As everyone knows, the best superheroes have a killer origin story – the re… Read Full Bio ↴As everyone knows, the best superheroes have a killer origin story – the reason Superman’s a bit lame is because he was born special rather than watching his parents get gunned down or something – but we live in a time when we don’t need superheroes. We need normal people to just… be cool to each other.

Cork’s Time Is A Thief have a terrible origin story because they aren’t superheroes. Four mates from the local scene who served time in various outfits before coming together to form a new band: it’s a tale that’s been told a million times over in a million towns… but the most important thing isn’t how they got together, it’s what they’ve done since. Their debut album ‘We’re Not Strangers’ is a confident, exhilarating and thoroughly modern take on rock, taking in influences from the likes of Billy Talent, Twin Atlantic, Biffy Clyro and Alexisonfire and spitting them out in a way that suggests their years spent on the road around their native Ireland have paid off, and in some style.

“We’ve definitely tried to tear down the bullshit when it comes to our music We have no egos – it’s important for us to just get our music out there.”

“We were all friends before any of us picked up instruments; we have this understanding of each other, and it helped us gel much quicker.”

Having formed in 2007, the band released the ‘Conversations’ EP in 2009 and followed it up a year later with the slicker ‘Identity’ EP. They soon gained a reputation as road warriors, and when 2011 rolled around, Time Is A Thief started writing their third EP but rapidly hit a creative hot streak with producer Ciaran O’Shea and came out with the 11 tracks that comprise ‘We’re Not Strangers’.

On its release, thanks to all the groundwork the band had done, they cracked the Top 20 Irish Indie Chart – no mean feat for an entirely DIY outfit.

“We’re trying to bring some of the simplicity back to rock, and that’s something that was very much part of the recording. We’re only a one-guitar band, so we really made sure that the record made it sound like there was only one guitar on the track. Jimmy could have overdubbed it ‘til the cows came home, but when we play live we would not have been able to reproduce it.”

So they weren’t born with special powers, but Time Is A Thief don’t need them.

They’ve got ‘We’re Not Strangers’.

Ben Patashnik
Editor, Rock Sound

EYES
Time Is A Thief Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Looking around
We could not ever see
All the lies that are taking us down
The river will run
And we can escape
From all the lies that are taking our way

Yeah you know who you are

Look into my eyes and tell me the truth
Now you are unaware
When we stop and stare

Trying to get on
To a brand new day
Would you leave your soul in a different time
We will never let go
Of the hope that we seek
We will watch our souls float in a different time

You know who you are
Now we have never got so far

Look into my eyes and tell me the truth
Now you are unaware when we stop and stare
Look into my eyes and tell me the truth
Now you are unaware when we stop and stare

Look into my eyes and tell me the truth
Now you are unaware when we stop and stare
Look into my eyes and tell me the truth

Now you are unaware when we stop and stare
Unaware when we stop and stare

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of this song are about the deceptive nature of time and how it takes away what we have or what we could have been. The first verse talks about how we cannot see the lies that are taking us down, but we can escape from them. The river represents time which can carry us away from the lies, but also take away things like opportunities or relationships. The chorus talks about looking into someone's eyes and telling the truth, but the person is unaware of what they are doing when they stop and stare. This could mean that we often don't realize how much time we waste, especially when we are lying to ourselves or others.

The second verse talks about trying to move on to a new day but wondering if we should leave our soul behind. This could mean that we have to let go of some things that we hold dear in order to move on or it could mean that we don't want to lose our sense of self in the process. The hope that is mentioned is our desire to become something or achieve something in life, but sometimes we are not able to do so because of time. The lyrics describe watching our souls float in a different time which means that we have to let go of the past and move on to the future, even if it means losing some parts of ourselves.

Overall, the song is a reflection on the fleeting nature of time and how it affects us in different ways. It talks about how time can take away things like love, opportunities, and our sense of selves, but also how it allows us to escape from things that are holding us back. The chorus is a plea for honesty and truthfulness, but also an acknowledgement that we often don't know how much time we have left.

Line by Line Meaning

Looking around
Observing our surroundings

We could not ever see
Unable to notice

All the lies that are taking us down
Deceptions causing our downfall

The river will run
Time will continue to pass

And we can escape
Finding a way out

From all the lies that are taking our way
Avoiding misinformation that obstructs us

Yeah you know who you are
Directing a message to a specific person

Look into my eyes and tell me the truth
Requesting honesty

Now you are unaware
Currently ignorant

When we stop and stare
Pausing and paying attention

Trying to get on
Striving to move forward