It's Not My Time

Album: 3 Doors Down (2008)
Charted: 17
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Songfacts®:

  • This song was originally written, says 3DD frontman Brad Arnold, for the remake of the movie The Poseidon Adventure. Says Arnold: "It was gonna be a track on that movie. In the movie, they're just trying to escape their death. And there's a ship sinking. They showed me like a 30-second clip of the movie, and I went and wrote that song from it. And they wound up not wanting it, so I was like, Cool, we'll keep it. And that's actually the second song off a film like that. I wrote 'Let Me Go' off of Seventeen Days for Spiderman, and they didn't want it, so we kept it. I'm glad. I had no problem with it."

    It's a song about "being resilient, going against the grain and going against the world when the world's trying to push you down, or take you out."
  • The song's music video was directed by Shaun Silva (Kenny Chesney, Faith Hill, Alan Jackson and Sugarland) and shot in Cincinnati, Ohio. It features a much heralded freerunning, acrobatic technique called 'Parkouring,' which was first discovered in the early 20th century in Africa by a French Naval officer, Georges Hébert. Though it had already appeared in various television advertisements, it was the first time this practice had been featured in a music video.

    Brad cites both the varying cityscape and the lack of red tape as the band's reason for choosing Cincinnati.
    Shot in three days, the band's part was finished in only one, and the other two days were spent filming Parkour freerunner Gabe Nunez as he takes a straight line through the city to rescue a woman from a would-be car crash. Brad talks about the shoot: "We shot our part in one day. But normally it's a lot harder, because normally you have a story line, but you just have one video set up that the band's just sort of performing in. But we shot six places that day, and it didn't wind up showing even all of them. But we had it easy – that guy (Nunez), all the stuff he's doing, there's no special effects, and there's no pads. I mean, all the flips and stuff, he had to do them three and four times. And those camera guys, they're like, "that dude is 35 years old, he is not gonna be walking. Because, they said, it was hard core. It makes my knees hurt just watching it." (Check out our full interview with Brad Arnold)
  • Parkour (sometimes called "free-running," although the latter is actually somewhat different) is a physical discipline, sometimes called a modern-day martial art, originating in France. It can be summed up as "acrobatics meets assault courses" - whereas free-running is a far more demonstrative discipline best described as a form of skateboarding which is practiced without a board. Parkour is based on general principles of survival: Should you ever need to get from Point A to Point B as fast as possible, the shortest distance is always a straight line. The goal, therefore, is to get past, over, under, or through various obstacles without wasting any time.
    Parkour practitioners (called by gender-specific pronouns; a male parkour runner is a traceur, a female is a traceuse; referring to multiple parkours uses traceurs) run their environment like an obstacle course: leaping obstructions, vaulting cars, bypassing staircases, and otherwise taking wild shortcuts. Although commonly associated with cities, Parkour can be used to negotiate any type of environment. Traceurs will tell you their discipline becomes a mindset over time. They learn to unconsciously scan their surroundings for the best paths of escape. Plus, it not only looks damn cool, but just might prove to be Awesome Yet Practical.
    Parkour has begun to appear more frequently in TV shows, owing to its growing popularity. Its moves are commonly employed by martial artists, notably Ninja and practitioners of She Fu. With special effects and wirework, it becomes an even more impressive feat than it already is (and is proof positive that movie producers are dedicated to Completely Missing The Point. Parkour is cool because it is real). If it's done in Slow Motion, it's more than likely a reference to The Matrix.
    A realistic version of Roof Hopping - most parkour is done at or near ground level, because that's where one encounters the most obstacles.
    The difference between Parkour and "Free Running" is similar to the difference between "combat" and "display" forms of various martial arts - one of the central "rules" of Parkour is that it is not a competitive sport, and emphasizes efficiency, self-discipline, and oneness with the surroundings, whereas "free-running" is based on display stunts and acrobatics that can be done in one location, just for the hell of it. ~ TV Tropes.
  • When writing the songs for this self-titled album, the band holed up in a Nashville cabin together until the songs were completed. They then flew down to Orlando, Florida, to record the new CD with producer Johnny K, who also helmed Seventeen Days.

Comments: 16

  • Michele from Philadelphia Pennsylvania “Not My Time” is a favorite song.
    The video is outstanding.
    All these years later I want to say to Gabe Nunez, you have turned me on to Parkouring, and are simply outstanding. You indeed become one with what surrounds you and use that extension to enhance your moves. Bravo, amazing to watch.
  • Latun from AsgardAt first I was like the runner could be a time traveller going back to save the mother and child. Then I thought it could be an angel that has been tasked with saving their lives to "earn his wings". An impossible task that the runner makes possible and succeeds. The distance is not shown, though. But it was far enough that the runner really had to be creative to get it done.
  • Anton from EarthLove this song and video, even though though the lyrics aren't directly associated with what goes on in the video. Nevertheless, the two work beautifully together. Kudos to 3 Door Down as well as the concept creator and director for the vid - and also the traceur Gabe Nunez.
  • Tim from New Castle, Patheres a certain time when everyone leaves this life to go on to the next but some people arent ready to go. but when its your time your goin if your ready or not
  • Josh from Trenton, Ili think this song is about all the odds are against you and your most likely to fail and you have that "fear" of losing everything. But you tell yourself "its not my time" to fail and you will succeed to matter what.
    Great Song
  • Joann from Portsmouth, Vathis is a ringtone on my cell, really loveit gooood song, listen to it everyday, and for a friend of mine if this song is about bad relationships & the one he was in is over, well if he goes back to it when he gets out of jail, (which i think he will) well he is on his own, cause I have gotten the drama from it, but if he does stay away then i will be there for him. Take your meds dude & maybe you will be okay other than that you are going off the deep end.
  • Richard from Wall, Nji'm writing a novel about a super genius who decides to become a pro wrestler, it's the sqequel but anyway, he's in this tornument to beat every wrestler and he's screwed by mr.mcmahon the guy who owns the wwe company, after he wins, he's fired, for every predictament in the story i've put music into it but i'm gonna put this song in the story, cause after he hears it, he goes to fight for his career back.
  • Kayla from Oklahoma City, OkIt sounds like a death song to me. He doesn't want to lose all that he has in life - love, friends, etc. - and he's determined to survive.
  • Anthony from Cape May, NjI think this song is more about not giving up, it could go for a relationship, life/death situation etc. It sounds more like a relationship though, friends or couple.
  • Maddie from New York, NyI think this song is about someone who refuses to die-"its not my time. i'm not going". I think the relationship he/she was in was getting out of control when they compare it to getting sucked into the ocean and decided to end things while they could.
  • Katrina from Lessburg, Njthis song is bout some one that is not spose to die and a guy sees it in a vesion h/e you spell it and he trys to save her and her daughter and he does watch the move and look at the beging and it shws the tie and the truck crashing into them and watch the end the time and were the dude saves them from getting hit by running in front of te car that was going to get hit
  • Jen from Omaha, NeI think this song is about a guy with committment fears. He and a girl had a lot of good times together, but he freaked out, and says it not his time. He realizes that his fears have maybe caused the end of this great relationship.
  • Berto from Northport, Fli think this song is about being in love but sometihng changes and you want out of the relationship. could be wrong, probably am.
  • Stephanie from Nashville, TnI love this song.
    Three Doors Down is awsome!
  • Ike from Buttlevel, NcLove the song, hate everything about Ohio.
  • Airk from Skagway, AkI Love the music video for this song, especially where he almost gets ran over by a car!
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