Songful Style Link Party #41: “Time Waited” by My Morning Jacket

This song is recent, the band is not, but it’s all new to me and I became an immediate fan!

About Songful Style

Songful Style is a style challenge series hosted by Shelbee of Shelbee on the Edge, Marsha of Marsha in the Middle, and Suzy of Suzy Turner, The Grey Brunette.

Each month we will share a song with the lyrics and video and we invite you to use whatever aspect of the song that inspires you to create an outfit. 

It is similar to Style Imitating Art where we use artwork to inspire our outfit creations. Except Songful Style gives you lyrics, music, video, and album artwork to inspire your fashion creativity. You may even find inspiration in a memory triggered by the selected song. It is all open to your own personal interpretation and just a fun way to discover new music and get a little bit more creative with your wardrobe.

Anyone is welcome to join us on a permanent basis or you can just play along without any obligation to do anything other than feel inspired. We are flexible and fun and just want to find more ways to play dress up because it’s what we enjoy doing! 

We will be posting on the last Monday of each month and will announce our song choice for the following month at the end of each post. You are welcome to style your own song inspired outfit and add it to the link party or link anything that you want to share even if it has nothing to do with the song.

It was Marsha’s choice for this round and she chose “Time Waited”, a 2025 tune by the Kentucky-based band My Morning Jacket.  

The Video

The Lyrics

Well, they say time waits for no one, dear
And it takes near death to show one, yeah
But time waited for you and me

We know real love takes forever, yeah
And the clock ticks faster every year
But time waited for you and me

And if we don't watch out
(Time waited)
Yeah, and if we don't watch out
Time will run off on us
But if we move right now
(Time waited)
All of the world's here for us
Ain't no spare time

And I did cry on your shoulder, dear
At the thought of getting older, yeah
But time waited for you and me

And if we don't watch out
(Time waited)
Yeah, and if we don't watch out
Time will run off on us
But if we move right now
(Time waited)
All of the world's here for us
Ain't no spare time

Time waits for no one
Well, no one 'cept you and me
We've got forever, dear
Take all the time you need

And if we don't watch out
(Time waited)
Yeah, and if we don't watch out
Time will run off on us
But if we move right now
(Time waited)
All of the world's here for us
Ain't no spare time

And if we don't watch out
(Time waited)
Yeah, and if we don't watch out
Time will run off on us
But if we move right now
(Time waited)
All of the world's here for us
Ain't no spare time

About the Band and the Song

My Morning Jacket is a rock band that was formed in Louisville, Kentucky, back in 1998, by vocalist/guitarist Jim James. He started the project as an outlet for some acoustic guitar songs he had written for his current band, Month of Sundays, but they could not use the songs. (A little side note: I love the band name Month of Sundays. It is the name of the paint color I used on my bedroom walls!)

The new band’s original lineup included Jim James’s cousin Johnny Quaid on guitar, Tom Blankenship on bass, and J. Glenn on drums, all formerly of the band Winter Death Club, an emo-punk group from Shelbyville, Kentucky. The band got its name, My Morning Jacket, when James found a discarded coat emblazoned with the letters MMJ. Over the years, the band experienced various changes in members with the current lineup consisting of bassist Tom Blankenship, drummer Patrick Hallahan, guitarist Carl Broemel, and keyboardist Bo Koster.

While classified primarily as a rock band, My Morning Jacket’s music spans many genres including indie rock, psychedelic rock, alternative country, southern rock, and Americana. In May 1999, the band released their debut album, The Tennessee Fire, with mild success in the U.S. However, this first album became a surprise international hit, particularly in the Netherlands and Belgium, which led to a European tour that had the Belgian and Dutch press raving with glowing reviews.

Their second album, At Dawn, was released in 2001 and helped grow the band’s American fanbase. They signed to independent label ATO Records in 2002 just prior to the release of their widely acclaimed third album, It Still Moves, in 2003. MMJ’s fourth album, Z, was released in 2005. It received positive critical reviews and is recognized as the band’s breakthrough album. In 2006, during their Z tour, the band released a live album, Okonokos.

Their next album, Evil Urges, was released in 2008 and marked a major shift in their sound, which received polarized reactions from both critics and fans. To promote this album, MMJ made an appearance on Saturday Night Live followed by a summer tour which included a historical performance at Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, Tennessee. At the festival, the band performed for 4 straight hours from midnight until 4:00 a.m. in torrential downpours. The set included 35 songs and a guest appearance by Kirk Hammett of Metallica. This performance is widely regarded as the band’s personal best and one of the best in the history of the festival. Evil Urges was nominated for the 2009 Grammy Award for Best Alternative Rock Album but lost to Radiohead.

Upon the release of the band’s sixth album, Circuital, in 2011, they embarked on a two year tour which concluded in 2013 when they joined Wilco and Bob Dylan. The members of MMJ were disappointed with the outcome of this tour since they were incorrectly informed that Dylan wanted to work with them when he actually did not. My Morning Jacket took a break following the conclusion of this disappointing tour.

They continued working on solo projects during this time which led to the release of their next album, The Waterfall, in 2015. The Waterfall debuted at number 11 on the Billboard 200 in the U.S., selling over 33,000 records in the first week, and was nominated for the 2016 Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album, losing this time to Alabama Shakes.

From 2018 through early 2019, MMJ took a break from touring but soon got back to work and released The Waterfall II in 2020 followed by their self-titled ninth studio album, My Morning Jacket, in 2021. In November 2023, they released their first Christmas LP entitled Happy Holiday!.

In March 2025, MMJ released their tenth studio album, Is, which features “Time Waited” as the fifth track but the first single released ahead of the album. Is received “generally favorable reviews” and was praised for its production quality with one critic stating that the band appeared to be “resting on their laurels.”

I actually was surprised to learn that this song was just released this year. It has a sound that is reminiscent of classic bluegrass and I really thought it was from the 1970s. I was even more surprised to learn that the band members were born in the 1970s! Judging by their sound, I thought they would be much older when they are, in fact, a bit younger than me.

Bluegrass, psychedelic rock, and Americana are some of my favorite music genres, so it is no surprise that I immediately fell in love with this song and this band. I just can’t believe that I had not heard of them before. Although my husband knew exactly who they are and really enjoys their music. Why did he not share this with me???

About My Outfit

My outfit was mostly inspired by the festival vibes that I get from this song and the video. But it is also inspired by Jim James’s monochromatic white outfit in the video. To create a festival feel in a monochromatic white palette, I paired my white flared jeans with a white crocheted tunic featuring colorful stripes. To honor the band’s name and add another element of white, I also wore a thrifted white blazer and took photos during the morning hours so I can accurately say I wore My Morning Jacket!

Taking a hint from Bo Kostor’s headwear, I wore my new white felt fedora. I used an old white sweater belt as my hat band and added some white feathers as well. There is a lot of floral imagery in the video including James’s flower lapel pin so I went with my gold floral cowgirl boots. My jewelry includes handmade earrings in ivory that I purchased from a local craft market, my Shelbee mala beads, and a thrifted butterfly tassel necklace. The only thing I forgot was a watch! I didn’t think of it until we had already driven to our photo location but a watch would have been the perfect accessory for a song titled “Time Waited”, don’t you think?

While I really don’t love wearing jeans these days, I was pleased with this festival-inspired outfit. In fact, I wore this same crocheted tunic in a different colorway with light blue flared jeans to Smoked Country Jam this summer. I never photographed that outfit, but I probably should because it was really cute despite not being totally aligned with my current style aesthetic.

I hope you will check out how my songful friends have styled their outfits inspired by this fabulous song.

• Marsha of Marsha in the Middle
• Suzy of Suzy Turner, The Grey Brunette

Featured Favorite from Songful Style Link Party #40: “Six” by Rose Betts

If you enjoyed our musically inspired outfits for this round, please come back on September 29, 2025, to see how we style my next song choice, “Who’s That Girl?” by Madonna. It is a great way to learn new music or revisit old songs and to view your wardrobe from a totally different perspective.

Happy styling! 

Keeping it on the edge, 

Shelbee