Songfacts®:

• According to bass guitarist Seth Bolt, the title track of Needtobreathe's sixth studio album sums up his life. He told Artist Direct: "Sometimes life dishes out hurdles faster than I can jump, but in the end the only thing I own that nobody can take away from me is my will to get back up and try again. I am lucky I haven't lost that."
• The song finds NeedtoBreathe reflecting on how those times when you feel everything is against you can be what makes you a better person.
  
  You can't change without a fallout
  It's gon' hurt, but don't you slow down
  Get back up, 'cause it's a hard love
  
  Keyboardist Josh Lovelace explained the story behind the song to NewReleaseToday:
  
  "Lyrically, we always like to write a song about real life situations, about something happening to us at the moment or that has happened to one of us. We are all away from our families a lot. I just had to leave my three year old son and tell him I was leaving for a concert. It's the least fun part of the job, and it's a hard love. It's not easy, you have to fight for it, and the people you love are where you find real joy. When it's hard love, it's worth it.
  
  It's an autobiographical song. It's a fight song for the long journey between trials and redemption. It's about appreciating the wisdom and maturity that comes from hardship. Sometimes our ideas for what we think we need and what God knows we really need don't line up. We've been through situations we didn't think we'd make it out of, and this song is an encouraging message about what's ahead for us."
• The song also appears, with a guest vocal by Lauren Daigle, on the inspired-by soundtrack compilation for the faith based movie, The Shack.
• This was named Rock Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year at the 2017 Dove Awards. The Hard Love album also won Rock Contemporary Album of the Year at the same ceremony.