What "Time in a Bottle" by Jim Croce is Really About

Time in a Bottle is a beautifully crafted ballad by singer-songwriter Jim Croce. It appeared on Croce's 1972 ABC debut album You Don't Mess Around with Jim and was featured in the 1973 ABC made-for-TV movie She Lives!, after which it was played on radio so frequently, by request, that the song became a single all its own. It was Croce's second and final track to reach number one in the United States.

Today, we'll take a deep a dive into the history of Time in a Bottle, and analyze its lyrics to find the answers to what they mean and why they were written.

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