Story Behind The Song
I heard the old cliche, "time is like a river," and I thought about it and concluded "No, it's not!" This song concludes that time isn't even time.
Song Description
A person thinks about himself as a sailor, or not, and questions the difference between what is real and the words we use to describe what is real.
| Song Length |
2:43 |
Genre |
Pop - Rock, Pop - Alternative |
| Tempo |
Medium (111 - 130) |
Lead Vocal |
Male Vocal |
| Mood |
Annoyed, Cool |
Subject |
Philosophy, Time |
| Similar Artists |
Randy Newman, Neil Young |
Language |
English |
| Era |
1990 - 1999 |
| |
Lyrics
Time Is Not A River ©1997 Alan Monasch
I am simply a sailor in search of a home on dry land
Lost in the storm, in search of a dry place to stand
And time is not a river, it does not flow through the fingers like sand
And I am simply a sailor with time on my mind and my hands
The wings of misfortune are spread and the sun misses me
There's an albatross circling my head in the way that a cyclone encircles the sea
And time is not a river, it does not flow on indefinitely
And I am simply a sailor and maybe I don't want to be
Time is not a river
Life is not a game
And I am not a symbol or an icon
I am not even my own name
And time it has no mercy
Neither has it strength
In the end it's a mere measure of its own length
The quest is in vain and the sword is still stuck in the stone
And they bring in the chains to see what distance remains between the knower and the thing that is known
And time is not a river, it does not take care of its own
And I am simply a sailor, my ship goes wherever it's blown
And since the lighthouse burned out, I'll walk home in the dark alone
And since the lighthouse burned out, I'll walk home in the dark alone