Steely Dan: Time Out of Mind Meaning

Song Released: 1981

Time Out of Mind Lyrics

We don't currently have the lyrics for Time Out of Mind, Care to share them?

1. anonymous

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   Oct 13th 2022 !⃝

   Chasing the dragon could possibly mean chasing that vein to shoot up...because it moves. Time out of mind is definitely referring to hallucination and being lit up like a Christmas tree.
2. anonymous

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   Mar 24th 2019 !⃝

   Water changing into cherry wine may be indicative of when you puncture a vein to shoot up, and draw some blood back up into thw syringe; changing the almost colorless heroin-cocaine mixture into a wine colored mixture.
   
   Silver turning into gold may refer to how aluminum foil changes from its silver color to a darkish brown when burned during chasing the dragon (smoking heroin and cocaine).
3. anonymous

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   Jul 9th 2017 !⃝

   Holding the mystical sphere - glass bowl pipe
   
   Straight from Lhasa - where they're rolling in the snow far from the world we know - Lhasa is part of Tibet, and a known trafficking center for opium/heroin; rolling in the snow may be referring to "rolling in heroin" because of the volume of trafficking, the area having heavy heroin use, or - well - the weather? The last part of the line is likely referring to heroin use in Lhasa, but could be about the actual location.
   
   Tonight when I chase the dragon, - Chasing the dragon is the term for smoking heroin. Some people refer to it as Speedballing, which is actually mixing heroin and cocaine, and injecting it. The reference to smoking heroin has been around much much longer.
   
   The water may change to cherry wine
   And the silver will turn to gold
   THis part of the verse is indicative of the hallucinogenic effects of heroin.
   
   Time out of mind - this likely has many meanings; one cannot really control the amount of time a heroin high is going to last, especially since it is highly addictive and creates very high tolerance in the human body. The same amount used the week before may not last as long the following week. Additionally, the majority of hallucinogenic drugs can have a time bending effect - hours may pass, but it may feel like a lifetime.
4. anonymous

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   May 1st 2016 !⃝

   Chasing the dragon...the dragon is heroin..chasing is coke...hence speedball
5. anonymous

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   Nov 29th 2015 !⃝

   "Tonight when I chase the dragon"- smoking heroin.

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