A bunch of songs with “season” in the title came to me when Helen announced the theme for today. When I got up this morning, two of them, “Time of the Season” and “Season of the Witch” were already taken, and there was no way I was going to use the morose “Seasons in the Sun,” which is my example of the quintessential EBS Special.
Then I started thinking outside the box, and came up with “No Time,” the 1969 hit by The Guess Who. Written by Burton Cummings and Randy Bachman, it first appeared on 1969’s Canned Wheat LP, from which this version of the song is taken. The more popular version appeared on their 1970 album American Woman; this one reached #5 in the US and #1 in the band’s native Canada. From Winnipeg, Manitoba, The Guess Who, “No Time.”
Lyrics courtesy AZLyrics:
(No time left for you)
On my way to better things
(No time left for you)
I’ll find myself some wings
(No time left for you)
Distant roads are calling me
(No time left for you)
Mm-da, mm-da, mm-da, mm-da, mm-da
No time for a summer friend
No time for the love you send
Seasons change and so did I
You need not wonder why
You need not wonder why
There’s no time left for you
No time left for you
(No time left for you)
On my way to better things
(No time left for you)
I’ll find myself some wings
(No time left for you)
Distant roads are calling me
(No time left for you)
Mm-day, mm-gay, mm-day, mm-gay, mm-day
No time for a gentle rain
No time for my watch and chain
No time for revolving doors
No time for the killing floor
No time for the killing floor
There’s no time left for you
No time left for you
No time for a summer friend
No time for the love you send
Seasons change and so did I
You need not wonder why
You need not wonder why
There’s no time left for you
No time left for you
No time, no time, no time, no time
No time, no time, no time, no time
I got, got, got, got no time
I got, got, got, got no time
I got, got, got, got no time
No, no, no, no, no, no, no time
No, no, no, no, no, no, no time
I got, got, got, got no time
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no time
I got no time, got no time, got no time, no time, got no time
Got no time, got no time
That would have been it from me for today, then I remembered that the Major League Baseball Winter Meeting, when the general managers from all 30 teams gather to discuss the past season and to meet in secret to discuss trades with their colleagues, although there isn’t usually a lot of trading going on anymore, with the advent of free agency. This got me thinking about baseball: it’s the only sport I care about, and it just occurred to me that it’s the only sport whose season is contained within a single year. (True, the NFL regular season is done by the end of the year, but their championships are held mostly in January and February.) This brought me to the quintessential baseball song, John Fogerty’s “Centerfield,” title track from his 1985 album. Since its release, it’s been played thousands of times in baseball parks (major, minor, and independent leagues, and probably Little League, Pony League and American Legion leagues, maybe even at T-ball games) every season, replacing “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” as the most popular song about baseball ever written, even receiving an honor from the National Baseball Hall of Fame. And it was the flipside of “Rock & Roll Girls,” which reached #16. Anyway…
(The official video appears to have been deleted from YouTube, unfortunately)
Lyrics via AZLyrics:
Well, a-beat the drum and hold the phone
The sun came out today
We’re born again, there’s new grass on the field
A-roundin’ third and headed for home
It’s a brown-eyed handsome man
Anyone can understand the way I feel
Oh, put me in coach, I’m ready to play today
Put me in coach, I’m ready to play today
Look at me, I can be centerfield
Well, I spent some time in the Mudville Nine
Watching it from the bench
You know I took some lumps, when the mighty Case struck out
So say hey, Willie, tell the Cobb
And Joe DiMaggio
Don’t say it ain’t so, you know the time is now
Oh, put me in coach, I’m ready to play today
Put me in coach, I’m ready to play today
Look at me, I can be centerfield
Yeah, I got it, I got it
Got a beat-up glove, a home-made bat
And a brand new pair of shoes
You know I think it’s time to give this game a ride
Just to hit the ball, and touch ’em all
A moment in the sun
It’s a-gone and you can tell that one good-bye
Oh, put me in coach, I’m ready to play today
Put me in coach, I’m ready to play today
Look at me (yeah), I can be centerfield
Oh, put me in coach, I’m ready to play today
Put me in coach, I’m ready to play today
Look at me, gotta be, centerfield
Yeah
Merry Christmas! That’s Song Lyric Sunday for December 23, 2018.
The Sound of One Hand Typing 
A two-fer! I enjoyed both. They each bring back a different set of memories. I couldn’t go with the morose “Seasons in the Sun” either.
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The late ’70’s were all about disco and depressing songs. Not the best period for music.
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I agree. Season was the best prompt bringing out multiple 60s classics.
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Two good choices. The Guess Who had a LOT of hits on the radio I remember.
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They had a lot of hits in the late ’60’s and early and mid-’70’s, then they dropped out of sight. There’s still a band called The Guess Who with almost none of the original members, and they actually sound great, from what I heard, although I haven’t heard them attempt any of their hits.
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If they perform as The Guess who but don’t play the hits, what is the point??
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I haven’t heard them do the hits, but it doesn’t mean they don’t play them. I’d like to hear them do the hits, myself. Burton Cummings and Randy Bachman are still out there playing them, too.
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Both choices are great, but I LOVE that you picked a baseball song for one of them!
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Real baseball fans started counting the days until pitchers and catchers report for spring training the moment the last pitch of the World Series was thrown. This year it’s around Valentine’s Day, although only a couple of teams have made it official. The excitement really ramps up after the Super Bowl, because it’s a little over a week from then.
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Great song, John. Counting the days to baseball for sure!
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53 days until pitchers and catchers report! (I’m estimating using Valentine’s Day; only a couple of teams have made it official.)
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Man, I haven’t heard “No Time” in ages. Thanks for the refreshing flashback.
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Great song, isn’t it? The Guess Who had a lot of them.
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Yes they did. I really liked their unique sound.
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