About the Song

Track: Time for Me to Fly

Length: 3:41

Album: You Can Tune a Piano, but You Can’t Tuna Fish (1978)

Artist: REO Speedwagon

Songwriter: Kevin Cronin

Favorite part:

“I’ve swallowed my pride for you

Lived and lied for you

But you still make me feel like a thief”

℗ 1978 Epic Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment

Here’s Why I Love It

Okay, okay, so I’m not some closet REO Speedwagon superfan. I don’t even know much about them. I mean, I know who they are, but, well, you know what I mean. I will say, they’ve sold a lot of records, and they seem to pop up regularly on the worst-album-names-of-all-time lists. (I found some humor in that.)

Anyway, I first heard “Time for Me to Fly” (that I can remember) this year while watching season three of Ozark on Netflix. This one is a little out of the box, but I have to admit this is a really fun window-down-in-your-car song. Yes, it’s about as on the nose as a song can get, which typically isn’t my taste, but oddly, that’s what makes it land for me. Instead of half-stepping into the sentiment, the vocals and arrangement lean right into the bluntness, amplifying the lyrics with razor sharpness. It’s a full dose of positive energy. Plus, there’s no denying the harmonies are spot on, and there’s even a nice little guitar solo at about the 2:21 mark.

Simply put, the song is about leaving someone who has stolen too much time from you. A dead relationship is something I’m pretty sure every one of us can relate to at some point in life. Maybe a friend, family member, or, in this case, a lover. They’ve been holding you down or back (pick your favorite), and now it’s time for you to end it. You have to, you’ve given too much, and this person just seems to take advantage of it.

I don’t view the song as animosity, though. It’s really more about reciprocity, or lack thereof. There’s an imbalance in the relationship—or, as Cronin writes, “I make you laugh / You make me cry / It’s time for me to fly.” It’s light and uplifting. And it’s that damn title that makes it inspiring. Flying is nothing but open air. It’s freeing. It’s the belief, idealistic as it may be, that there is more for you out there, and now is your time.

Listen to the song and read the lyrics for full effect.

You can now listen to the Lyrics I Love playlist on Spotify. A new song is added with each edition!

*This article is part of the ongoing Lyrics I Love series: short interpretations of the meaning and story behind one song with lyrics that move me.