In a new interview with director Cameron Crowe for Rolling Stone, Harry Styles explains exactly what his anthemic new single "Sign of the Times" is about. And no, it's not One Direction's hiatus.

You'd be forgiven for thinking that Harry memorialized his band's last tour in the song, though. He does sing, "Welcome to the final show / Hope you're wearing your best clothes," which could have been a reference to 1D's snappy outfits at their farewell gig. He also sings, "We don't talk enough / We should open up / Before it's all too much," which could be a retelling of band drama.

But Harry says none of those lyrics are actually about One Direction. "The song is written from a point of view as if a mother was giving birth to a child and there's a complication," he said in his new interview. "The mother is told, 'The child is fine, but you're not going to make it.' The mother has five minutes to tell the child, 'Go forth and conquer.'"

Death in childbirth: a classic theme of classic rock music.

For what it's worth, Harry also shared that somewhere, there exists a seven-minute voice memo version of "Sign of the Times." Maybe he'll release it as a bonus track when his self-titled album comes out next month.