From Time to Time is an honest, introspective look at the artist’s own life with music, with dreams, with self-discovery. The lyrics form an abbreviated storyline that takes the listener through moments in C-TRYP’s life in a way that is honest and incredibly human. It is no song of success in the music business—it is of hanging on to passion in the face of adversity, of growing older, of disappointment, of uncertainty.

The tone is set in the first verse with the depiction of C-TRYP’s teenage life as lost and alone until music enters his life. The use of MTV as the point of inspiration is direct but potent—it shows that an inspiration can be found in what the vast majority of people pay no mind to. It is relevant to this section especially to those that discovered where they fit in with the world in an experience of curiosity or fascination.

As he progresses, the dream takes form. The transformation of the broom into the guitar is an apt metaphor for fantasy in childhood turning in to actual ambition. There is an unmistakable air of optimism and hope in this scene. C-TRYP is not dreaming – he is starting to believe in himself. It’s a moment that reminds us that the biggest adventures start with an initial spark of interest as well as some make-believe.

The second half of the song chronicles the transition to young adulthood. C-TRYP is given his first guitar and begins writing music seriously. One can observe in this song an increased level of seriousness on his own part, as well as the depth of his passion. His desire to be “like Johnny Lennon” shows that his role models paved the way for him, though he never met them himself. There is an obvious feeling of bonding—not just with the music, but with the musicians that inspired him.

But the dream doesn’t play out as he’d wish. The song turns when C-TRYP confesses that the band didn’t work out. It is the point of turnaround in the lyrics because it presents the concept of failure but in no way bitter. Rather than accuse others, he reflects on his own fears and decisions. Lines that mention the fear of drugs or the “twenty-seven club” provide reflexivity that indicates it’s not just talent that one requires to be great in music—it is withstanding the pressures that accompany it.

Years on, the lyrics shift again. C-TRYP is stuck in a job he despises, questioning if it is too late to return to his calling. It is evocative particularly because it speaks to such reality. We can all relate to that place of lost time wondering if our calling is lost forever. But in this lowest point as well, C-TRYP never gives up hope. He speaks of survival, of the dream never having perished in him

The final verse of the song is inspiring. A random meeting in the studio reopened the dream and with it the re-emergence of C-TRYP as an artist. The way that he describes that re-emergence is emotive and triumphant. It rounds out the whole song—the quest was never one to become famous for the sake of fame. The quest was to attempt to be heard and seen somehow. “From Time to Time” stands out because the lyrics just are so real and direct. C-TRYP tells us his tale but doesn’t try to sugarcoat it to make it seem like he is the master of it all. It is a song of working for something bigger than yourself when the world is trying to hold you back. And ultimately it gives you that hope that it is never too late to attempt again