Time Machine
Imperial Jade Lyrics

The lyrics of Imperial Jade's song Time Machine are laced with a retro-futuristic feel, drawing upon motifs of science fiction and time travel. The opening lines introduce a "lazy cat" sitting up a tree, followed by a reference to the year 1865 and an inquiry about remembering someone. The image of a white feather floating in the air invokes a sense of weightlessness and possibility. We are then transported to a mental state where the singer is "cruising grasslands" on an "odd flight" that turns black and gray, causing the "traveled mind" to stop for a while.

The chorus is a repetition of "I been stuck in a time machine/Where I've been/It's a mystery/I been stuck in a time machine/Medicine/Of those who believe", expressing a sense of confusion, uncertainty, and perhaps even frustration that comes with time travel. The following lines ask "What it is? What was? And what it could be?", signaling the singer's contemplation of the nature of time itself. However, despite these uncertainties, the singer claims to feel free and asks whether the wind will still blow fast when time stops and forgets the past, leaving us with a final repetition of "Time machine, time machine/Where I've been? Where I've been?/It's a mystery".

Imperial Jade's Time Machine can be interpreted in a number of ways. On one level, it can be seen as a reflection on the human condition, as we are all "stuck in a time machine", moving forward through time whether we want to or not, with no way to go back, forward or sideways. The chorus especially highlights the notion of being "stuck" in time, unable to escape the past or predict the future. On another level, the song can be interpreted more literally as being about the experience of time travel, with the singer describing being "stuck" in a different time period, unable to return to their own time. Overall, the song evokes a sense of nostalgia, wonder, and contemplation about the nature of time.