<… Read Full Bio ↴Spooky Tooth was an English progressive rock band from the late 1960s.
They formed in October 1967, out of a combination of The Ramrods (1960 - late 1963), The V.I.P.'s (late 1963 - April 1967) and Art (April - October 1967). The line-up changed several times, but typically included the following members:
Mike Harrison (keyboards/vocals)Greg Ridley (bass guitar/vocals)Luther (Luke) Grosvenor (guitar/vocals)Mike Kellie (drums)Gary Wright (organ/vocals)
It was the addition of Gary Wright that signalled the name change from Art to Spooky Tooth.
The song "Better By You, Better Than Me" recorded by Judas Priest is a Spooky Tooth cover. It was taken from 1969's Spooky Two LP which is generally considered to be the best effort by the group. It was the last album release from the original line-up. Ridley joined Humble Pie in 1969 and was replaced by Andy Leigh who went on to Matthews Southern Comfort with ex-Fairport Convention vocalist Ian Matthews. The experimental nature of Ceremony received mixed reviews and following its release Wright also bowed out. The core of Harrison, Grosvenor and Kellie struggled on for one more album, aptly titled The Last Puff, (featuring a cover of "I am the Walrus") completed with friends from Joe Cocker's Grease Band.
They broke up in the autumn of 1970. After solo efforts, Harrison and Wright reformed Spooky Tooth in September 1972 with a different (and frequently changing) line-up. The best known member of these line-ups (March 1973 - September 1974) was Mick Jones (guitar/vocals), later of Foreigner. From February to May 1974, Mike Patto (vocals) replaced Harrison for the 1974 release The Mirror. The group then split again in September 1974.
DISCOGRAPHY
Art
Mike Harrison (vocals), Greg Ridley (bass guitar), Luther Grosvenor (guitar), Mike Kellie (drums)
* 1967 - Supernatural Fairy Tales
Spooky Tooth
* 1968 - It's All About
* 1969 - Spooky Two
* 1970 - Ceremony (with Pierre Henry)
* 1970 - The Last Puff
* 1971 - Tobacco Road (=It's All About)
* 1973 - You Broke My Heart So I Busted Your Jaw
* 1973 - Witness
* 1974 - The Mirror
* 1999 - Cross Purpose
* 1999 - The Best of Spooky Tooth: That Was Only Yesterday
* 2000 - Comic Violence
* 2001 - BBC Sessions
* 2007 - Nomad Poets (DVD)
The Wrong Time
Spooky Tooth Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Change is what she said
When she left me
I laughed as she ran
Cryin’ out my door
Time has made me see
I think It’s time to take her back
Once more
Cause it’s the wrong time
The wrong place
The wrong way for me
To tell her that it’s over
(Repeat)
Something’s gotten into my way of livin’
Strange it seems each time I say goodbye
I think of all the good she did in givin’
And loneliness has made me realize
That it’s the wrong time
The wrong place
The wrong way for me
To tell her that it’s over
(Repeat)
Easy like I’ve found my own sweet Heaven
Discontent shown clearly in her eye
Wish you call my name, I knew the meaning of a game
Now I have no ???? for ??????
The wrong time
The wrong place
The wrong way for me
To tell her that it’s over
(Repeat)
The lyrics of Spooky Tooth's song The Wrong Time are about a person who has broken up with their partner, but now regrets it. The song starts with the ex-partner saying that she left because she needed a change, but the singer didn't take her reasons seriously, laughing as she ran out the door. Now, after some time has passed, the singer is feeling the misery of their decision to let her go, and thinks it's time to take her back, but he feels it's the wrong time, place, and way to do it, as he's the one who broke things off originally.
The second verse talks about how something is in the way of his living, and each time he tries to say goodbye for good, he thinks of all the good things she did for him, and realizes just how lonely he is without her. In the final verse, the singer wishes he could go back to the sweet heaven of their relationship, but now he sees the discontent in her eyes and wishes he could call her name again, but he doesn't have the strength or courage to do so, knowing that it's still the wrong time and place.
Overall, the song is a powerful portrayal of the complex emotions that come with regretting a decision to end a relationship. It's a reminder that sometimes what we think is the right decision at the time can come back to haunt us, and that love is often anything but logical.
Line by Line Meaning
Change is what she said
She communicated to me that she wanted things to be different
When she left me
After our relationship ended
I laughed as she ran
I reacted sarcastically as she departed away from me
Cryin’ out my door
She was expressing herself emotionally as she left
Time has made me see
Over the course of time I began to gain perspective on my situation
Misery has gotten to me
I became very unhappy with how things were going in my life
I think It’s time to take her back
I am considering trying to resume my relationship with her
Once more
Again, like we did before
Cause it’s the wrong time
Unfortunately, it's not a good time
The wrong place
Our current situation is not ideal for a reunion
The wrong way for me
The strategy I want to use is not well thought out
To tell her that it’s over
To communicate to her that our relationship is permanently done
Something’s gotten into my way of livin’
Something has started to obstruct my life
Strange it seems each time I say goodbye
It's odd that when I end things, it feels wrong
I think of all the good she did in givin’
I reflect on all the positive things she brought to my life
And loneliness has made me realize
I have learned a new truth about myself being alone
That it’s the wrong time
Unfortunately, it's not a good time
The wrong place
Our current situation is not ideal for a reunion
The wrong way for me
The strategy I want to use is not well thought out
To tell her that it’s over
To communicate to her that our relationship is permanently done
Easy like I’ve found my own sweet Heaven
I feel very comfortable with myself, like I have found my own little paradise
Discontent shown clearly in her eye
She communicated nonverbally that she was not happy with how things were between us
Wish you call my name, I knew the meaning of a game
I would like to speak with her to improve my understanding of our situation
Now I have no ???? for ??????
Unknown
The wrong time
Unfortunately, it's not a good time
The wrong place
Our current situation is not ideal for a reunion
The wrong way for me
The strategy I want to use is not well thought out
To tell her that it’s over
To communicate to her that our relationship is permanently done
Contributed by Hannah K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.