Time
Pink Floyd · A Foot In The Door: The Best Of Pink Floyd [2011]
You fritter and waste the hours in an offhand way
Kicking around on a piece of ground in your home town
Waiting for someone or something to show you the way
Tired of lying in the sunshine staying home to watch the rain
You are young and life is long and there is time to kill today
And then one day you find ten years have got behind you
No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun
And you run and you run to catch up with the sun, but its sinking
And racing around to come up behind you again
The sun is the same in a relative way, but you're older
Shorter of breath and one day closer to death
Every year is getting shorter, never seem to find the time
Plans that either come to naught or half a page of scribbled lines
Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way
The time has gone, the song is over, thought I'd something more to say
Home, home again
I like to be here when I can
And when I come home cold and tired
It's good to warm my bones beside the fire
Far away across the field
The tolling of the iron bell
Calls the faithful to their knees
To hear the softly spoken magic spells
Time - Pink Floyd
Released in 1973 on the album *Atom Heart Mother*, this track stands as a cornerstone of Pink Floyd's progressive rock evolution. The song features a distinctive, slow-building arrangement that gradually accelerates, mirroring the passage of time and the urgency of the moment. Its haunting melody and atmospheric production exemplify the band's signature ability to blend complex instrumentation with emotional depth. While often associated with their later work on *The Wall*, this recording from the early 1970s showcases the group's experimental spirit and their mastery of studio techniques. It remains a defining piece of their discography, illustrating the transition from their earlier psychedelic pop roots to the epic soundscapes that would characterize their most influential albums.