Time

When you dive into *Time*, you are immediately met with a whirlwind of clocks and alarms that seems to want to shake you out of stillness. These sounds, which kick off the song, were not recorded specifically for the album, but rather emerged from a quadraphonic sound test that engineer Alan Parsons had conducted in an antique shop. The idea of using these clockwork noises, with each one recorded separately, was his, and the musicians of Pink Floyd decided to incorporate them into the track. After this sonic introduction, there is a two-minute passage where the percussion of Nick Mason, using rototoms, takes center stage, accompanied by a ticking sound that Roger Waters created by playing the muted strings of his bass. The composition of this track is unique because it is the only one on the album The Dark Side of the Moon that credits all four main members of the band for its writing.

The lyrics of *Time* explore the perception of the passage of time, an idea that arose in Roger Waters upon realizing that he was no longer preparing for life, but was living it fully. He himself has mentioned that this epiphany occurred around the age of 28 or 29. Musically, the song moves in the key of F sharp minor. During the verses, David Gilmour handles the lead vocals, while in the bridges, it is Richard Wright who takes the lead, supported by female backing vocals and Gilmour's harmony. The recording of this track, along with the rest of the album, took place between June 1972 and February 1973 at EMI Studios in London, under the production of Pink Floyd and with Chris Thomas on mixing.