Song Meaning

Joseph Arthur's "Tomorrow Today" isn't just a love song; it's an exploration of how love warps our perception of time itself. Arthur crafts a series of contrasting images – "You're the bike riding through the park at dawn / I'm the dog barking at you from the lawn" – establishing a dynamic where the lovers are both intimately connected and fundamentally different. These aren't just simple metaphors; they suggest a push-and-pull, a kind of beautiful friction inherent in deep relationships. The core of the song meaning lies in the repeated refrain: "Loving you makes me believe in tomorrow / Makes me believe in tomorrow, today, today, today." This isn't just about optimistic hope for the future. The repetition of "today" collapses the distance between present and future. It's the feeling that love can accelerate time, making the promise of tomorrow feel tangibly present. The lyrics evoke a sense of constant motion and travel ("headlights," "hitchhiker," "city past this county line"), suggesting a journey undertaken together. This shared journey becomes the foundation for believing in a future worth anticipating. Arthur also subtly acknowledges the vulnerability inherent in this kind of emotional investment. The lines "And if you catch me / You're gonna fall / But it's a touchdown / Afterall" hint at the potential for pain and disappointment. Yet, even with the risk of falling, the reward – the "touchdown" – is ultimately worth the gamble. "Tomorrow Today" is a testament to love's power to reshape our understanding of time, transforming the abstract future into a vibrant, lived-in present.