You're cold that way
And that's why you say
The things that you say
You can't attract
The things that you lack
You're trying in vain

[Chorus]
It seems it's always the crazy times
You find you'll wake up and realize
It takes more than your saline eyes
To make things right

You spiral down
You've broken your crown
You don't feel like a queen
You've seen the proof
But you're still crying wolf
You'll never believe

[Chorus]

You try to climb a broken ladder
Grip the missing rungs
And fall down, down, down
Seems sometime ago you said
This wouldn't last
And now you sit here crying

Beside your bed
You feel left for dead
You kneel in the dark

It takes more than your saline eyes
To make things right

[Chorus]



Lyrics submitted by jarsonic

Track duration: 03:42

"Crazy Times" as written by Dan Haseltine, Mark Hudson, Stephen Daniel Mason, Greg Wells

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., THE BICYCLE MUSIC COMPANY, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

Lyrics powered by LyricFind


Crazy Times song meanings
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12 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment:This isn't about a first-time believer. The Jars of Clay guys write songs from their own struggles as longtime Christians. They don't evangelize--they write what they know. Consider this:

    You spiral down
    You've broken your crown
    You don't feel like a queen

    This song is addressed to someone like me--someone whose relationship with God flat out isn't going well; who knows she's a queen (daughter of the High King), hence eliminating non-believers from the picture, but finds no comfort in it at the moment because she's in the kind of spiritual pit you hear so much about in the Psalms (e.g. "I am a worm and not a man...").

    I don't think the chorus refers to trials. In light of "You can't attract The things that you lack/You're trying in vain," I would surmise that "It takes more than your saline eyes To make things right" does NOT refer to moping about a tough circumstance or situation. It refers to times of intense sorrow for SIN in the believer's life, and means that grieving over it isn't going to stop you from sinning(attract The things that you lack)--nothing's going to change until you look to Christ and trust HIM to sanctify you.

    The "Crazy Times" they're talking about aren't external. They're the painful times of inner turmoil when, spent with tears and thoroughly exhausted, you finally wake up and realize that nothing's going to heal between you and God until you let go, lie still, and let him work.

    In light of the above, allow me an interpretation of the following:

    You spiral down
    You've broken your crown
    You don't feel like a queen
    You've seen the proof
    But you're still crying wolf
    You'll never believe

    Our kneejerk reaction to something going wrong is to try to take control. It's human nature. And it's diametrically opposed to how God calls us to live--continually letting go, trusting EVERYTHING to his care. It's all too easy to make one bad turn in a relationship with God, try to correct it with another one, and before you know it, reach a "the more you tighten your grip, the more galaxies will slip through your fingers" deadlock, spiraling down, sincerely wanting to fix it--and going about it in a way that can only make things worse. Things break. You're not yourself. You're miserable because the damaged relationship hurts; he's the person you live for, after all. Of course you haven't lost your status as God's child, but you feel like scum, not royalty. You feel like he's going to leave you like that, too ("crying wolf" when there is no wolf), even though he's proven time and time again that he'll never abandon you and IMMOVABLY he will not rest until he's "restored to you the joy of his salvation." Good thing his faithfulness, not ours, is our assurance. We couldn't even *believe* without his help.

    Of course the more we try to climb back up to him, the farther we fall. He doesn't want our efforts. He wants our trust. He knows that the only way to restoration is for him to lift us up. That's why he lets us fall when we try to climb our broken ladders. You see, in the end, the best thing he can do for us is teach us to do the one thing that matters--trust him. It's hard to learn. It's eternally good for us, but the way toward it hurts more than anything else we're in for. "Beside your bed/You feel left for dead/You kneel in the dark"? Oh yeah. That's what it's like all right.

    By the way, it's malli321, not 327

    (Note: I checked other sites. The first phrase reads "You're caught that way," not "You're cold that way." "You're caught that way And that's why you say The things that you say" makes more sense--someone caught in that bleak state of being gets frustrated with God and voices doubts she knows aren't true)
    Flag Rohawenon June 07, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Oh... and it's cool because this song is saying that you find christ when you are at your weakest and you have nothing else to turn to.

    That's what I make of the last verse:

    "Beside your bed, you feel left for dead, you kneel in the dark..."
    Flag CadillacKincaidon August 12, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Gryffin! Great interpretation... i was lost with this song, but it makes perfect sense now. Thanks... this song rocks!
    Flag CadillacKincaidon August 12, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I totally agree with what gryffin and malli327 said. It's about trying to fix things on your own when your world is going crazy, and the fact is you can't, you need God. Great song, great group!
    Flag coolrayuson August 28, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I love this song. I know what it's like to have my faith being tried. I'm still living in the crazy times...but i keep praying.
    Flag PequenoPatoon August 17, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:i'd be lying if i said this song wasn't my theme song...b/c it really does sum up my life for me
    Flag youchokemeupon July 22, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I living on the crazy times
    Flag tommibon July 20, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:whoa...go gryffin...and malli327...i agree
    Flag pureOwTkAsTemotionon July 03, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:i agree too, but i'm going to add a little more:

    it also touches a lot on how your trying to make yourself happy and thinking you can do more than you actually can.

    "you can't attract, the things that you lack": Christ, because "You are trying in vain": you think you can save yourself, get yourself out of this mess.

    then "you spiral down, you've broken your crown, you don't feel like a queen": eventually, trying to save yourself and thinking of yourself more than you are fails. Your break your crown and fall off the pedestool that you put yourself on by thinking you don't need Christ.

    also when it says "you kneel in the dark...", it's not just dark as in night, but you kneel in the darkness and shadow of your own life without Christ, the light.

    you kneel in the dark...ready to accept the light!!!

    that's it.
    Flag malli321on July 02, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I agree. :-)
    Flag Kiwiddon June 18, 2002   Link

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