“Running Out of Time” by Paramore

Premise-wise, Paramore’s “Running Out of Time” is based on the tendency many of us have to beat up on ourselves for not fulfilling personal objectives in a timely fashion. Sometimes, as inferred in the first verse, we never get around to accomplishing even minor tasks that may have been plaguing our minds for the longest. And again, failure to do things when idealized or appropriate tends to be such that our self-image suffers as a result.

It is such a sentiment that the majority of the lyrics revolve around. But in the bridge, we see that the vocalist does try to make peace with herself, questioning “why we gotta be in a rush” to begin with. And as further touched upon in the trivia section, this all is speaking to Hayley’s own tendency to not be a punctual or organized person.

So on one hand, it can be ascertained that not being more on top of certain matters is bothersome. But in the process she’s also criticizing the increasing importance put on time management and punctuality which, in the grand scheme of things, may not be as pertinent as we like to think.

“We’re always running out of time
(She’s always running out of time)
I’m always running out of time

Trivia/Facts

Paramore premiered this song at the Grand Ole Opry, the legendary Nashville-based country music venue, on the same day Atlantic Records released it, which was 10 February 2023.

To note, in that regard, “Running Out of Time” is actually classified as a rock track. However, it was a renowned country singer, Taylor Swift, who indirectly inspired Hayley Williams to write this piece (alongside her Paramore bandmates, Zac Farro and Taylor York).

Taylor and Hayley are agemates who both became industry active around the same time (in their early-teens), blew up concurrently (in their late teens) and were also based in Nashville. So as explained by Williams, during that era – when they were equals in the game if you will – the pair also had a closer relationship. And upon visiting Swift’s home, Hayley came to look up to her contemporary as someone who, compared to herself, was more organized and “had all [their] sh*t together”.

So she also noted it being that particular visitation, which would have taken place circa 2008, is what went on to serve as the inspiration for this song.

Was “Running Out of Time” released as a single?

By the looks of things (at the time of writing), this track will be issued as a single from “This Is Why”, the album it is featured on, in that a music video for it is reportedly in the works.