Time Flown
Richard Barbieri & Tim Bowness Lyrics

The lyrics of Richard Barbieri and Tim Bowness’ song “Time Flown” deals with the idea of longing and loss, particularly the feeling of not being able to connect with the ones we love or the ideas we cherish. The song starts with the singer expressing his desire to communicate with someone or something but is then confronted with the realization that the truth may just be a fantasy and anger may ultimately lead him to disappointment. The chorus of the song, “Time flown, grown wild with idle dreaming. Mind blown, with siren songs of leaving,” further highlights this feeling of detachment from reality and a sense of being trapped in a dream-like state.

The second verse dwells on the concept of touching or owning what we love, and the frustration of not being able to hold on to it forever. The lines “Can you ever really touch what you love too much? We were wasting all our time on things we'd never find” suggests that the singer has spent too much time searching for something that may never be found, resulting in a wasted effort. The repetition of the lines “Still, your blood burns so close to mine” signifies that despite the loss, there is a connection that remains, whether it be to a person, an idea or a moment in time.

Overall, the lyrics of “Time Flown” reveals the struggle of trying to find meaning and connection in a world that is both beautiful and tragic, but ultimately fleeting. Time and loss are major themes in the song, as they represent the things that we cannot control or keep forever. The use of dream-like imagery and references to music, such as “siren songs of leaving”, reinforces this feeling of losing oneself in something ephemeral.