Time Is A Bomb Lyrics & Meaning: Metric’s Intimate Exploration of Love, Urgency, and Life’s Fleeting Moments

Time Is A Bomb Lyrics


[Verse 1]
I am always up
And I'm always down
I am always up
And I'm always down to be the number you call in the night
Don't even ask, "Am I okay?"
I am always down to be the number you call in the night
Don't even ask, "Am I awake?"

[Pre-Chorus]
I am always up
And I'm always down
I am always up
And I'm always down

[Chorus]
I am always up
And I'm always down
Anytime I hear your voice, I fall in love with the sound
I am always up
And I'm always down
Anytime I hear your voice, I fall in love with the sound
I am always up
When you are in town
Anytime

[Bridge]
I love to flirt with disaster
I love to flirt with disaster
Time is a bomb
Time is a bomb
I love to flirt with disaster
I love to flirt with disaster
You're my happily ever after
You're my happily ever after
You're my happily ever after
Time is a bomb that's ticking (Yeah, yeah)

[Pre-Chorus]
I am always down to be the number tattooed on your mind
You'll find the others fading to gray
I am always down but never under with you on the line
I'll take whatever's coming my way

[Chorus]
I am always up
And I'm always down
Anytime I hear your voice, I fall in love with the sound
I am always up
When you are in town
Anytime

[Bridge]
I love to flirt with disaster
I love to flirt with disaster
Time is a bomb
Time is a bomb
I love to flirt with disaster
I love to flirt with disaster
Time is a bomb that's ticking faster
Time is a bomb that's ticking faster
You're my happily ever after
I love to flirt with disaster
Time is a bomb that's ticking faster
Time is a bomb that's ticking faster
You're my happily ever after
You're my happily ever after
You're my happily ever after
Time is a bomb that's ticking

[Outro]
Yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah
I'm down but I'm up for tonight
Yeah, yeah
I'm down but I'm up for tonight
Yeah, yeah
_______________ End _______________

Time Is A Bomb Song Meaning [Metric]

"Time Is A Bomb" marks the second single from Canadian art-pop innovators Metric’s tenth studio album "Romanticize the Dive", released March 4, 2026. Set against a shimmering pop backdrop, the track channels frontwoman Emily Haines’ evolving perspective on life’s fleeting nature, juxtaposing mortality’s urgency with a determined embrace of vitality and imperfection. It reflects the band’s decades-long exploration of emotional nuance and human resilience.

Song Meaning

From its opening, "Time Is A Bomb" anchors itself in paradox — the allure and anxiety of existence. Rather than portraying emotional ups and downs as mere mood swings, the song embodies an internal tug-of-war between stability and surrender. There’s a sense of perpetual motion, a push-pull that mirrors the human tension between responsibility and reckless abandon. Lines that recycle emotional states give the listener a rhythmic sense of fluctuation that feels as immediate as breath or heartbeat, turning raw feeling into musical motion.

As the chorus unfolds, there’s a magnetic collapse between love and time. Hearing someone’s voice becomes not just an emotional trigger but an existential catalyst, collapsing distance and duration into a single ecstatic moment. Against the backdrop of a ticking clock, affection becomes both a refuge and a revelation. This emotional urgency turns the passage of time into something that feels almost animate — something to be felt as much as understood.

The bridge shifts tone, embracing danger without self-destruction, flirting with chaos as a form of affirmation. Life’s unpredictability isn’t an obstacle but a character in its own right — a co-conspirator in the creation of meaning. The titular metaphor of time as a bomb isn’t a threat so much as a celebration of impermanence. By embracing imperfection, the emotional landscape widens to include joy, fear, and the sweet ache of being alive, acknowledging that every second contains both risk and revelation.

What separates this song from mere introspection is the nuanced negotiation between desire and restraint. There is an awareness of ageing and consequence, yet there’s no retreat from life’s dynamism. Instead of lamenting transience, the lyrics frame it as vitality — a reason to cherish what’s present rather than mourn what’s lost. This creates a dual energy: the emotional pull of nostalgia colliding with the thrust of anticipation.

Sonically and lyrically, "Time Is A Bomb" operates like a heartbeat on tape — sometimes racing, sometimes steady, always present. The repetition of emotional states reflects a cyclical rather than linear experience of time, hinting that life’s richness comes from immersion rather than escape. In this way, the song becomes both a confession and an invitation — to confront the ticking clock not with fear, but with full sensory engagement.

Throughout the song, there’s a broader cultural undercurrent that resonates with listeners today: a collective grappling with mortality and the pressure to make the most of life’s finite nature. In an era marked by wellness trends, self-optimization, and heightened awareness of time’s fragility, the song doesn’t offer solutions, but it frames that tension as something to feel deeply rather than simply solve.

Emotional Core and Themes

At its core, "Time Is A Bomb" channels the electric pulse of human urgency — a blend of longing, fear, and surrender — turning mortality into a companion rather than an adversary. Its emotional narrative thrives on contrasts that feel universally resonant.

Connection with Listeners

Listeners find solace in the song’s candid exploration of life’s tension between fear and desire, as it mirrors our own struggles to balance caution with courage in facing both love and time.

Conclusion

"Time Is A Bomb" stands as a vivid portrait of emotional immediacy — less a static reflection on life’s finite quality, and more a dynamic engagement with it. Through its layered metaphors, rhythmic repetition, and emotional candor, Metric turns the abstract concept of time into something palpably felt. It is not merely about counting moments, but inhabiting them. The song’s brilliance lies in its ability to hold contradictions — fear and joy, impermanence and vitality — in the same breath, inviting listeners to embrace life’s fleeting nature not as a burden, but as a heightened form of existence.
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Song Details

Song Name: Time Is A Bomb
Artist: Metric
Album: Romanticize the Dive
Lyricist: James Shaw & Emily Haines
Producers: James Shaw & Emily Haines
Genre: Pop
Language: English
Released: March 4, 2026

[Disclaimer: Lyrics are for educational and entertainment purposes only. All rights belong to the original owners.]