‘Time of Day’ by Jelly Roll & MGK - Lyrics and Meaning

One of the most eagerly anticipated songs on Jelly Roll's momentous 2024 studio album, Beautifully Broken, ‘Time of Day’ is the second collaboration between Jelly and MGK.

Although they used to have a frostier relationship, the two have spoken on numerous occasions about how they decided to bury the hatchet - and we're sure glad they did, because it means we get to enjoy the spoils of their unique creative dynamic.

Back in July, MGK released his first original country song, ’Lonely Road’, with Jelly Roll, with the duo teaming up to perform the John Denver-interpolating track at a slew of 2024 shows. ‘Time of Day’ arrived as a welcome surprise in October, with the track quickly establishing itself as one of the many highlights on Beautifully Broken.

In the lead-up to the album's arrival, Jelly Roll and MGK sat down for an in-depth discussion about Beautifully Broken for Spotify, with MGK joking about how, originally, he only laid down his vocals on ‘Time of Day’ as a reference track for Jelly to replace with his own. But when it came to it, Jelly loved MGK's rendition and felt they perfectly encapsulated his journey in recent years, so he left his version on there.

MGK opens ‘Time of Day’ with his punk-country style of delivery, before upping the ante and injecting additional emotionality into the second half of his introduction. Then, Jelly Roll enters the fray with his charismatic, raspy vocals, with both artists’ voices gliding decisively across an atmospheric, piano-driven instrumental. Throughout ‘Time of Day’, you can hear Yelawolf's soft croons serving as backing vocals.

“'Cause even a spotlight or a movie
Couldn't show the side that I've been hiding lately
And lately
They say the old me's not the new me
But the same me's still inside that I'm containing
Unchain me”

MGK begins by outlining how no amount of exposure and media coverage could show people his true self, with the ‘Hotel Diablo’ hitmaker regularly touching on how he feels misunderstood. He admits he's made mistakes in the past, but struggles to fully relinquish that feeling of guilt over his previous actions, because he views the ‘old me’ as still living somewhere inside the better version of himself today.

MGK desperately pleads to be ‘unchained’ and set free from his guilt, which lays the foundation for the religiously-minded message of redemption that pervades ‘Time of Day’.

“And I don't cry like I used to
'Cause I know these tears don't wash my sins away
And I don't pray like I used to
'Cause I don't think I deserve the time of day”

Jelly Roll explains how he doesn't cry like did once upon a time, because he knows that no amount of tears could possibly wash away and ‘purify’ him from his past mistakes and sins. The narrator admits to not praying as much as he used to, because he doesn't feel he deserves the forgiveness or ‘the time of day’ with Jesus and God.

“Listen, I'm sorry since you saw me
I've sought through bones, took my heart out my body
Have you forgot mе?
'Cause I'm longing for the times whеn time was non-existent
Kaleidoscope lines I envision
Combine our lives with a two-word sentence
You said, "I do", but I did not listen”

In this verse, MGK reveals how much he's changed, using visceral imagery relating to him renewing his bones and his heart in his attempts to evolve. He briefly wonders whether he's been forgotten by God, before suggesting he misses the innocence of being a child when time would pass so quickly that it would feel ‘non-existent’.

The line, “You said, ‘I do’, but I did not listen” seemingly links to a key lyric in ‘Lonely Road’, when MGK sings, “'Cause I don't trust no one to love me back, but shе say, "I do" / And this is not the place for you”. Both of these lines convey the narrator's feeling that he doesn't deserve love because of his low sense of self-worth.

“The cross I bear, I wear for my protection (Wear for my protection)
I'm bended and I'm searching for connections (Searching for connection)
I barely recognize my own reflection (It's my own reflection)
'Cause all I ever wanted was acceptance
I fear rejection”

Here, the spiritual undertones of ‘Time of Day’ come to the fore, as the protagonist underlines that, even though he doesn't feel he deserves forgiveness for his wrongdoings, he still wears the cross - the ultimate symbol of redemption and rebirth.

The message of ‘Time of Day’ appears to be that, regardless of whether you believe you are worth a second chance, everybody deserves one. MGK's lines, “'Cause all I ever wanted was acceptance / I fear rejection” are particularly striking and moving, given how the genre-blending maverick has become known for his willingness to challenge conventions and go against the crowd. MGK's pivotal role in this song undoubtedly makes the sentiment of ‘Time of Day’ all the more touching.

In his Spotify conversation with MGK, Jelly Roll explained why he decided to leave MGK's vocals on ‘Time of Day’, “I was like, ‘No, man, I'm telling you, man, it was so your story. It felt so personal to who you are and your situation and you as a human, the growth and the changes you've made, and I heard it, I was like, ‘This is it, dude’”.

MGK joked, “My favourite part, I listen to the album being like, ‘I finally get to hear Jelly sing this part on ‘Time of Day’’. Like he's been telling me he was gonna re-record it and take me off of it, but I listen to it - you're still not on it, you asshole! It's still just me the whole fucking time. It's so annoying. I hate you...I love you”.

Jelly Roll teasingly concluded, “I was arguing with you so late that night, I was just like, ‘I got it, don't worry, I promise’. I felt like I just gotta burp him and put him to bed”.

During a conversation on Bussin’ with the Boys, Jelly Roll paid homage to the character of his friend, MGK, “He's a great dude. I'm encouraging him right now to go do long form. I'm like go do [Andrew] Schulz, go do Joe [Rogan], get on the [Bussin’ with the Boys] bus, go do the rounds. If the world's seen what I see, they would look at you different. They only see these real artistic pictures you post, and these wild outfits and these headlines. They don't really get to see your heart, and you got such a good heart, like go show the world your heart. Like this dude flies to Cleveland every single weekend to watch his daughter play volleyball. Every weekend. Like won't tour or do shows during volleyball season, like, it's just what he's on. It's just who that dude is. I'm like, go tell that story”. This yearning for the world to see the true MGK inspires much of ‘Time of Day’, with one of MGK's lyrics feeling particularly pertinent to Jelly Roll's quote, “'Cause even a spotlight or a movie / Couldn't show the side that I've been hiding lately”.

“'Cause even a spotlight or a movie
Couldn't show the side that I've been hiding lately
And lately
They say the old me's not the new me
But the same me's still inside that I'm containing
Unchain me

-

And I don't cry like I used to
'Cause I know these tears don't wash my sins away
And I don't pray like I used to
'Cause I don't think I deserve the time of day

-

Ooooohh
Ooooohh

-

Listen, I'm sorry since you saw me
I've sought through bones, took my heart out my body
Have you forgot mе?
'Cause I'm longing for the times whеn time was non-existent
Kaleidoscope lines I envision
Combine our lives with a two-word sentence
You said, "I do", but I did not listen

-

And I don't cry like I used to
'Cause I know these tears don't wash my sins away (Don't wash them away now)
And I don't pray like I used to (I don't pray, 'cause I)
'Cause I don't think I deserve the time of day

-

The cross I bear, I wear for my protection (Wear for my protection)
I'm bending and I'm searching for connections (Searching for connection)
I barely recognize my own reflection (It's my own reflection)
'Cause all I ever wanted was acceptance
I fear rejection

-

And I don't cry like I used to (I don't cry, no)
'Cause I know these tears don't wash my sins away (Wash my sins away)
And I don't pray like I used to (I don't pray no more)
'Cause I don't think I deserve the time of day

-

Ooooohh
Ooooohh”

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