In September 1976, singer/bassist John Wetton and drummer Bill Bruford, alumni of King Crimson, worked on forming a band with Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman. The project was stopped by Wakeman’s label. According to Bruford, “A&M Records were unwilling to let their ‘star,’ Wakeman, walk off with a used, slightly soiled King Crimson rhythm section, and the idea failed.”
Determined to work together, Bruford and Wetton next asked guitarist Robert Fripp to reform King Crimson which Fripp had disbanded in 1974. When Fripp declined, Bruford and Wetton decided that each would bring in a musician of his choice to formulate a band. Wetton brought in keyboardist/violinist Eddie Jobson, whom Wetton knew from his work with Roxy Music in 1976 – “stealing” him from Frank Zappa. Bruford recruited guitarist Allan Holdsworth (formerly of Soft Machine and Gong) who had played guitar on Bruford’s 1977 debut solo album, Feels Good to Me.
U.K. released their self-titled début album in 1978 and followed it with a supporting tour.
Following two lengthy American tours (June-October 1978), first Holdsworth and then Bruford departed U.K. over musical differences, going on to form the jazz rock fusion group Bruford. After the departure of Bruford and Holdsworth, U.K. didn’t bring in another guitarist. Drummer Terry Bozzio (another one-time Frank Zappa band member) joined Wetton and Jobson, and as a result U.K. became a trio with a progressive rock lineup of keyboards/bass/drums (albeit supplemented by Jobson’s violin). The trio recorded the album Danger Money, released in March 1979, and spent much of that year touring North America as opening act for Jethro Tull. A live album, Night After Night, was recorded in Japan that Spring and released in September. Following a final European tour in December 1979, and in spite of plans to record a new studio album in America in March 1980, U.K. disbanded. The reason for this was Jobson’s and Wetton’s different ideas on how the band should have gone on. Jobson wanted UK to go on with more long instrumental pieces, while Wetton thought that performing shorter songs was a better idea. Jobson stated that one song in particular was the reason of the band to disband: “When Will You Realise?”, a non-LP B-side (to date still unavailable on CD) featured on the “Night After Night” single, which Wetton would re-record (with slightly different lyrics) in 1980 on his solo album Caught In The Crossfire.
Throughout their brief existence, U.K.’s music was characterised by skilled musicianship, jazzy harmonies, close harmony vocals, use of odd time signatures (like 7/4 on the song “In the Dead of Night”), electric violin solos, and unusually varied synthesiser (Yamaha CS-80) sonorities.
Time to Kill
U.K. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wolf at the door
Can I stand
A dog's life here for one day more
Close my eyes, imagine somewhere
So far away
Silver sand
Sick of solitary holidays
'Cause I never get away from here
I listen to the water drip down
Into the cell
Run amok
If I survive this living hell
Holed up in this cold calaboose
Captivity
Even takes
My lucid thoughts away from me
Time to kill – going nowhere
Killing time – staying where there's
Time to kill – going nowhere
Killing time – staying where there's...
Time to kill – going nowhere
Killing time – staying where there's
Time to kill – going nowhere
Killing time – staying where there's...
The lyrics of "Time to Kill" by U.K. evoke feelings of entrapment, restlessness, and boredom. The singer is confined to a small space, perhaps a prison cell or a cramped apartment, and longs for escape. The opening lines describe the singer's discomfort in the cold, followed by the presence of a "wolf at the door," a phrase that connotes danger or impending harm. The singer questions whether they can handle their current situation, likening their existence to a "dog's life."
The second stanza offers a brief respite as the singer closes their eyes and imagines a tropical getaway, complete with "silver sand" and an "azure Caribbean Sea." These lines create a stark contrast to the cold, harsh reality in which the singer finds themselves. However, the respite is momentary, as the singer is "sick of solitary holidays" and cannot escape their confinement.
The final stanza repeats the chorus, emphasizing the singer's frustration at being stuck in one place with nothing to do but pass the time. The reference to "calaboose" (a slang term for a jail cell) reinforces the idea that the singer is trapped. They describe their thoughts as "lucid," but even these are being taken away from them due to their captivity. The repetition of "going nowhere" and "staying where there's" emphasizes the singer's feeling of being stagnant and stuck, with no means of escape.
Line by Line Meaning
Rip the sheets off, ice cold again
Feeling cold, I pull the sheets off my bed forcefully
Wolf at the door
Feeling threatened like a wolf is at my doorstep
Can I stand
I question my ability to withstand my current situation
A dog's life here for one day more
Comparing my life to a dog's life and wishing I could escape it
Close my eyes, imagine somewhere
I close my eyes and imagine myself in a different place
So far away
A place that seems unreachable and distant
Silver sand
The visual of a sandy beach with shimmering sand
And azure Carribean Sea
The beautiful blue color of the Caribbean Sea
Sick of solitary holidays
Tired of taking vacations alone
'Cause I never get away from here
I can never escape my current situation
I listen to the water drip down
The only sound I hear is the dripping of water
Into the cell
The water drips into my prison cell
Run amok
I feel like I'm going crazy
If I survive this living hell
I'm not sure if I can handle this miserable life much longer
Holed up in this cold calaboose
I am trapped in a cold, miserable cell
Captivity
Being a prisoner with no freedom
Even takes
My dreadful captivity even takes my clear thoughts away
My lucid thoughts away from me
I cannot even think clearly due to my situation
Time to kill – going nowhere
I have nothing to do and nowhere to go
Killing time – staying where there's
All I can do is wait and pass time in my prison
Time to kill – going nowhere
I am stagnant and cannot progress
Killing time – staying where there's...
I am stuck in my current situation with no changes in sight
Contributed by Isabelle B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.