Painted Shield is an American band comprising Stone Gossard (guitarist with… Read Full Bio ↴Painted Shield is an American band comprising Stone Gossard (guitarist with Pearl Jam), Mason Jennings, Matt Chamberlain, and Brittany Davis.

Their eponymous debut release is on Loosegroove Records that is driven by pulse-racing electronic and live drums, bursting with gritty and sometimes psychotic guitars that weave in and out of luxurious keyboard soundscapes, and brimming with glorious melodies – a genre-bending mix of roots rock, electronica and contemporary folk-pop.

Gossard sings the praises of his Painted Shield bandmates (“With Matt and Mason, this is what collaboration is supposed to be”), but he also stresses the importance of other friends and artists who contributed to the album, chief among them keyboardist/singer Brittany Davis and mixer John Congleton. “Brittany Davis is a Seattle singer-songwriter and force to be reckoned with. With people like that, it’s easy to say, ‘OK, here’s the song. It’s yours to mess around with.’ That’s where the magic is.” Other artists featured on Painted Shield include Mike McCready, Jeff Ament, Lonnie Marshall, Josh Freese, Om Johari and Jeff Fielder.

Time Machine
Painted Shield Lyrics

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I missed you baby Before I met you
I felt your empty Hand in mine
When I lay dreaming I reached out for
You And each day felt like Wasting time
My mama says there's no time there's no time no time machines My
Teacher says there's no time there's no time to time machines My
Preacher says there's no time there's no time
No time machines My mama says there's no time

My mama says there's time machines

It seems so pointless
The time we wasted
The years spent searching They break my heart
My mama says there's no time there's no time no time machines My
Teacher says there's no time there's no time no time machines My
Preacher says there's no time there's no time
No time machines My mama says there's no time
My mama says there's time machines

There comes a moment In every lifetime
A choice that changes Everything

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Painted Shield's song Time Machine are melancholic and pensive. The singer opens the song by saying how they missed their lover even before they met them. They felt their empty hand in theirs when they lay dreaming, and they wasted every day waiting for their soulmate. The singer's mother, teacher, and preacher all say that there are no time machines, which seems to indicate that the singer is living in the present and perhaps should stop living in the past. However, the singer's mother also tells them there are time machines, which is confusing as it contradicts what the other authority figures say.

The second verse continues with the theme of wasted time. The singer says that the time spent searching and the years they have lost seem pointless, and it breaks their heart. They then repeat that there are no time machines, but their mother says there are. The song ends by saying that there comes a moment in every lifetime where a choice changes everything. This moment may be the singer realizing that they can't live in the past and must move on or may be the moment where they meet their soulmate.

Overall, the song's theme is about time and regret. The singer spends a lot of their time ruminating on the past, dreaming of their soulmate, and wasting days waiting. The repeated line that their mother says there are time machines shows that the singer is trying to find a way to go back and change the past. However, the song ends on a hopeful note, with the singer recognizing that there is a moment in life where we can make choices that change everything.

Line by Line Meaning

I missed you baby Before I met you
I longed for you even before knowing you

I felt your empty Hand in mine
I felt the absence of your touch even before meeting you

When I lay dreaming I reached out for You
In my dreams, I tried to connect with you

And each day felt like Wasting time
Every day without you felt unproductive and meaningless

My mama says there's no time there's no time no time machines My Teacher says there's no time there's no time to time machines My Preacher says there's no time there's no time No time machines My mama says there's no time My mama says there's time machines
Some people say time travel is impossible while others believe it's possible

It seems so pointless The time we wasted The years spent searching They break my heart
The time spent in vain searching for you is heartbreaking

There comes a moment In every lifetime A choice that changes Everything
There comes a moment in life where one has to make a crucial decision that alters the course of everything

Writer(s): Mason Jennings, Stone Gossard

Contributed by Micah I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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