When The Going Gets Tough

The song presents a speaker determined to win someone’s love. He promises to act boldly rather than let obstacles stop him, and his confidence becomes a kind of romantic persuasion. The mood is energetic and playful, but underneath the excitement is a strong desire to be loved in return.

“When the going gets tough, the tough get going” is an idiom meaning that resilient people take action when situations become difficult. Images of crossing a river, climbing mountains, and swimming seas exaggerate the effort the speaker says he will make; they suggest devotion, not necessarily literal journeys. Calling the person’s love “a slow train coming” implies that love feels as if it is approaching, though it may take time.

The lyrics can be heard as a cheerful declaration of persistence, but also as a speaker trying hard to convince someone—and perhaps himself—that his feelings will be returned. His promises are grand, while his requests for touch and closeness are direct and intimate. The song does not tell us whether the other person shares his feelings, so the confidence may be hopeful rather than proof of a mutual relationship.