Just stop your crying/
It’s the sign of the times…

According to Harry Styles, “Sign of the Times” is about a mother who just had a child and she was told the baby is going to live but she is going to die shortly. “Sign of the Times” is the mother’s words to the child. That concept is great, but that is not the story the song tells, nor does the tone of the song match. It wouldn’t be the first time an artist fibbed when asked what a song is about. (Dylan did this all the time.)

Think of all the things you’d want to tell your child if you had only five minutes to live. Probably not something about how we’re always stuck and running from bullets. What does that even mean in this context?

The lyrics sound closer to a Bonnie & Clyde adventure told from the perspective of Clyde. Everything makes much more sense this way. The lovers are having fun but getting into trouble…they’ve got to get away! This makes much more sense.

Harry Styles is has an amazing voice and delivers a powerful vocal. What a melody! Both the verse, bridge and chorus are strong. The song has solid instrumentation.  Styles  sings with emotion.   His falsetto is amazing. He is on the same level as Prince and the Brothers’ Gibb.

The more you experience “Sign of the Times” and the less background you bring to it, the more you’ll enjoy it (the fact that he was in boy band “One Direction”, his story about the lyrics, etc.) “Sign of the Times” is one of the best songs of the past decade.

Sign of the Times Lyrics

Just stop your crying,
It’s a sign of the times.
Welcome to the final show,
Hope you’re wearing your best clothes.

You can’t bribe the door on your way to the sky.
You look pretty good down here,
But you ain’t really good.

If we never learn, we been here before.
Why are we always stuck and running from
The bullets?
The bullets.
We never learn, we been here before.
Why are we always stuck and running from
The bullets?
The bullets.

Just stop your crying,
It’s a sign of the times.
We gotta get away from here,
We gotta get away from here.
Just stop your crying,
It’ll be alright.
They told me that the end is near,
We gotta get away from here.

Just stop your crying,
Have the time of your life.
Breaking through the atmosphere.
And things are pretty good from here.
Remember everything will be alright,
We can meet again somewhere,
Somewhere far away from here.
We never learn, we been here before,
Why are we always stuck and running from
The bullets?
The bullets.

We never learn, we been here before.
Why are we always stuck and running from
The bullets?
The bullets.
Just stop your crying
It’s a sign of the times.
We gotta get away from here.
We gotta get away from here.

Stop your crying
Baby, it will be alright.
They told me that the end is near.
We gotta get away from here.
We never learn, we been here before,
Why are we always stuck and running from
The bullets?
The bullets.

We never learn, we been here before,
Why are we always stuck and running from
The bullets?
The bullets.

We don’t talk enough.
We should open up,
Before it’s all too much.
Will we ever learn?
We’ve been here before.
It’s just what we know.

Stop your crying, baby
It’s a sign of the times.
We gotta get away,
We got to get away!
We got to get away!
We got to get away.
We got to get away.
We got to, we got to (away).
We got to, we got to (away).
We got to, we got to (away).

written by: Harry Styles, Jeff Bhasker, Mitch Rowland, Ryan Nasci, Alex Salibian, Tyler Johnson