Where'd All the Time Go?

I just joined this site to say how great this song is, my ears experienced immense pleasure while listening to it, what can I say Dr. Dog is the best!

With this song, and most of Dr. Dog's songs, the lyrics are loaded with meaning, and I think that allows a lot of varying interpretations. To me this song is like a happy nostalgic song. It's about remembering good times, but it isn't wistful. It's about just remembering that those times were enjoyable, and they changed us. The lyrics mention a girl, and I think that's something that is personal to the lyricist , but I like this song, even if I don't fully understand it. That's the beauty of Dr. Dog. Loads of meaning, and a great melody.

makes me think of getting old and dying -- with a head full of nostalgia and memories that are growing farther and farther away every day.

wow. can't believe no one has commented yet. i find this song playing thru my head often enough that i had to log on and get to the bottom of the lyrics. thanx for posting, quitwiz! seems like this song could be about reflecting on a lost love/old flame. especially since the song is titled "where'd all the time go" and the line "there ain't no way to sweep up the mess that we've made".

dr. dog, FTW!

I think the song is about how theres this guy who likes this girl a lot but cant do anything about her problem, they match together like "a hand in a glove" but knows that he cant help her.

There is a study that says that people who walk fast tend to be the type of person that are intense and can easily get unhappy, also a typical symptom of depression is reflected by reduced walking speed, So that is the meaning of the line "She's on the go, way too fast and way too slow".

"She gets dressed up like a pillow so shes always in bed" means that she is constantly sleeping and another sign of depression is oversleeping.

Im not sure about the "she turns to stone/stops at hospitals and funeral homes" because its a bit too vague but i think it means that she stops at those places because hospitals and funeral homes are usually where people are ridden with the problems of life and death, and shes there standing still staring at those places thinking she might be one of them soon.

"And when the fog rises Somebody sighs who is not in disguise anymore" is basically saying shes high masking and that when shes alone / cant be seen then she lets out her true self of being tired of reality.

"Now shes walking backwards" being backwards is a derogatory term for a person that is perceived to be making less intellectual progress or developing more slowly, and its a fact that depression actively leads to a detrimental development of the frontal lobe, ultimately affecting intelligence and lowering IQ.

"And when the tide rises, somebody sinks and is gone in the blink of an eye" I think the "tide" is a metaphor for problems/thoughts and "sinks" means that theyre full of the pressure of the thoughts and problems which causes them to be "gone in the blink of an eye" which means that she'll take her 0wn life because when someone 0ffs themselves you never really are able to see them again.

"flowers for the sick and dead" sick can be taken as mentally ill or about to pass, not to forget the "see how the hands go, waving goodbye." and i mean you only say goodbye to someone when theyre leaving.

Im sure its implied that she does have depression because depression is associated with death and its sprinkled throughout the song.

Yes ive done the research just to write this long thoughtful explanation because im tired of seeing someone just think the song is just about "the protagonist feeling like time is passing by too quickly and he's forgetful when he looks at his partner. " like no??? thats such a lazy explanation for a well thought song.

"dressed up like a pillow so she's always in bed"

so good.

i think this song is obviously about aging and dying.

I cannot figure this one out and there is such little interpretation on the web so there’s no help but to me this reads as this chick who is so full of life and terrified of the end, like a lot of young people. She has this need to live life to the fullest because she is so freaked out of it all ending and in that way she kind of brings herself down. The lyrics “she gets dressed up like a pillow so she’s always in bed” is like saying STOP thinking about the end like it’s right around the corner, it doesn’t help anything and that internal struggle has no benefit. Then there’s this guy singing. He doesn’t share her same problems, in fact, he might not care a whole lot about his eventual demise. He seems to be very in the moment and this moment has this girl in it that makes his life so great. She’s worried about the end and he’s just happy to have her until then—soaking up every minute with her knowing that that is what it’s all about. Probably entertained by her so very different interpretation of life.

this songs makes me think of death, but also just separations in general. i love how dr dog’s songs all have so much meaning to it, when you’re listening to his songs, it’s not just about the melody, you have to listen in on the lyrics too.

Im here 10 years later than everyone else in the comments. I find that everytime I stumble across this song and give it a listen I rethink my life at the time, I have made many realizations about what I actually want to this song. Ive quit jobs and Ive ended relationships over this song. Thank you Dr. Dog.