Unlike all of Young's work since "Tonight's the Night," "Comes a Time" has a consistent theme that is stated, mused over, and partially resolved over the course of its two sides. The theme concerns his dealings with women and considers the ways relationships can be worked out, nourished, or abandoned. In song after song, Young, oftburned in the romantic fires, considers whether he ought to entrust his love to the woman in question, and every tune comes up with a different wrinkle.

The surprise of this album, given the relentless self-absorption Young has shown on recent records, is how generous he is with all his partners. (p. 136)

Certainly, while this record is as quiet as "Harvest," it never lapses into that album's serene vapidity. Neil Young has reached a point in his creative abilities where even his calm questioning is capable of being dramatically unsettling. (p. 142)