Sign of the Times Analysis
The theatrical and grand debut single holds strong among Harry's discography, even years after its release. Such a staple in his discography as a true debut into the new path he set himself on. It's a song that's so layered, meaningful, and beautifully vague but bursts at the seams with symbolism that hits everybody just that little bit differently.
An eerie calm covers the song, while sadness is soaked into every syllable that rolls off his tongue. The words undertone much growth, soul, wisdom, patience, heart, grit, life, death, and love. It's a song that's truly cathartic to listen to and sing along with other voices you stand shoulder to shoulder with. It's an absolute statement.
Here's a deep dive into Harry Styles' Sign of the Times, from a poet.
Judgement Day & A Mother's Cry
The theatricality of this song lends itself to a greater subject matter that extends past Harry himself and fosters a deeper connection on this wider scale he's dipping his feet into. Sign of the Times is layered beautifully, eloquently, and vaguely — artistically by design. It leaves room for many interpretations so any listener who comes across it can go with something to hold close to their heart. And what's held close to one's heart varies from spectator to spectator. My interpretation? A mesh between my internalization of the lyrics, and also taking into consideration how Harry himself has explained his own work — which is insanely valuable and precious and shouldn't be discarded in discussion in the way I see many do.
I believe the entity of Sign of the Times circles around Judgement Day, and the fear that ties in with it. The call of the inevitable end that could implode into your life at any given moment, and how the human mind seeks signs for one's comprehension. Or, as you could call them more specifically, the signs of the times. Obviously, more detail will unfold as we dive in lyric-by-lyric. But, now, let us refresh ourselves on Harry's own explanation:
"Most of the stuff that hurts me about what's going on at the moment is not politics, it's fundamentals. Equal rights. For everyone, all races, sexes, everything. [...] This isn't the first time we've been in a hard time, and it's not going to be the last time. The song is written from a point of view as if a mother was giving birth to a child and there's a complication. The mother is told, 'The child is fine, but you're not going to make it.' The mother has five minutes to tell the child, 'Go forth and conquer.'"
So many are up in arms about this explanation and believe it's a facade, but I disagree. The scene of a mother having to say goodbye to her newborn child is a powerful image that can explain the powerful emotions surrounding an unfortunate goodbye as well as lingering sparks of hope for a better future, even if it's for someone other than yourself. And, like I said before, there is a theatricality to this song. While many of the other songs on his eponymous album feel more intimate and like we're infiltrating on personal anecdotes/voice notes, Sign of the Times feels like it was made to cultivate connection and reach into others. But, remember, theatrical doesn't have to mean fake and inauthentic. Actually, to me, this represents the exact opposite.
Theatricality is using dramatic personas or devices to demonstrate something the artist cannot or chooses to not state simply or directly. Metaphors are a popular device in art for a reason — they allow the creator some distance from the message they're trying to deliver, which is needed for personal reasons the future audience doesn't need to fully comprehend. A natural disconnect often comes when attempting to present a message of grandiosity, and that's not a bad thing. And, in terms of Sign of the Times, I believe Harry uses it to his advantage, especially with it being his debut as a solo artist. As said before, this song feels like it was made to cultivate connection and reach into others, and that is exactly what he needed to do. And did so, successfully.
Last quick note before we continue on. I am so intrigued by the structure of this song, and how it doesn't follow the normal one for a pop song. Or even pop-rock, really, to me. This lends itself to how people were taken aback when Harry chose this song as his big debut single, subverting expectations held against him. Redefinition, one of the core themes of HS1. Poetically, I would characterize this song as more of a meditation (with an eschatological bend to it) rather than lyrical (which seeks to explain and expound — he's moving away from this style here).
Lyric Pull Apart
[VERSE 1] Just stop your crying, it's a Sign of the Times Welcome to the final show I 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
Just stop your crying, it's a Sign of the Times: This opening line remedies biblical allusion, specifically to the idea of Judgement Day, a Rapture, or even a resurrection/ascension showered in rebirth implications. Sign of the Times also constantly alludes to themes of turmoil — perhaps death, rebirth, or even purification — all centering back to this opener. To bring focus to the actual wording of the lyric, many religions believe that before the end times, there will be signs. We recognize the signs of doom, uneasiness, and inevitable charging toward us, among others. The speaker is reassuring the listener, telling them to stop your crying, for it won't change the Sign of the Times — letting oneself get consumed by emotions won't change the inevitable.
THROUGH HARRY'S EXPLANATION: The mother knows she's going to die, and knows that she's not able to watch her little one grow up. But what she can do is relish in these last five minutes she has with her child. She begs the child to stop your crying, and connect with her. It's a Sign of the Times, I have to leave you behind, my child, and you must know your power to conquer. You can survive without me, I promise.
Welcome to the final show: There's an underlying sense of inevitable terminus, whether one's ready to face it or not. How it's presented and phrased here emphasizes the apocalyptic and leans further to the song's grandiose nature. Naturally, as a Harry Styles and David Bowie fanatic, my mind connects this piece and David Bowie's Life on Mars? — more the specific lyric: "Oh man, wonder if he'll ever known / He's in the best selling show". There, Bowie is blurring the lines between reality and fantasy, which I think can add another nuance to Sign of The Times if applied. Is the grandiose nature of the song itself mimicking some kind of cinematic circus? The amplification of what shouldn't be amplified? How even grieving and tragedy are commodified? Questions raised, but not entirely fleshed out yet, but wanted to offer them to your beautiful minds anyhow.
THROUGH HARRY'S EXPLANATION: I picture this as something the mother says to her child as she's holding them in her arms, but more than anything, she's repeating it to herself as a path to acceptance. Welcome to my final show, I'm dying and I can't escape the inevitable. And the mother's heart is breaking, knowing she won't get to watch her child grow, that she has to leave her own flesh and blood behind her. Welcome to my final show, it's my final hour. Final five minutes. My time is coming to a close, but yours is just beginning.
I hope you're wearing your best clothes: This line, I believe, can be taken as the speaker talking to the listener/receiver, or the speaker talking to oneself. Both, simultaneously, can be true. I feel, also, there's a bit of cynicism, a little bitterness, undertoning the words. Telling someone to pull themselves together as there's no other option — or, let's get dressed up to watch the downfall of all we've known. Taking into consideration that this is an accompaniment to the line that precedes it, I can't help but think of a funeral, for the person in the casket is always dressed in their best clothes to be buried underground. Naturally, then, a follow-up question is prompted: who could this funeral be mourning? Is it the mother as this song stands as her last dying wish and breath? Is a broader service toward all victims of this Sign of The Times? Or one who took advantage of the times to please themselves?
Another consideration is that this is a precedent to the line about to follow it, and with that enacted, a new perspective is granted. Best clothes are all about presentation, a facade, a false exterior to trick other's perceptions at times. Trick people into thinking you're more well off than you truthfully are, sometimes to push forward more than those who are perceived as competition. Almost like... a bribe?
THROUGH HARRY'S EXPLANATION: A little baby is swaddled in a standard blanket and hospital-issued clothing, and the mother is in a hospital-issued medical gown — just the image of that scene brings a new nuance to the line itself. The story that Harry provided us in companionship with the song is tragic in itself, but as you take some of these lines and connect them back to his explanation, certain details hit harder than others. A hint of sarcasm is undertoned to weave this line into this tale. Look at us, in our gaudy hospital get-ups, minutes before I have to leave you. And, even, looking towards the future that's already set — the mother, in a casket, dressed in her finest clothes and pearls, and the baby, so young, dressed in their best onesie to lay their mother to rest they never got the chance to know.
You can't bribe your door on your way to the sky: We're sticking with the biblical allusions here, so buckle yourself in. When entering the gates of Heaven, one's life must speak for itself. There's no way to bend the rules in the face of Judgement Day, no matter how much money or trinkets you have hoarded. The speaker suggests that the listener/receiver of this song — the one being spoken to/comforted — is simply bribing their way through life, but this won't be sustainable especially postmortem. This lyric goes out of its way, in the haunting light of tragedy, to highlight a notion of superficiality and hypocrisy. But, again, this reminder could be the speaker reminding themselves, too.
THROUGH HARRY'S EXPLANATION: If a mother had five minutes left with her child, she'd try to instill as much wisdom in those last bonding moments, even if it might not be comprehended or fall flat. And that's what this line comes off as, to me, in this perspective — the mother telling her child that they must live life well and that they can't bribe their way through the years they're so blessed to be granted. Simultaneously, with added nuance, the mother herself could have some regrets in the back of her head about how she's lived her life before being faced with motherhood — wanting to try everything to prevent her new child making the same mistakes she made in life, even if it doesn't register.
You look pretty good down here / But you ain't really good: Another allusion to superficiality, the speaker claims that to whomever they are speaking of holds tight to the facade of being good, but the person's not inherently good, and their malevolence will become apparent in the light of the inevitable Judgement Day, in the midst of the Sign of The Times. Again, the speaker could very well be addressing themselves, whether only or also. From the phrasing of the line, it feels like the speaker could've already ascended — prepping for redefinition, rebirth... might be such a stretch, but there it is! — and looking down at those stuck in indecision. Or, the speaker remains on the ground and is watching the listener/receiver trying to find their way into Heaven. Feel more adamant about the latter.
The But you ain't really good bit, it's really interesting because it leaves me wondering a lot. Is this the speaker's opinion? Is this the influence of the words of others? Is the speaker referring to themselves or the listener? Or both? Is it the speaker calling out whomever they're speaking to/of? Many questions all worth being pondered, and will be internalized in a thousand different ways. And I think that's a key to the beauty of this song, that almost everyone can find a way to take away from it. You know?
THROUGH HARRY'S EXPLANATION: The mother knows that her child has a long road ahead of them, and she can't be there to guide them through it all. All she has are these five minutes, ticking away. In those minutes, she's going to try to squeeze a lifetime's worth of wisdom. You look pretty good down here, as she looks down at her child, so naive to the world, in her arms that shake as the fear sets in of her inevitable death. But you ain't really good, but, child, you have so much trouble ahead of you. The world is chaotic, and I, your mother, won't be there to even attempt to shield and protect you. Like I should. Maybe more of an abstract interpretation here, but I stand by it!
[PRE-CHORUS] We never learn we've been here before Why are we always stuck and running from The bullets, the bullets? We never learn, we've been here before Why are we always stuck and running from The bullets, the bullets?
The pre-chorus is full of questions of innocence, such as: Why are there bullets? Why are they always aimed at us? At me? Why does this keep happening — we've already been here before? And innocence doesn't only have to be a product of ignorance, but can also be a coping mechanism. HS1 is full of chronicles told of unhealthy ones, so it charts. There's a switch, also, from you to we, and that tiny detail helps us shift to a sense of unity — and from unity could ignite a spark of hope in the hopelessness of end times. But, make no mistakes, the tragic tone of the song hasn't teetered off at all. Rather, the exhibit of this flicking spark of hope leans itself to more tragedy as there's a fast track to an inevitable end that can't be halted, even in grand numbers. Death is inevitable.
We never learn we've been here before: Such simple phrasing, but captures the frustration of "If we know the outcome of this, why don't we prevent it?". This theatrical story of the end times, an attempted inference, is a metaphor for struggle in interpersonal communication. A theory, okay. The circles of never communicating properly, which is a topic that's explored heavily in his debut album. Broader, it captures the cyclical pattern of human behavior ingrained in nature, where history repeats itself and individuals fail to learn from mistakes in the past.
THROUGH HARRY'S EXPLANATION: Could be a moment of reflection and/or a flashback in time. With the knowledge now that having this child would result in her death, it's inevitable for a mother to think back and wonder if there was anything she could've done differently. Looking back, was there something she missed? Feeling as if she didn't learn enough, she didn't know better, even if she had done everything right in truth. Is there a way I could've survived to watch my baby go forth and conquer?
Why are we always stuck and running from / The bullets, the bullets?: A continuation of frustration, how the speaker and the receiver have been in this moment before, perpetually stuck in a cycle that causes deja vu. It's as if they know the outcome — the outcome of just being and watching the world crumble around as debris piles at their feet. Stuck in this endless cycle and running from it, but why are we running from it? Maybe we need to let ourselves succumb to the inevitable, to the Sign of The Times. An appropriation of the idiom of a problem being swept under the carpet, now replaced with something more contemporary and paradoxical.
THROUGH HARRY'S EXPLANATION: Maybe the mother has had this knowledge for a long while, how she was going to have to die to give her child life. And she knows she can't run away from the inevitable, and wonders why, possibly, she used to. Now, she's skin to skin with her new child, having such a short time to live as she ponders the new soul she brought into the world. Through heartbreak, she wants to give her child the courage to go forth and conquer. Because knowledge doesn't always mean acceptance and might make that journey even more difficult.
The bullets, the bullets?: When he sings the word bullets here, it always sounded softer to me, contradicting the sharpness of the imagery. Which, in turn, makes me wonder if there's a double layer to it intentionally. The bullets that bleed, that maim, but can be felt as soft caresses simultaneously. But is it a genuine caress, or one laced with hypocrisy? People making their judgments, the hands that should nurture and caress, are delivering bullets instead, with inhumane mendacity that reassures their targets (later with it'll be alright) even as they are being destroyed.
As for where the bullets are coming from? People have argued for a while now on whether they can hear your bullets, and I actually love the idea that the bullets come from the ambiguous you, because it deepens both the religious connotation and hypocrisy notion. But, too, this could be a moment of reflection whilst in the end times — maybe wondering if any of these bullets ever mattered in a grand scheme of life flashing by your eyes. Doesn't mean they hurt any bit less, though.
[CHORUS] 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
We gotta get away from here: Awareness and denial swirl together. They know the end is near, so they want to escape it and get away from it — but that's not necessarily realistic. And the repetition of this phrase specifically indicates a spiraling, hopelessness of trying to escape death and judgment. The "ending" motif is present throughout the song, if you haven't caught on already — and the chorus comes off as an attempt to call to action, in desperation. We have to leave before the bullets start flying — but, in the snap of reality clouding over, one realizes they're stuck in the midst of it with no feasible way of escaping the inevitable.
THROUGH HARRY'S EXPLANATION: The Mother wants to stay in a life where she continues to be with her child, to protect and shelter the innocent life she brought into the world. She wants, wistfully, to whisk both of them away to somewhere neither of them can get hurt, but, regardless of these fantasies, the inevitable end is barreling towards her. Striking and poignant in itself, this concept — one person dying so another could live.
Just stop your crying, it'll be alright: While analyzing, I couldn't shake the thought of this line being attached to the term the end is near, and should never be separated. Together, I think it captures it in its true nature. Because, the small sense of reassurance and attempt at comfort is a product of one's circumstances. But more questions arise. Could this be another factor of denial, trying to move away from the inevitable crash and burn? Yes, possibly, whether you have the perception of the speaker addressing someone else, himself, or both simultaneously.
THROUGH HARRY'S EXPLANATION: Goes hand-in-hand with the other explanation just before, but even though the Mother is becoming overwhelmed with pessimistic views and hopelessness, she looks toward her child and remembers she has to be hopeful and strong for them, even for the last five minutes of her life. Even, as the Mother looks down at her child with their whole life ahead of them, there's some hope in the innocence. She wants her child to go forth and conquer, come what may, even if that includes the Mother on her deathbed soon and inevitably.
They told me that the end is near / We gotta get away from here: Brief discussion for this one. To me, these lyrics hold a crucial factor to the song as a single entity because of the urgency they convey when paired together. The awareness, the panic, and the denial wrapped up together.
[VERSE 2] Just stop your crying, have the time of your life Breaking through the atmosphere Things look pretty good from here Remember everything will be alright We can meet again somewhere Somewhere far away from here
Just stop your crying, have the time of your life: I believe the second verse takes place after the speaker has ascended to Heaven / a realm outside. There's a different tone to the second verse when put next to the first — though a subtle contrast, it's a contrast nonetheless, and therefore worth noting. If we're sticking with the biblical allusions, then I take this line as after death and reaching Heaven, the pain of the subject's and/or the speaker's personal issues lifted. As a result of this realization, they advise the living to accept that death is inevitable and focus on making their lives worth living in the time that's left on their clock.
THROUGH HARRY'S EXPLANATION: The Mother can feel her time coming to a close, that she has to leave her child behind in death. So, she reassures, just stop your crying, and verbalizes her greatest wish for her little loved one into small ears that can't comprehend yet — have the time of your time. Acceptance that death is inevitable and inescapable, and she can't run from it. But, rather, the Mother must encourage her child to live their life to the fullest with the time they've been given at her own expense.
Breaking through the atmosphere: A second allusion that we're in the midst of/referring to something beyond this world. Heaven, another realm, however one wants to interpret it.
Things look pretty good from here: A stark contrast from the ending of the first verse, and I believe it's intentionally crafted in this way. You look pretty good down here / But you ain't really good shifts to Things look pretty good from here with no followup of the cynics. It branches off from the first line of this verse, and the interpretation there — advising the living to accept that death is inevitable, and now adding on the realization that what was feared offers something beautiful, something that looks pretty good.
We can meet again somewhere / Somewhere far away from here: These final two lines, closing off the second verse, are both pivotal and bittersweet. We can reconnect in peace with those we love in an afterlife, after the end times, after the inevitable catastrophe that Sign of the Times alludes to. The details of that catastrophic event? It's intentionally left up to the viewer to fill in that blank. We'll always meet again indicating that the speaker and the receiver have a strong connection and affection for one another. And that still holds true even if the speaker is the receiver simultaneously like I've debated with you before — now adding on an undertone of growing self-respect and acceptance. The bittersweetness to this is the inability to be together and find a resolution right now, but this hope of a future together lingers still, even if it's postmortem. Everything will be alright, we'll see each other again. Stop your crying, we've been through hell before and made it through, we'll always seek each other on the other side of it.
THROUGH HARRY'S EXPLANATION: The dying Mother comforts her newborn child, promising that, though she has to leave now, they'll soon be reunited in the afterlife. With the awareness of her death barrelling toward her, we've heard and witnessed her passing life lessons and hope onto her child, wanting them to live a life worth living. Even with her death being inevitable, and the child being left alone being the same level of inevitability. But, still, the Mother holds onto faith and hope, knowing that a time will come when she's reunited with this little love of her life, her bundle of joy amongst the raised hell. Somewhere far away from here, maybe Heaven, maybe an afterlife, we'll meet again somewhere far away from this deathbed I'm confined to now.
[PRE-CHORUS] We never learn, we've been here before Why are we always stuck and running from The bullets, the bullets? We never learn, we've been here before Why are we always stuck and running from The bullets, the bullets?
Repetition of the same pre-chorus, and I always take repetition being intentional as the first resort, for it's not an uncommon technique/motif in all arts. Here, the intention (I believe, anyway) is this feeling of being unable to escape — in terms of not being able to escape the end times — and a sense of urgency — only having a limited amount of time to comfort/communicate teach during a fight against an impending, inevitable end. For instance, a Mother trying to cherish the last minutes with her child before she passes away from complications because she gave this sweet baby life.
[CHORUS] 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'll be alright They told me that the end is near We gotta get away from here
Repetition of the chorus further emphasizes a desire to escape the inevitability of a dire situation. But, still, the acceptance of the inevitable disaster to come, and reassurance as a coping mechanism, in Stop your crying, baby, it'll be alright. This hope that there's a way to escape this negative phenomenon barreling towards them, an ache to find a place of safety — physically or metaphorically... or both. But, as discussed prior, there's no way to escape the inevitable. Yet, in this resurfacing of the chorus constantly, there's a resortment back to a hope that's almost naive and childlike, which ties in with the conceptualization of a Mother speaking to her child before death, too.
[PRE-CHORUS] We never learn, we've been here before Why are we always stuck and running from The bullets, the bullets? We never learn, we've been here before Why are we always stuck and running from The bullets, the bullets?
Once more, repetition of the pre-chorus, the push of urgency, and no signs of escape. We never learn, we've been here before encapsulates such an insurmountable feeling, the suffering of the subject(s), and the exhaustion of witnessing the same pain again and again. Walking through hell in a horrible cycle — self-inflicted or forced upon is up for debate, and another thing up to the listener. Then, the feeling is further categorized by the following line, Why are we always stuck and running from the bullets? — being stuck, stagnancy, but more on the level of the loss of control one once had.
[BRIDGE] 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
We don't talk enough / We should open up: Now enters a term whose underlying motif works as a thesis for all discussions of Harry's music, extending far beyond this song only. But for right now we've got to focus on this song only. Because it's a Sign of the Times analysis. Anyway! Lack of communication! A motif of concealing emotions and pain, and inability to talk through those things. The timing and presentation of this line come across as an intimate thought or spoken conversation rooted in regret. When faced with the Sign of the Times, and knowing that one's end is near, people grow a willingness to seek amends, hoping to die without regrets.
THROUGH HARRY'S EXPLANATION: The Mother's regrets come crashing down around her within these last minutes her life, regretting — though it could very well be through no fault of her own — that she doesn't have more time with her child, more time to connect and communicate, to teach the child what they need to know for the life they are about to face on their own.
Before it's all too much: This accompanies the two lines that precede it. The cycle of keeping emotions and pain inside to brush on forward will only lead to the destruction of sacred things, from relationships all the way up to individual lives. Before it's all too much. Before it ruins us. Before it kills us. Alternatively, or possibly a companion, one can see that someone is burdened and suffering to their limits, especially if there's an established connection between them. A strong connection has been solidified with the listener prior. Maybe?
Will we ever learn? / We've been here before: Will we ever learn to honestly communicate with one another? Will we ever learn? Will we ever learn to not get fooled? And, tell me, will we ever learn to evade these bullets? Or should we learn to embrace our bullet wounds? Once more, the speaker references a cyclical stagnancy they've found themselves stuck within, inferred with the following We've been here before.
It's just what we know: This feeling of helplessness is not something foreign to the speaker, nor is it unknown to the receiver. But, there's also a moment of realization when coupled with the other lines in the song's bridge, that the speaker realizes there's something uneasy about it all being so comfortable. In some way, it's in this line specifically that he answers his own question about why they or "we" feel stuck and running, but never learn. And, that all reminds me of something he said in Rolling Stone when speaking of Sign of the Times, where he said, and I quote:
"This isn't the first time we've been in a hard time, and it's not going to be the last time."
[OUTRO] 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
The outro, the conclusion to the song, is composed of a repetition of the call to action. Amid the most climactic, powerful section of the whole song, with all the instrumentals and poetry building up to this point. A mixture of hope and fear still remains, but in the ending's rising, it feels like release into the unknown has taken over. The pleading and the exclaiming into the manta of We got to get away — extends in haste to We got to, we got to, away! Then, as it falls back down to the simplistic piano — in the same nature to which the piece began — is as they've finally broke through the atmosphere in finality, and where the Mother finally passes, and a child is left alone, ready to conquer the world left in front of them.
The conclusion to the song is done with a repetition of the call to action. And, done in the midst of the most climactic, powerful section of the entire song, as all the instrumentals and poetry have been building up to this point. A mixture of hope and fear still remains, but in the rising of the ending, it feels like release into the unknown has taken over. The pleading and the exclaiming into the almost mantra of We got to get away – extends in haste to We got to, we got to, away. Then, as it falls back down to the simplistic piano – in the same nature the song began – is as they’ve finally broke through the atmosphere in finality, and where the Mother finally passes, and the child is left alone.
Core Lyric
I believe every song has one lyric that encompasses the song as an entity. For Sign of the Times, the core lyric is:
"we got to get away"
I chose this as the core lyric because it's the call to action one keeps returning to, and for good reason. The entirety of Sign of the Times feels like a call to action, with this being the centered desire. And, in its simplicity, it can be applied to both avoidance and acceptance, two ideals equally investigated throughout the song. As I've said before, songs like this one are so special because they can hit everybody differently, and give them what they need in the moment. With that said, I feel like the takeaway is always some form of the chosen core lyric. We got to get away, whatever that means to you, whatever that meant to Harry back then, and whatever it means to Harry now — it's beautiful, and I don't know how much more I can say about this song without diving straight into gushing.
Thank you for reading, you're absolutely incredible!
If there are any songs you'd like me to make an analysis of, please send your request to my inbox! Along with any questions or insights you might have yourself!
