcraft

For anyone struggling with giving forgiveness: let go of the past before it spoils the present. life is too short to go through it being resentful towards someone else. -speaking from experience

Ephesians 4:32

Donna Marie Pszoniak

Tim is awesome🎶🎶🎶🎶💞💞💞💞

Code of Honor

This song will rip your dat blamed heart muscle out.

Brenda Holdway

with his hat on he's very handsome and he has beautiful eyes. He has a pretty wife too.

Seize IMmUnITy

Why is it so hard to find his older stuff? Like the album the Where the Green Grss Grows and such

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