Formed in 1963 in Muswell Hill, North London, they first gained prominence on the heels of the well-received and highly influential single "You Really Got Me" (1964). The group originally consisted of lead singer/guitarist Ray Davies, his brother lead guitarist Dave Davies, drummer Mick Avory, and bassist Pete Quaife. Quaife left (twice) in the late 1960s, and Avory finally left in 1984 as the result of a long-running dispute with Dave Davies, leaving only the Davies brothers as the core of the original group.
With Ray Davies' songwriting skills and unabashedly English voices, Dave Davies' impressive guitar work, and Avory's tight and steady drumming, the band became one of the best and most influential groups of British pop and the "British Invasion" of the U.S.A., lasting longer than any of their competitors, apart from the Rolling Stones, as they broke up in 1996. Their catalogue of songs has been covered by Van Halen, The Pretenders, The Black Keys, The Stranglers, Queens of the Stone Age , and many more.
Members:
Ray Davies – vocals, rhythm guitar (1963–1996)
Dave Davies – lead guitar, vocals (1963–1996)
Pete Quaife – bass guitar (1963–1969)
John Dalton – bass guitar (1969–1976)
Andy Pyle – bass guitar (1976–1978)
Jim Rodford – bass guitar (1978–1996)
Mick Avory – drums (1963–1984)
Bob Henrit – drums (1984–1996)
John Gosling – keyboards, piano (1970–1978)
Gordon Edwards – keyboards, piano (1978–1979)
Ian Gibbons – keyboards, piano (1979–1989, 1993–1996)
Mark Haley – keyboards, piano (1989–1993)
Killing Time
The Kinks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
See how they stand in line
All complaining their lives are unfair
Too bad for them, too bad for mine
(It's the killing time) From now till then
(Killing time), Not knowing when
Standing by the empty mine
(Killing time)
It's a killing time
I know it well
Killing time
Until the bell
Too late to change, too soon to tell
And in between, the killing time
(Killing time) Giving me hell
Up above the stars still shine
Through the poverty and grime
Of the empty streets below
Killing time, nowhere to go
(Killing time)
Tell me, brother what's the plan?
Will I be a working man?
And occupy my idle mind
Or kill the time I knew so well
(Killing time) Giving me hell
Still I can smile at what I see
Soap operas full of vanity
So much wealth and property
Side by side with petty crime
Is that all life's meant to be?
Commercials full of luxuries
A man has one, a cat has nine
And in between it's killing time
(Killing time)
It's a killing time
I know it well
Too late to change
Too soon to tell
Still I can smile at what I find
Waiting round and killing time
Bite the bullet
Help me through it
These lunatics will take my mind
Why can't life be more sublime
Than all of this waste and killing time
Killing time
I know it well
It's the killing time
"Killing Time" by The Kinks is a song that examines the human experience of aimlessly waiting for an event in the future. The lyrics begin by observing the people around the singer, standing in line and complaining about their lives being unfair. The singer recognizes that he is also in a similar position, waiting for something without knowing when it will come. The concept of "killing time" is introduced as a negative experience, described as giving the singer hell.
Throughout the song, the singer reflects on the bleakness of life, observing the poverty and grime around him. He wonders about his future and whether he will become a "working man," occupying his idle mind, or if he will continue to kill time. The middle section of the song briefly touches on the existence of wealth and property alongside petty crime and commercials full of luxuries.
The chorus provides a somewhat hopeful message, as the singer can still smile and find some meaning in the act of waiting for and killing time. However, this sense of optimism is undercut by the final line of the song, which emphasizes the negative experience of killing time: "Why can't life be more sublime than all of this waste and killing time?" Overall, "Killing Time" is a poignant exploration of the human condition of waiting and the frustrating and sometimes hopeless feeling that goes along with it.
Line by Line Meaning
Everybody's going somewhere
People are always busy going to different places
See how they stand in line
People stand in long queues
All complaining their lives are unfair
Everyone is complaining about how unfair their lives are
Too bad for them, too bad for mine
Their lives being unfair is unfortunate for them, but it doesn't make my own life any better
(It's the killing time) From now till then
The period between now and some unknown future time is empty and unproductive
(Killing time), Not knowing when
I have no idea how long this unproductive time will last
They're watching me, I'm watching them
People are watching each other
Standing by the empty mine
We are all standing idle
(Killing time)
We are killing time
It's a killing time
This unproductive time is killing my spirit
Until the bell
The only way out of this is to wait until the work bell rings
Too late to change, too soon to tell
It's too late to make a change, but it's too early to know what will happen
And in between, the killing time
We are stuck in this unproductive time period
(Killing time) Giving me hell
This unproductive time is making me miserable
Up above the stars still shine
Even though we are stuck in this unproductive time, the world moves on
Through the poverty and grime
Despite the fact that things may appear bad
Of the empty streets below
And the streets seem empty
Killing time, nowhere to go
We are still killing time with nowhere to go
Tell me, brother what's the plan?
What is the plan for getting out of this unproductive time?
Will I be a working man?
Will I have a job to fill this empty time?
And occupy my idle mind
Will work fill my idle mind?
Or kill the time I knew so well
Or will I continue to waste my time?
(Killing time) Giving me hell
This unproductive time is making me miserable
Still I can smile at what I see
But despite all this, I see things to smile about
Soap operas full of vanity
I see people on TV being vain and ridiculous
So much wealth and property
I see people with lots of money and belongings
Side by side with petty crime
But this coexists with petty crimes that happen in everyday life
Is that all life's meant to be?
Is this really all life has to offer?
Commercials full of luxuries
I see commercials for luxurious things
A man has one, a cat has nine
Some people have a lot while others have very little
And in between it's killing time
Regardless, we are still stuck in this unproductive time
(Killing time)
We are still killing time
It's a killing time
This unproductive time is killing my spirit
Still I can smile at what I find
Despite all this, I can still find things to smile about
Waiting round and killing time
I am waiting around and killing time
Bite the bullet
I need to face this unproductive time head-on
Help me through it
I need support to get through this time
These lunatics will take my mind
If I don't get some help, I will go crazy
Why can't life be more sublime
Why can't life be more peaceful and happy?
Than all of this waste and killing time
Why am I stuck in this unproductive time that is wasting my life?
Killing time
This unproductive time that is killing my spirit
I know it well
This is a familiar feeling
It's the killing time
This unproductive time is killing my spirit
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
David Chedgey
on Do It Again
Great song but also a memorable music video. Why is it unavailable?