About The Song

Jim Croce, an American folk and popular rock singer, wrote the lyrics for “Time in a Bottle” after his wife Ingrid told him she was pregnant in December 1970. The song appeared on Croce’s 1972 debut album, “You Don’t Mess Around with Jim.” “Time in a Bottle” is a poignant reflection on the preciousness of life and the desire to capture and preserve meaningful moments. The lyrics express a wish to manipulate time, saving cherished memories for eternity. After Jim Croce’s tragic death in a plane crash in September 1973, the song gained immense popularity. It became Croce’s second and final track to reach number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. Cash Box magazine described it as a “sweet, tender ballad filled with Croce’s magical vocal touch.”

Video

Lyrics

If I could save time in a bottle
The first thing that I’d like to do
Is to save every day till eternity passes away
Just to spend them with you

If I could make days last forever
If words could make wishes come true
I’d save every day like a treasure and then
Again, I would spend them with you

But there never seems to be enough time
To do the things you want to do, once you find them
I’ve looked around enough to know
That you’re the one I want to go through time with

If I had a box just for wishes
And dreams that had never come true
The box would be empty, except for the memory of how
They were answered by you

But there never seems to be enough time
To do the things you want to do, once you find them
I’ve looked around enough to know
That you’re the one I want to go through the time with