She's all laid up in bed with a broken heart
While I'm drinking Jack all alone in my local bar
And we don't know how, how we got into this mad situation
Only doing things out of frustration
Tryna make it work, but man, these times are hard, yeah
She needs me now, but I can't seem to find the time
I got a new job now on the unemployment line
And we don't know how, how we got into this mess, is it God's test?
Someone help us 'cause we're doing our best
Tryna make it work, but man, these times are hard
But we're gonna start by
Drinking old cheap bottles of wine
Shit talking up all night
Doing things we haven't for a while, a while, yeah
We're smiling, but we're close to tears
Even after all these years
We just now got the feeling that we're meeting
For the first time
She's in line at the dole with her head held high
While I just lost my job but didn't lose my pride
And we both know how, how we're gonna make it work when it hurts
When you pick yourself up, you get kicked to the dirt
Tryna make it work, but man, these times are hard
But we're gonna start by
Drinking old cheap bottles of wine
Shit talking up all night
Doing things we haven't for a while, a while, yeah
We're smiling, but we're close to tears
Even after all these years
We just now got the feeling that we're meeting (c'mon!)
For the first time
C'mon, Dublin, sing it with me
Drinking old cheap bottles of wine
Shit talking up all night
(Saying things we haven't for a while, a while, yeah)
(We're smiling, but we're close to tears)
(Even after all these years)
(We just now) got the feeling that we're meeting
For the first time
Yeah, for the first time
Oh, for the first time
Yeah, for the first time (we just now got the feeling that we're meeting), yeah
(For the first time)
Oh, these times are hard
Yeah, they're making us crazy
Don't give up on me, baby
Oh, these times are hard
Yeah, they're making us crazy
Don't give up on me, baby
Oh, these times are hard
Yeah, they're making us crazy
Don't give up on me, baby
Oh, these times are hard
Yeah, they're making us crazy
Don't give up on me, baby
C'mon, sing it to me
(Oh, these times are hard)
(Yeah, they're making us crazy)
(Don't give up on me, baby)
(Oh, these times are hard)
(Yeah, they're making us crazy)
(Don't give up on me, baby)
C'mon, sing it with feeling
C'mon, let's do this
Oh, these times are hard
Yeah, they're making us crazy
Don't give up on me, baby
Oh, these times are hard
Yeah, they're making us crazy
Don't give up on me, baby, oh, oh
About This Song
"For The First Time" is a raw, emotionally devastating portrayal of a relationship crumbling under the weight of economic hardship and personal failure. The song captures the brutal reality of how financial stress can poison love, as unemployment and desperation drive two people who care about each other into destructive patterns of avoidance and self-medication. What makes the track particularly powerful is its unflinching honesty about masculine vulnerability-the male narrator isn't just struggling financially, but grappling with his inability to provide and protect, leading to shame that manifests as emotional withdrawal and drinking. The song's central irony lies in its title: this couple is experiencing poverty and relationship breakdown "for the first time," suggesting they've fallen from a more comfortable life into circumstances that test their bond in ways they never imagined. Musically, The Script employs a stripped-down arrangement that builds gradually, with Danny O'Donoghue's vocals shifting from vulnerable confession to desperate pleading, mirroring the emotional arc of the relationship itself. The production's restraint allows the weight of the lyrics to hit harder, while the anthemic chorus transforms personal pain into something universally relatable. The song resonated deeply during the post-2008 recession era, when many listeners were experiencing similar economic anxieties and relationship strains, making it an inadvertent anthem for a generation facing financial uncertainty for the first time in their adult lives.
Comments (5)