50 Best Rock Songs About Running Late
Rock Tracks for When You’re Running Late
There’s that half-panicked, half-resigned feeling when you realize the clock’s already laughing at you. You’re grabbing keys, forgetting something important, maybe stuck in traffic with your hair still wet, and everything’s moving a little too fast. Some mornings hit like a sprint that started without a countdown, and a loud guitar riff becomes the only thing keeping you upright. The kind of song that mirrors the chaos instead of calming it. It’s the heartbeat of running late, that weird pulse between urgency and acceptance that says, fine, we’re already behind, might as well lean into it.
A lot of these tracks weren’t written for people dodging alarms or skipping breakfast on the go, but they fit right in. The tempo, the grit, the way the lyrics stumble and recover, all feel like fragments of the same scramble. Rock has a way of making that mess sound deliberate, like being off-beat could still land in rhythm. Some of the pop, rock, country, and R&B songs that sneak in here ride that same line too, because lateness doesn’t stick to one genre. It’s its own kind of anthem, found in chords that rush forward without waiting for anyone to catch up.
Every missed bus, spilled coffee, and too-loud engine has a soundtrack somewhere. It’s not polished, not patient, but there’s something oddly alive in that pace. These tracks carry that jittery energy, the wild pulse of mornings gone sideways, the hum of a day that already started without you. Here are the best rock songs for running late.
Top 10 Time Pressure Rock Songs
1. 'Time Is Running Out' by Muse
2. 'Dead on Time' by Queen
3. 'Pressure and Time' by Rival Sons
4. 'Too Late for Love' by Def Leppard
5. 'It's Late' by Queen
6. 'Time' by Pink Floyd
7. 'It's Too Late' by Carole King
8. 'Missed the Boat' by Modest Mouse
9. 'Too Little Too Late' by The Dream Syndicate
10. 'Got to Choose' by Kiss
Greatest Running Out of Time Rock Songs #11 to 20
11. 'Riding Against the Wind' by Bob Seger
12. 'Time's Up' by Living Colour
13. 'Running Out of Time' by Simple Plan
14. 'In Too Deep' by Genesis
15. 'Too Late' by The Cars
16. 'Waiting for the Bus' by ZZ Top
17. 'Time Won't Let Me' by The Outsiders
18. 'Time Is Now' by The Last Shadow Puppets
19. 'Do You Really Want to Go All the Way?' by The Box Tops
20. 'Five Minutes' by The Stranglers
Essential Late Arrival Rock Songs #21 to 30
21. 'Time Stand Still' by Rush
22. 'Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)' by Kate Bush
23. 'Too Late To Turn Back Now' by Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose
24. 'Misunderstanding' by Genesis
25. 'Time For Me to Fly' by REO Speedwagon
26. 'I'm Late' by The Guess Who
27. 'Time's Running Out' by Status Quo
28. 'Too Late' by Black Sabbath
29. 'Hurry Up Sundown' by Stereophonics
30. 'Last Train to London' by Electric Light Orchestra
Songs About Not Making It On Time #31 to 40
31. 'Time to Move On' by Tom Petty
32. 'Too Late' by Junior Walker & The All Stars
33. 'Time Is Tight' by Booker T. & the M.G.'s
34. 'Long Time Gone' by Crosby, Stills & Nash
35. 'Next to You' by The Police
36. 'It's Not Too Late' by The Monkees
37. 'Too Late to Stop Now' by Van Morrison
38. 'Just in Time' by The Rolling Stones
39. 'Speed King' by Deep Purple
40. 'Hurry On Sundown' by Hawkwind
More Rock Songs About Delays #41 to 50
41. 'Closing Time' by Semisonic
42. 'Too Late' by The Velvet Underground
43. 'Time Has Come Today' by The Chambers Brothers
44. 'Running Late' by John Mayer Trio
45. 'Time of the Season' by The Zombies
46. 'Rush' by Big Audio Dynamite
47. 'Right Place Wrong Time' by Dr. John
48. 'Too Late' by Pat Benatar
49. 'Hurry Up' by The Smithereens
50. 'No Time' by The Guess Who
© 2025 Carson McQueen
