Ed Thigpen Lyrics

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Once I was young
Yesterday, perhaps
Danced with Jim and Paul
And kissed some other chaps

Once I was young
But never was naive
I thought I had a trick or two

Up my imaginary sleeve
And now I know I was naive

I didn't know what time it was
Then I met you
Oh, what a lovely time it was
How sublime it was too

I didn't know what day it was
You held my hand
Warm like the month of May it was
And I'll say it was grand

Grand to be alive, to be young
To be mad, to be yours alone
Grand to see your face, feel your touch
Hear your voice say, "I'm all your own"

I didn't know what year it was
Life was no prize
I wanted love and here it was
Shining out of your eyes
I'm wise and I know what time it is now

Grand to be alive, to be young
To be mad, to be yours alone
Grand to see your face, feel your touch
Hear your voice say, "I'm all your own"

I didn't know what year it was
Life was no prize
I wanted love and here it was

Shining out of your eyes
I'm wise and I know what time it is now

Overall Meaning

The song "I Didn't Know What Time It Was" by Oscar Peterson and Tonny Stitt talks about the singer's youthful past, where they danced with Jim and Paul and kissed some other chaps. Though the singer believes they were never naive about life, they thought they had a trick or two up their imaginary sleeve. The singer then talks about meeting someone and how wonderful and sublime of a time they had together. They go on to express that they didn't even know what day it was when they were with this person, everything was just perfect. The singer then says that life was no prize before they met this person, but they wanted love, and they found it in the person's eyes. They now feel wise and know what time it is, perhaps indicating that they have found true love and happiness.

The song captures the feeling of falling head over heels in love and everything else in the world seeming to fade away. The singer reminisces about their past and acknowledges their naivete, but also expresses how "grand" it is to be alive and in love. The song highlights the power of love to transform someone's life and perspective.

Line by Line Meaning

Once I was young
At some point in the past, I was youthful.

Yesterday, perhaps
It could have been just the other day.

Danced with Jim and Paul
I used to dance with Jim and Paul.

And kissed some other chaps
I kissed some other guys too.

But never was naive
However, I was never innocent or inexperienced.

I thought I had a trick or two
I believed I had a few skills or ideas.

Up my imaginary sleeve
That I could use to my advantage, but that were not real.

And now I know I was naive
In retrospect, I realize that I was wrong and naive in my thinking.

I didn't know what time it was
Before I met you, I was unaware of the situation.

Then I met you
But then I encountered you.

Oh, what a lovely time it was
It was a beautiful moment.