It's Not My Time – English Lyrics

• By: 3 Doors Down

Lyrics & Translation

Explore the defiant spirit of 3 Doors Down's "It's Not My Time," a song about resilience and facing adversity head-on. Delve into the lyrics and discover how this rock anthem, with its themes of hope and perseverance, can inspire you to overcome challenges and embrace the present moment .

[English]

Looking back at the beginning of this

And how life was

Just you and me and love and all of our friends

Living life like an ocean

But now the current's slowly pulling me down

It's getting harder to breathe

It won't be too long and I'll be going under

Can you save me from this?

'Cause it's not my time, I'm not going

There's a fear in me, it's not showing

This could be the end of me

And everything I know

Ooh, I won't go

I look ahead to all the plans that we made

And the dreams that we had

I'm in a world that tries to take 'em away

Oh, but I'm taking 'em back

'Cause all this time I've just been to blind to understand

What should matter to me

My friend, this life we live is not what we have

It's what we believe

And it's not my time, I'm not going

There's a fear in me, it's not showing

This could be the end of me

And everything I know

But it's not my time, I'm not going

There's a will in me and now I know that

This could be the end of me

And everything I know

Ooh, but I won't go

I won't go

There might be more than you believe

(There might be more than you believe)

There might be more than you can see

But it's not my time, I'm not going

There's a fear in me, it's not showing

This could be the end of me

And everything I know

But it's not my time, I'm not going

There's a will in me and now it's gonna show

This could be the end of me

And everything I know, oh

There might be more than you believe

(There might be more than you believe)

And there might be more than you can see

But I won't go

No, I won't go down

Yeah

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
beginning /bɪˈɡɪnɪŋ/ A2	noun - the start or first part of something
life /laɪf/ A2	noun - the existence of living beings
love /lʌv/ A2	noun - a deep feeling of affection
friends /frɛndz/ A2	noun - people whom one knows and trusts
ocean /ˈoʊʃən/ B1	noun - a large body of salt water
current /ˈkʌrənt/ B2	noun - flow of water or air in a particular direction
breathe /briːð/ B2	verb - to take air into and expel out of the lungs
long /lɒŋ/ or /lɔːŋ/ A2	adjective - having a great length
going /ˈɡoʊɪŋ/ A2	verb (gerund of go) - to move from one place to another
fear /fɪər/ B2	noun - an unpleasant emotion caused by danger or threat
show /ˈʃoʊ/ A2	verb - to display or present visually
end /ɛnd/ A2	noun - a final point or conclusion
know /noʊ/ A2	verb - to have information in the mind
believe /bɪˈliːv/ B2	verb - to accept something as true
more /mɔːr/ A2	adjective / adverb - a greater amount or degree

Key Grammar Structures

• Looking back at the beginning of this

  ➔ Present Participle as an Adverbial Modifier

  ➔ "Looking back" modifies the main clause, indicating how the speaker is reflecting. It suggests the speaker is reflecting while proceeding with the thoughts.

• Living life like an ocean

  ➔ Simile using "like"

  ➔ This compares "life" to an "ocean" using "like", suggesting that life is vast, deep, and possibly unpredictable.

• But now the current's slowly pulling me down

  ➔ Present Continuous Tense

  ➔ The present continuous tense ("is pulling") emphasizes an ongoing action that is happening now. The "current" is actively dragging the speaker down.

• It won't be too long and I'll be going under

  ➔ Future Simple with "will"

  ➔ "I'll be going" (future continuous, but implied certainty here) expresses a future action that is expected to happen. The phrase "It won't be too long" emphasizes the imminent nature of the event.

• 'Cause it's not my time, I'm not going

  ➔ Simple Present Tense for emphatic negation

  ➔ The simple present ("It's not my time", "I'm not going") is used here to state a firm and resolute denial of death. It conveys a strong feeling of defiance.

• I look ahead to all the plans that we made

  ➔ Relative Clause with "that"

  ➔ The clause "that we made" is a relative clause modifying "all the plans." It provides more information about the plans.

• This could be the end of me and everything I know

  ➔ Conditional Mood (Potential)

  ➔ "Could be" indicates a possibility but not a certainty. It expresses a potential outcome of the current situation.

• There might be more than you believe

  ➔ Modal Verb "might" expressing possibility

  ➔ "Might" indicates a weaker probability than "may" or "could." It suggests that there's a possibility of something existing beyond one's belief.