The Real Meaning Behind The Weeknd's Out Of Time

Since releasing his "House of Balloons" mixtape trilogy in 2011, The Weeknd has gone on to become one of the biggest names in music. The R&B superstar has mastered the secret recipe of making hit songs that are both catchy and lyrically intriguing. From his most recent successes like "Blinding Lights" and "Save Your Tears," to his collaborations with Ariana Grande, Anita, and Doja Cat, The Weeknd is signaling he's not done with dominating the charts just yet.

On January 7, the music star released his highly anticipated fifth studio album, "Dawn FM." The album, as he revealed to GQ in August 2021, is what he has "always wanted to make." In the trailer for his album, he describes it as a "new sonic universe" from him.

Despite the claim, "Dawn FM" still has all the characteristics of a classic The Weeknd album — pulsating beats, haunting vocals, and deep lyrics. "Out of Time" is a cut that fits all the characteristics with an added contribution by the one and only Jim Carrey. Let's take a deeper dive into the lyrics below.

In recent years, The Weeknd has taken a cinematic approach to his music, releasing short films as music videos. He's taken a similar approach to his songwriting, as evident in "Out of Time" from his album "Dawn FM."

In the song, The Weeknd takes listeners on a journey of contrition for being an absent lover. "The last few months, I've been workin' on me, baby / There's so much trauma in my life / I've been so cold to the ones who loved me, baby," he sings in the first verse, admitting that he hasn't been the best of boyfriends, per Genius. The feelings of shame further manifests in the pre-chorus where The Weeknd blames himself for the breakup. "You begged me with your drowning eyes to stay / And I regret I didn't tell you / Now I can't keep you from loving him," he croons on the disco-tinged track.

The breakup made The Weeknd realize that he could now be truthful about his feelings, as he sings in the chorus, "Say that I'll care for you, but I'm out of time / Said I'm too late to make you mine, out of time." In fact, The Weeknd regrets losing the relationship so much that he tells his ex to come back to him if her current relationship doesn't work out. However, the real hidden gem of the song comes at the end when Jim Carrey references his character in "Eternal Sunshine," and erases ex-girlfriends from his memory, like The Weeknd hoped to do.