All We Got Is Time
Mike Holm
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About this release
This song is about the people we look up to and the way they shape us. You think mentors will have all the answers, and they do have a lot of them, but the hardest part is still finding balance for yourself. The song really started with my father-in-law. He was a traveling salesman, driving long hours to support his family, and in hotel rooms he filled notebooks with lyrics he never published. He gave me one of those books, and as I read through it the chorus came to me. It’s about all the time we spend apart for the promise of being together later, the irony of working so hard for a future we assume we’ll reach. Musically, I leaned into the storytelling warmth of Dave Matthews Band, John Hiatt, Jackson Browne, and Tim McGraw. I once had a boss tell me I was working too slowly and doing a bad job, and when I asked how to improve all he could say was, “It’s all about balance.” That idea kept circling back as I wrote. I also kept thinking about the warmth of family memories—weekends where someone handled the food so everyone else could play, the small adventures, the feeling of being together. Those people contribute to you, and then one day they are gone, often unexpectedly. While I was writing this song, my friend’s dad died suddenly of a heart attack, and that loss sharpened the stakes. The line “I know one day I’ll trade your company for your memory” says it plainly. The rest of the song is a reminder to make the most of the time we have, because it goes faster than we want it to.
Lyrics
Hello dear, it's good to see you Tell me everything you've been through I'm sure it's been a crazy week Lunch is already in the oven You ain't gotta want for nothing So go ahead sit down and kick up your feet Man, your boss sounds like quite a piece of work Pressing your nose down to the grind Mountains of laundry and a of sea of unread mail The tide is rising, it's never been so high Time always seems to fly Makes you feel behind No matter how you try But I know That what matters most Is what you chose Knowing you just can't have it all So before we get to goodbye Remember we're alive And that we set the Values in our mind Cause all we got is time Take a sip straight from the hose Don't worry if you soak your clothes Some things simply can not be controlled Time wasted or invested Is just a matter of perspective Or the way that you define the goal Man you seem so stressed and overwhelmed Have you planned your next holiday Doing nothing will bring balance to your life It doesn't matter how long you stay Time always seems to fly Makes you feel behind No matter how you try But I know That what matters most Is what you chose Knowing you just can't have it all So before we get to goodbye Remember we're alive And that we set the Values in our mind Cause all we got is time You say it's all about balance Well I'm looking for the recipe You know I'm trying to live my life To the maximum capacity And I know one day I'll trade your company for your memory But I need to find that piece of mind Won't you please Tell me How I oughta be How I ought to be Won't you tell me how to be Don't you see I'm begging please Cause time always seems to fly Makes you feel behind No matter how you try But I know That what matters most Is what you chose Knowing you just can't have it all So before we get to goodbye Remember we're alive And that we set the Values in our mind Cause all we got is time All we got is time