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The Rolling Stones — Time Waits For No One
Album: It's Only Rock & Roll
Avg rating:
7.7

Your rating:
Total ratings: 3741









Released: 1974
Length: 6:27
Plays (last 30 days): 2
Yes, star crossed in pleasure the stream flows on by
Yes, as we're sated in leisure, we watch it fly

And time waits for no one, and it won't wait for me
And time waits for no one, and it won't wait for me

Time can tear down a building or destroy a woman's face
Hours are like diamonds, don't let them waste

Time waits for no one, no favours has he
Time waits for no one, and he won't wait for me

Men, they build towers to their passing yes, to their fame everlasting
Here he comes chopping and reaping, hear him laugh at their cheating

And time waits for no man, and it won't wait for me
Yes, time waits for no one, and it won't wait for me

Drink in your summer, gather your corn
The dreams of the night time will vanish by dawn

And time waits for no one, and it won't wait for me
And time waits for no one, and it won't wait for me

No no no, not for me...
Comments (437)add comment
This came out when I was 8 years old. I've thought about it for half a century and now conclude it's true....

One of the greatest songs ever recorded. A solid 10, I wish I could give it an 11. 
 TallCreative1 wrote:


Well.... that would be playing with THE rock'n'roll band. Jagger's kids seem to have turned out OK.


Do you know them personally? Everyone has a different situation in life and there's no single definition of what constituents a healthy family life.
 LizK wrote:

Mick Taylor had young children during his Stones years. Who were, apparently, more important than playing with a rock 'n roll band.


Well.... that would be playing with THE rock'n'roll band. Jagger's kids seem to have turned out OK.
 horstman wrote:

Another fine example of having Spotify Premium to fully explore all of an artist's work. This is a great album from their productive years. Radio Paradise provides me direction, Spotify allows full comprehension. Perfect pairing!



I always think the guitar solo sounds like Carlos Santana - great!
 On_The_Beach wrote:
Time waits for no one:




(Please note, I love the Stones; young, old or in-between.)



NEWS FLASH! Everyone gets old or dies. What is this obsession people have with comparing old and young photos? Stop.
I stand corrected on this feed. Sorry. 
Time isn't holding up, time isn't after us.
 sfoster66 wrote:

Tom Waits for no one?  

Seems rather dystopian....



Huh! just scrolled down & found this. So not just me after all then?
For some reason at a quick glance, i thought it said-
Tom Waits - For No One,
& thought 'What? Is that Tom Waits covering a Barclay James Harvest song?!!'
... but no (when i put my stoopid glasses on...)
Cabbages!! But I recognized Mick's unmistakable voice but I never heard this song
 MA wrote:

Guitar solo and sound reminds of Santana.



You say that as though it's a good thing...
 cellito wrote:

Phew. What an uninspired guitar solo, and way too long!



Oh my.

I'm the self-annointed king of satirical, tongue in cheek, sarcastic drivel. 

Please cease and desist.
Mick Taylor, guitar.
 lily_99654 wrote:

I sat up and really listened the first time I heard this played on RP.  It had been yeeeears since I'd heard it.  What a fcking fantastic song... the guitar, the piano, the ticking of the clock at the end...  perfection.



i  agree. it's been a while since i heard this one!
just because it is the Stones doesn't mean this is a great tune, not bad but nothing special
 laserace wrote:

Wait! Tom Waits for no man?  OMG
Time is asterisk.


Baddest guitar solo in the history of rock. Abysmal.
Brings back memories of my senior year of high school! So good. I didn’t appreciate the Stones then but I do now!
 alexandersmcmillan wrote:

Mick Taylor!!!



Maybe why I like it so much
 cellito wrote:

Phew. What an uninspired guitar solo, and way too long!



LOL, celito, I guess tastes are different. I think Mick Taylor's solo is beautiful, some of his best work. Golden era for the Stones.
 On_The_Beach wrote:
Time waits for no one:




(Please note, I love the Stones; young, old or in-between.)
Due to popular demand, I found a more appealing shot of "old" Mick.


MG, it wasn't hard to better the earlier shots :-) 
 cellito wrote:

Phew. What an uninspired guitar solo, and way too long!




For a second I thought this was idiot_wind having fun but, I think you really mean it? 
Tom Waits for no one?  

Seems rather dystopian....
i must say Mick is worth checking out (following) on Instagram

it appears he lives a good life and appreciates "The Time he has"

it's just interesting seeing him doing some "normal" things
The first Stones album I owned. A Christmas gift from a long since departed step sister. Liz, we might not have alwayshave gotten along, but if you'd stuck around  we would have been better friends. Time, indeed, waits for no one...
 LizK wrote:

My favorite Stones song.



Time is asterisk.
My favorite Stones song.
 On_The_Beach wrote:
Time waits for no one:



(Please note, I love the Stones; young, old or in-between.)
Due to popular demand, I found a more appealing shot of "old" Mick.


As I often say:  Time is a motherf****r
Phew. What an uninspired guitar solo, and way too long!
 Soopertimes wrote:


What happened?
...he died? sorry, couldn't resist.

 markbooth17 wrote:



yes, especially Billy Preston's piano solo. As soon as he gets going, Kieth comes back in and over rides him.


I think the pianist is Nicky Hopkins on this track. Billy played on a couple of the other tracks on this album...
Best RS song for my taste.
Excellent!!
Like the man says, "Tom Waits for no one."
 geonuine wrote:
Charlie Watts is no more (Aug 24, 2021). RIP and have a good ride  


What happened?
 molson wrote:
My favorite all time Stones tune!! Thank's B & R!


My favorite too. Mick Taylor guitar riff and solo are unmatched in RS discography.
Charlie Watts is no more (Aug 24, 2021). RIP and have a good ride  
geeez, 1974... good song
I thought about changing my name to no-one so I get more time.
My favorite all time Stones tune!! Thank's B & R!
 stephen.king12101 wrote:

I forgot how nice the end of this song was wish it went on longer




yes, especially Billy Preston's piano solo. As soon as he gets going, Kieth comes back in and over rides him. Edit: I have since found out that Nicky Hopkins plays piano on this song, and Mick Taylor plays the guitar solo. Live and Learn
One of their best songs and I love the guitar work!
 tinypriest wrote:

Mick Taylor left because of fears he would not be able to resist the drug environment of the Stones at the time. Plus, he's said he hated the juvenile teasing from Keith. But I don't buy any of that. You don't leave the greatest rock band because you got a wedgie or couldn't resist dope, which would have been around even after he left.... or, maybe you do if it all goes to your head and you think you'll be great out there without that Stones riff-raff around?

If "you" is Mick Taylor, then what you've written is clearly wrong - "you" does exactly that, for his own reasons that he need justify to no one.
Guitar solo and sound reminds of Santana.
I'm not a huge stones fan but this is a masterpiece.
 tinypriest wrote:

Mick Taylor left because of fears he would not be able to resist the drug environment of the Stones at the time. Plus, he's said he hated the juvenile teasing from Keith. But I don't buy any of that. You don't leave the greatest rock band because you got a wedgie or couldn't resist dope, which would have been around even after he left.... or, maybe you do if it all goes to your head and you think you'll be great out there without that Stones riff-raff around?
 
I don't see why anyone would stick around to endure endless wedgies from someone with more power and agency, never mind why someone might risk their life just to be in a rock band, even if that band is the Stones.  In any case, Mick Taylor was a good enough guitarist to justify having had confidence that he could move on to a more welcoming and less fraught environment. 

On an anecdotal level, I was a professional musician many years ago and I was playing in a band fronted by a songwriter who was supremely talented - incredible lyrics, masterful melodies, great voice, tremendous stage presence, very good-looking.  We were on the verge of being signed when he walked away, saying that he just didn't want fame and fortune.  I still see him around to this day, cycling on an old bicycle or just playing his guitar, and part of me still respects his decision to avoid the trappings of possible stardom, while a part of me also slightly resents that at the same time he removed my opportunity to be part of a really wonderful band (I did later play in a band that got signed, released records etc. but never achieved the level of exposure that I believe I would have achieved with his songs).
Simply a classic. 
 LizK wrote:
My Fav Stones song.
 
Yes.  The favourite.  Terrific song.

 tinypriest wrote:

Mick Taylor left because of fears he would not be able to resist the drug environment of the Stones at the time. Plus, he's said he hated the juvenile teasing from Keith. But I don't buy any of that. You don't leave the greatest rock band because you got a wedgie or couldn't resist dope, which would have been around even after he left.... or, maybe you do if it all goes to your head and you think you'll be great out there without that Stones riff-raff around?

He's also said he regretted leaving, and also that he's "never looked back". Mick Taylor's said a lot of things. But  he never sued the Stones for song credit, though he did for unpaid royalties.
 
Mick Taylor had young children during his Stones years. Who were, apparently, more important than playing with a rock 'n roll band.
My Fav Stones song.
Perfect for breakfast. Has been a 10 for years, and still rolling, proving that time doesn't destroy nor alter what's good once and for all. 
Couldn't agree more. Excellent
 
lily_99654 wrote:
I sat up and really listened the first time I heard this played on RP.  It had been yeeeears since I'd heard it.  What a fcking fantastic song... the guitar, the piano, the ticking of the clock at the end...  perfection.
 
This is a pretty good song once Mick Jagger stops "singing".
 jasonthehead wrote:
I was lucky enough to have heard Widespread Panic cover this song in 2014 with the amazing guitarist Neal Casal. Unforgettable. Neal was a huge fan of the Stones and would often be called upon to sit in on Stones covers done by others. Moonlight Mile was his song. RIP Neal, gone way too soon.
 
Was that at the Lockn Festival?
 On_The_Beach wrote:
Time waits for no one:



(Please note, I love the Stones; young, old or in-between.)
Due to popular demand, I found a more appealing shot of "old" Mick.
 
...and so, down vote removed

Thank you!!
 tomcool wrote:
Bill mentions Mick Taylor. Bill’s mentions are rarely co-incidental. Mick’s guitar solo on this song is one of the greatest in all R&R. WP article says that MT left RS in part due to a lack of credit for helping to write this amazing song.
 
Mick Taylor left because of fears he would not be able to resist the drug environment of the Stones at the time. Plus, he's said he hated the juvenile teasing from Keith. But I don't buy any of that. You don't leave the greatest rock band because you got a wedgie or couldn't resist dope, which would have been around even after he left.... or, maybe you do if it all goes to your head and you think you'll be great out there without that Stones riff-raff around?

He's also said he regretted leaving, and also that he's "never looked back". Mick Taylor's said a lot of things. But  he never sued the Stones for song credit, though he did for unpaid royalties.
Love to all my RP brothers and sisters. From Panama Time waits for no one
 idiot_wind wrote:
And he's still having fun, each day he wakes up.  

We should all be so lucky. 
 
Jagger is in excellent health.  If only so many 30 and 40 year old North Americans were as lucky.
 jasko wrote:
Tom Waits for no one...
 
LOL, nice....
One of the finest songs ever recorded.
A nearly matchless rock and roll guitar song. 
And he's still having fun, each day he wakes up.  

We should all be so lucky. 
Geez!! Be fair . He has taken alot of great pictures and you used that one?He is ONE
of the  Kings of Rock n' Roll!  ~ Pegi


Time waits for no one:


(Please note, I love the Stones; young, old or in-between.)
 
 chuck.b.meyers wrote:
Ah, one of Mick’s finest...and I don’t mean Jagger
 
and one of Bill(y)s finest.. and I don´t mean Wyman
If you love the Stones, then at least be fair to the man and show him smiling instead of looking like someone just shot his dog.



On_The_Beach wrote:
Time waits for no one:


(Please note, I love the Stones; young, old or in-between.)
 
I forgot how nice the end of this song was wish it went on longer
I was lucky enough to have heard Widespread Panic cover this song in 2014 with the amazing guitarist Neal Casal. Unforgettable. Neal was a huge fan of the Stones and would often be called upon to sit in on Stones covers done by others. Moonlight Mile was his song. RIP Neal, gone way too soon.
Tom Waits for no one...
Smooth segue from Kaki King.
Now here's a song for Friday afternoon, with head phones, staring at snow covered fields.  

Yeah baby. 
 ziggytrix wrote:
This chorus was written by the Department of Redundancy Department.
 
That was witty Zig. I boosted your votes by one
How many actual truths are contained in truisms?
This chorus was written by the Department of Redundancy Department.
Hours are like diamonds, don't let them waste....well that's a wow
I don't remember that lyric somehow.  
not one of their better albums. this one succeeds with excellent guitar work.reminiscent of Lou Reed's live work of the period.  the title track had some pretty damned good energy though
 Tomasni wrote:
To me 7 perhaps 8 still considering
 
Only a 10 will do right to this masterpiece. And that's only because there's no 11.
Funny how this song made me ponder my mortality at 18 and still at almost 63. Sublime, this song.
 steuss wrote:

Oh!
 


That being said, this song definitely lands solidly in my "spine-tinglers" playlist. 10

 On_The_Beach wrote:
Time waits for no one:

 
Oh!
Always a welcome track. Timeless.  
 cely wrote:
May be one of the least Stones songs there is, and yet pretty nice in a Santana kinda way.
 
Disagree.  I think it's one of their greatest songs, and not very Santana like. But Santana could have covered it very nicely. 
 On_The_Beach wrote:
Time waits for no one:

 

No. but the journey getting to the same place as all of us eventually do, is the adventure. What woman wouldn't have wanted to win his smile or man to fill his shoes for even one night? The story behind that face is one I'm curious to know.
May be one of the least Stones songs there is, and yet pretty nice in a Santana kinda way.
Ah, one of Mick’s finest...and I don’t mean Jagger
I remember playing the hell out of this album on my tiny mono cassette player...I guess I was about 12. I saved my money and most months treat myself to a new r&r album This was one of those treats. Fine album
Ich weiß, es ist 2019, aber: diesen Song habe ich erst gestern auf KASSETTE aufgenommen. Ich hab in meinen alten Autos noch Kassettenrecorder und find Mixtapes noch immer toll.
Fantastic LP, all tracks.  Thank you Bill.  
Mick Taylor!!!
 On_The_Beach wrote:
Time waits for no one:

 
For each wrinkles on his face, a masterpiece song. Not a bad life, i think.
🦉
I have always enjoyed the melancholy chords in this song. I am a nurse practitioner and work in hospice care. I actually listened to the words for the first time today and they are PROFOUND.  I identify strongly with this song at the age of 51 now and as well with what I see on a daily basis in my work.
I think there are 2 camps.  You either love the Stones or you cannot stand them.  Thank you for the PSD button.
 molson wrote:
My favorite Stones song ever!! Thanks Bill:-)

Mine too!
 

nice guitar - rather Jeff Beck-ish. But sometimes I hate Jagger's voice, and this song is a good example.
yes, but only Bill plays Gay Sons > Time Waits 


 horstman wrote:
Another fine example of having Spotify Premium to fully explore all of an artist's work. This is a great album from their productive years. Radio Paradise provides me direction, Spotify allows full comprehension. Perfect pairing!
 

 jhorton wrote:
Love all the Stones, but really, the Mick Stones were far superior to the Ronnie Stones.
 
In reality, they are all The Rolling Stones.

btw: You forgot Brian.
 horstman wrote:
Another fine example of having Spotify Premium to fully explore all of an artist's work. This is a great album from their productive years. Radio Paradise provides me direction, Spotify allows full comprehension. Perfect pairing!
 

I do this all the time!
Another fine example of having Spotify Premium to fully explore all of an artist's work. This is a great album from their productive years. Radio Paradise provides me direction, Spotify allows full comprehension. Perfect pairing!
I sat up and really listened the first time I heard this played on RP.  It had been yeeeears since I'd heard it.  What a fcking fantastic song... the guitar, the piano, the ticking of the clock at the end...  perfection.
The piano playing at the end of song, is also quite nice. 
Mick Taylor provided the best guitarwork stylistically and technically while still maintaining that "rough" Rolling Stones feel. His work here is solid and his studio work on Let It Bleed, Sticky Fingers and Exile was superb but he really shone live, especially on the '69 tour. Give a listen to his solos on Midnight Rambler, Gimme Shelter and his slide work on Love in Vain, all off Get Yer Ya Yas Out.
espetacular!!!
 Vinco wrote:

Yes, very much like a Carlos Santana solo! That's why I like it so much. 
 
Sorry, I hear very little Carlos-isms in that. I think perhaps you're not as familiar with those isms as I am. Although, truth be said, Carlos could cover this quite well, but in the end I think it would sound little like Mick's run. 
 
Songs like this remind me of how incredible the Stones are. Their overplayed top 40 aside, these jems are a perfect reminder of how they became icons in music. 
Song: 6
Mick Taylor's work on it: 2
So that's an 8.

Great segue from "Gay Sons of Lesbian Mothers", Bill. 
Awesome track. 
In terms of a rock & roll song... this scores high marks. In terms of where this song rates in the Stones catalog? In the middle for me. Their catalog is so damn strong that I can't rate this better than so many other great songs they have. 
 idiot_wind wrote:
I keep hearing Carlos Santana. 

 
Yes, very much like a Carlos Santana solo! That's why I like it so much. 
 jambo wrote:

i could see that. but it's like neil's slightly off vocals or dylan's whiny, now pit run gravelly voice. in his film on the stones scorcese shows the band playing but takes out all of the soundtrack but keef. it sounds bloody awful. like a goose honking in pain. but then the whole band returns and it's a symphony.
 
Ah, "the fine art of guitar weaving".
 
https://consultkeith.com/2013/01/29/the-art-of-weaving/
One of my ALL TIME STONES favorites. Love it ... thanks to Mr.Taylor !!
 justin4kick wrote:
Maybe the best guitar solo ever.
 
Then again, probably not.
 idiot_wind wrote:


Quite from Mick Taylor, on why he quit:

"I just couldn't believe how bad they sounded," the guitarist recalled from his first rehearsals with the Stones. "Their timing was awful. They sounded like a typical bunch of guys in a garage — playing out of tune and too loudly. I thought, 'How is it possible that this band can make hit records?'"

 
i could see that. but it's like neil's slightly off vocals or dylan's whiny, now pit run gravelly voice. in his film on the stones scorcese shows the band playing but takes out all of the soundtrack but keef. it sounds bloody awful. like a goose honking in pain. but then the whole band returns and it's a symphony.

{#Crown}

damn
he
was
right
{#Bananajam}
 westslope wrote:
Not a big Stones fan, but this one is sweet.  

 
I learn to truly appreciate them with less-known songs like this one, too. That's why we're lucky to have found this radio station.
My favorite Mick Taylor guitar too, Bill and one of my all time favorite Stones song.