Jethro Tull - Play In Time Lyrics






Got to take in what I can.
There is no time to do what must be done,
While I do some thinking.
Sleeping is hard to come by,
So we'll all sit down and try to play in time,
and we feel like singing.
Talking to people in my way.

Blues were my favorite colour,
til I looked around and found another song
that I felt like singing.
Trying so hard to reach you;
playing what must be played, what must be sung --
and it's what I'm singing.
Talking to people in my way.





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Jethro Tull Play In Time Comments
  1. p.... b....

    Great headphone material!

  2. o.... A....

    ...mind blown...

  3. T.... M....

    What a fabulous song! Fabulous album!

  4. a.... g....

    Thats... an experience

  5. G.... A....

    I have never heard them playing it live ?

  6. J.... S....

    Blues fan who prefer the band's earlier direction come here and bash a great rock album. Google.Stevie Ray and go away.

    J.... S....

    thats because "and for our Benefit John Evans on piano" and i think the 1st album with Martin Barre on guitar, i think ,the 1st 2 albums had a different guitarist ,Martin Barre is or was much better IMO ... and all respect to SRV this is a totally different music ,i must go practice now ...

  7. t.... ....

    This track is very Beatles-ish, in their psychedelic prog-rock mode.
    Good job Tull, as usual.

  8. r.... h....

    Benefit has always been my favorite

  9. P.... A....

    Had totally forgotten about this song.  Good tune.  Thanks for posting!

  10. A.... R....

    They must have stolen this from Queens of the Stone Age

    A.... R....

    You do know that Play in Time came out on the Benefit album in 1970? Like, when Queens of the Stone Age were -26 years old?

    A.... R....

    Some bands road on the shoulders of this band. Rightfully so, in my opinion.

  11. B.... O....

    thanks Squidward for laying these down for us, love Tull

  12. H.... a....

    Nice selection, Squid...

  13. B.... F....

    Great bands

  14. P.... S....

    Beatleesque?

  15. S.... S....

    Great Stuff as usual Squidward........

  16. D.... L....

    This is when Tull showed their teeth.hard rock in your face style..not the poppy. sounding folk music

  17. J.... ....

    more awesomes!

  18. R.... P....

    This is the most unusually good driving rock song I've ever heard!

    R.... P....

    Robert Parums Back in 1974 I used to cruise around in my 1968 Mustang playing this album over and over and over. Great times.

  19. J.... B....

    The lyrics sound like my diary. It's perfect!

  20. d.... k....

    Benefit , one of my favorite Tull lps!!

    d.... k....

    I had a friend back then and my brother both thought that Benefit was Tull's best album. With Aqualung gaining so much love and Thick as a Brick, this superb album gets lost, but man, ITS A DAMNED GOOD ALBUM. It has a huge influence on A Passion Play    IMO

  21. b.... b....

    It's hard to believe this great song is over 40 years old , it's just so far ahead of its time ,Fantastic ! ...(Headphones to blow your mind ! )

    b.... b....

    1975 or so? Come on! between 1965 and 1975 there were a lot of songs  much more advanced (and better!) than this one.

    b.... b....

    Pedro Fernandez This is from '69

    b.... b....

    Pedro Fernandez that’s a matter of taste. Some people loved Innagaddadavida. Iron Butterfly I thought we’re extremely untalented. I could play that drum solo in 6th grade

    b.... b....

    @Tom Mittemeyer Well, IB's hit made yours truly some folding, so no complaints here.

    b.... b....

    jetpowercom looking back I worded that wrong. I meant that now I think that (about iron butterfly). I loved them in sixth grade! Which isn’t a bad thing, i still know the album from A to Z and haven’t listened to it 50 years. Mr. Ingle, Bushy and Co. had a huge hit. I still remember the little bios on each band member. Dougs churchy organ sound then and now (when I hear IAGDV on the radio) makes me cringe with thoughts of going to church. Yes I remember his dad was a minister. My older brother and I do think Doug would’ve been a great quarterback tho with all those ‘hut huts’ to finish the song. And I was sad years ago that Eric Brann died so young. Same age as Jerry Garcia, whom I miss every day.

    But I got off track. Tull!, Play in time. Had to put in ear buds for this song. Pure magic. Martin tears it up!

  22. A.... V....

    This song is 60% hard rock, 40% stuff of nightmares. Forgot how heavy this track was.

    A.... V....

    +Alex Vuich So true.

    A.... V....

    Wicked guitar riffs, get your headphones on, buzz your brain.

  23. w.... ....

    Ahhh... "The experimental years"

  24. J.... R....

    FANTASTIK!!!!!  FANTASTIK!!!!!  FANTASTIK!!!!!
    M ta renmen sa tre byen!!!!! 

  25. M.... ....

    Wonderful song!

  26. c.... ....

    This is a great song, and I enjoy it, but around 1:06 is kinda creepy and unsettling... I find it hard to listen to.

    c.... ....

    To me this part is THE BEST for dissonance sound.  But I understand what you
    are saying; I absolutely go into an altered state when listening to "Play In Time".
    It is one of his best songs!

    c.... ....

    What is the problem? I heard this 45 years ago and loved it and still do.

    c.... ....

    this is pure classic rock of the best 😆

  27. A.... T....

    Particularly like the Beatlesesque backward guitar-playing!

  28. m.... ....

    2:39 to 2:46 sounds like someone spitting-up a lot of half digested food and beer...

  29. a.... ....

    Definitely psychedelic!!! Great with headphones, too!!

  30. I.... U....

    Ian Anderson and Jethro TUll are the only band that can amuse me by singing about singing a song.

  31. b.... e....

    @willicat441 He! Cool. You know the word flautist. So many don't. There was a prog rock band in the early 70's that was both psychedelic and featured a bassoon. Wish I could remember their name. Someone! Help me out here...Griffin?

    b.... e....

    Gryphon. Brian Gulland on the bassoon. They also had layers of harmonized legatos, phenomenally played on the recorder by Richard Harvey, who was later renowned for his work as a film-score composer. Both him and Brian also used krumhorns while in Gryphon--an instrument from the medieval times. I'm in the process of arranging an eventual orchestral-performance of their album "Red Queen to Gryphon Three".

  32. b.... e....

    Oddly, 'Teacher' seemed to be the break-out song from this album. Never could figure that out. THIS was the song that mattered. My first introduction to overlayed time signatures (3/4 over 4/4). But only because it was very noticeable. Don't believe me? Go pay close attention to 'Jailhouse Rock'. Try to play it. The 3/4 over 4/4 makes it tricky.

    b.... e....

    If I remember correctly, Ian wrote Teacher as a kind of spoof and was pretty annoyed when the radio stations picked it up as the 'single' off the album. Still a great song though off a very strong album.

  33. R.... Q....

    I think that this is the most psychedelic song Tull has ever written. What say you?

    R.... Q....

    'With You There To Help Me' . . .

    R.... Q....

    "Cry you a Song". But anything from Benefit is psychedelic- so take your pick!

  34. j.... ....

    Excellent tune!

  35. w.... ....

    Blues were my favorite colour, til I looked around and found another song that I felt like singing...
    Ian singing about going his way with the musical direction of Tull..
    for our Benefit

    w.... ....

    Very well said. Thank you.

  36. D.... U....

    Great to see a master treated with much respect--THEY ARE PRICELESS!

  37. w.... ....

    Put on a spectacle like Lady Gaga, with this song , with today's pro lighting and camera work ....this song could blow peoples minds..

  38. w.... ....

    Avante garde at the time. Ian was voted as the flautist for the Playboy All-Star Orchestra[?] a few years in a row during the 71-75 era. Check out the funny charactization of him. He was absolutely the only guy people thought of when speaking of flautists[ in the pop/rock genre].

  39. 7.... ....

    That rift reminds me of Status Quo from the same time, only with flutes.

  40. M.... ....

    FAN TASTIC ;) ;) :)