I'm Outta Time

Album: Dig Out Your Soul (2008)
Charted: 12
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This vulnerable ballad was written by Liam Gallagher. Guitarist Gem Archer told Q magazine October 2008 that, "it's really heartfelt, there's a melancholy there and that's what's Liam's showing." Liam's brother, Noel added, "deceptively brilliant, one for the ladies."
  • Noel Gallagher told the NME why this ballad was placed in the middle of the record. He explained: "There's a kind of piano-y, John Lennon-y obligatory plod-away song in the middle, which Liam wrote, and that's to break up the two sides (of the album) which are pretty intense, and it's full-on from the start to finish."
  • This samples an audio excerpt of a John Lennon BBC Radio interview done two days before his death. Archer told John Kennedy on XFM radio: "I think Liam was hearing it in his head before it was there, like he might have gone 'Let's have a donkey on it' or 'A brass solo'… It's from a cassette bought in Currys with a faded biro."
  • Liam Gallagher told The Sun September 25, 2008: "I didn't go out to write a song like that, it just happened. I find it hard with words. If I found it easier with words I'd be huge. Bigger than WH Smith."
  • Liam Gallagher told Rolling Stone that this was a song that he wrote about three years prior to Dig Out Your Soul, which he'd demoed in Oasis' studio. He added: "I got the verses and the music, the chorus took like years to write, I just couldn't get anything. One day I was f---ing about and it just happened. I thought, 'All right, that's the song done. It's f---ing done.' I was playing it and the outro goes round and round, it needs something - obviously I'm a big John Lennon fan and it's got a bit of a Lennon vibe, so I thought, 'Well, I've got to find a bit of him speaking.' So we went through all these old interviews, that's the first one I found, and it just sort of worked. It's not a tribute to John Lennon because if you sat down and tried to write a tribute to John Lennon it'd be f---ing rubbish, but it's kind of a nod."
  • Liam Gallagher told Q magazine October 2011 that he thinks this was his most inspired moment to date. He said: "When I finished that, I thought, 'yeah, man, there's something in this writing business. I should keep it up and not throw in the towel.' I think that was the one. Cos a lot of my songs, verses repeat and s--t like that. And I don't have the big anthem chords. But I pulled that one off. I'm proud of that."

Comments: 3

  • Blitzbutt from KcmoI feel as though this is clearly a song directed at Noel. Written by Liam, it's coming from a place that knows Noel and Liam can't get along anymore and he realizes that the end is near for Oasis. It's a tragic song because he was correct: He (Oasis) was out of time shortly after.
  • Falafel from Melbourne, AustraliaI think this song is about Oasis' downfall in popularity over the years.

    In 'Here's a song...it reminds me of when we were young...lookin back at all the things weve done'

    he is referring to their heyday in which they were young and crazy and mega but are smarter now.

    In 'Out to sea...its the only place i honestly...can get myself some piece of mind...you know its getting hard to fly'

    i think he means they are not superstars anymore and to really find himself he needs to go to his own special place away from it all, cuz its getting hard to be as successful as they were. I think in the chorus in

    'If im to fall...would you be there to applaud...or would you hide behind them all'

    i think he is referring to his wife and his friends and maybe his fans as he says if he is to fully fall from stardom, would you celebrate his great career or would you hide behind the critics and sway with them.

    Then 'Cause If I'm to go...
    In my heart you grow...
    And that's where you belong'

    I think there he means that if he is to fully fall from stardom his wife and friends will grow in his heart becauz hell have more time for them and thats where they belong.

    Then with 'Im outta time'...
    I think he simply means that he has had his day in the sun, and his time as a superstar is defiantly over, as he is outta time to reach that status of the mid 90s once again.
  • Nishit from MumbaiOne of Oasis's best songs..It's softer that their previous stuff, but it works for them..
see more comments

Editor's Picks

AC/DC

AC/DCFact or Fiction

Does Angus really drink himself silly? Did their name come from a sewing machine? See if you can spot the real stories about AC/DC.

Goodbye, Hello: Ten Farewell Tour Fake-Outs

Goodbye, Hello: Ten Farewell Tour Fake-OutsSong Writing

The 10 biggest "retirement tours" that didn't take.

Dave Edmunds

Dave EdmundsSongwriter Interviews

A renowned guitarist and rock revivalist, Dave took "I Hear You Knocking" to the top of the UK charts and was the first to record Elvis Costello's "Girls Talk."

16 Songs With a Heartbeat

16 Songs With a HeartbeatSong Writing

We've heard of artists putting their hearts into their music, but some take it literally.

Real or Spinal Tap

Real or Spinal TapMusic Quiz

They sang about pink torpedoes and rocking you tonight tonight, but some real lyrics are just as ridiculous. See if you can tell which lyrics are real and which are Spinal Tap in this lyrics quiz.

James Bond Theme Songs

James Bond Theme SongsMusic Quiz

How well do you know the 007 theme songs?