Ticking away The moments that make up the dull day Fritter and waste the hours in an offhand way Kicking around On a piece of ground in your hometown Waiting for someone or something to show you the way Tired of lyin' in the sunshine Staying home to watch the rain You are young and life is long And there is time to kill today And then, one day, you find Ten years have got behind you No one told you when to run You missed the starting gun So you run, and you run To catch up with the sun, but it's sinkin' Racing around to come up behind you again The sun is the same In a relative way, but you're older Shorter of breath, one day closer to death Every year is getting shorter Never seem to find the time Plans that either come to naught Or half a page of scribbled lines Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way The time has come, the song is over Thought I'd something more to say Home, home again I like to be here when I can When I come home cold and tired It's good to warm my bones beside the fire Far away across the field The tollin' on the iron bell Calls the faithful to their knees To hear the softly spoken magic spell