Back in Time
Keane Lyrics
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I am not leaving for the moment anymore
I don't wanna wake up
I have got time to kill
I am not leaving for the future anymore
I don't wanna wake
I don't wanna wake up
She goes back in time
She goes back in time
She goes back in time
Time I wait for you
Hibernating hoping life will start again
Pedal in the water
The days all seem the same
I dreamed by day I shut light out, I escape
I don't wanna wake
I don't wanna wake up
She goes back in time
She goes back in time
She goes back in time
She goes back in time
She goes back in time
Something backwards I forget, I forget
Time has wrapped his drowsy arms around my neck
Don't wanna wake up
Don't wanna wake up
She goes back in time
She goes back in time
She goes back in time
She goes back in time
She goes back in time
She goes back in time
She goes back in time
And back again
And back again
The lyrics to Keane's song "Back in Time" appear to speak to a desire to escape reality and live in the past - a time when the singer had more time to spare and was less preoccupied with the present and future. The first verse in particular suggests a reluctance to leave the present moment or to let go of the leisurely pace of the past, with the singer insisting that they have "got time to kill" and are "not leaving for the future anymore". The repetition of the line "I don't wanna wake up" reinforces the sense that the singer is trying to avoid the responsibilities and stresses of the present.
The second verse touches on the themes of boredom and stagnation, with the singer lamenting that they are "hibernating, hoping life will start again" and that "the days all seem the same". The line "I dreamed by day I shut light out, I escape" hints at a desire to create a separate reality within one's own mind, where one can temporarily forget about the difficulties of the present. The final verse suggests that time itself is part of the problem, with its "drowsy arms" holding the singer in a kind of suspended animation while they yearn for the past.
Line by Line Meaning
I have got time to kill
I have plenty of free time to use up
I am not leaving for the moment anymore
I have decided to stay in the present and not move forward
I don't wanna wake up
I do not want to face reality
She goes back in time
She travels to a past moment through memory or imagination
Time I wait for you
I am waiting for time to pass
Hibernating hoping life will start again
Waiting patiently for something good to happen in life
Pedal in the water
My days are uneventful and boring
The days all seem the same
My daily routine has become predictable and monotonous
I dreamed by day I shut light out, I escape
I daydream to forget about reality and escape the present moment
Something backwards I forget, I forget
I cannot remember something from the past
Time has wrapped his drowsy arms around my neck
Time has slowed down and is not moving quickly
Don't wanna wake up
I do not want to face reality
And back again
Returning to reality after imagining or remembering a past moment
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: RICHARD DAVID HUGHES, TIMOTHY JAMES RICE-OXLEY, TOM CHAPLIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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