She Has No Time

At first I always felt like this song didn't make sense because in the verses it seems like the girl is the submissive, devoted one in the relationship ("she can hardly breathe without you"), and yet "she has no time".

But now I think that it's about a guy who's so intent on being pessimistic, he can't see how much she really cares about him. She might not have much time, but she still loves him but he ignores it ("or lie to yourself") to wallow in self pity and drag himself down. He is destroying himself and maybe the relationship because of selfishness.

I always saw this song as a relationship ending, and the stages experienced by both parties in the aftermath of a break-up that was not well thought-out. Each verse is a different stage, showing the changing emotions of these two people and eventually leading up to the moment where she simply "has no time" for him.

In the first verse, it seems that he was the one to end the relationship. She's still hurting, and "can hardly breathe without" him. He had given up on the relationship and has likely moved on. The line "but we're all the same" could be a foreshadowing of what is to come, that when you get down to it, everyone shares the same thoughts, and in time he will come to feel the same pain that she is currently dealing with.

The second verse is a turning point. The narrator (perhaps a friend or he himself saying it after the fact) warns him to take a look around and remember why he loved her, or "lie to yourself" and let his feelings for her "dissolve" into nothing, because he will come to regret leaving her and when he realizes it's going to be too late. This is his last chance to realize his mistake.

Finally, in the last verse, he has realized what he's lost and wants her back, but he has missed his chance to reconcile with her. She tells him "she has no time" for him anymore. She has moved on and it's too late now. It strikes me as a classic break-up scenario, where the dumper comes to regret his/her actions and comes crawling back, only to find the other person is no longer waiting for them to return.

Who knows if this is anywhere near the real meaning of the song, but I think this interpretation could make some sense.

I agree with savvnz. To me, I see a duality in her. I think she loves him, but he's drifting away from her, or he just doesn't love her as much or the way she needs, and so she preemptively leaves him first. She has no time to waste pining over someone who can't return her feelings.

Hasn't everyone ever felt alone . . . like no one thinks about you or truly cares? Well this songs says just that, but brings out for the most part its all in our heads. "She has no time" means she's probably busy with with her life and barely has time for herself, "she can hardly breathe without you" implies she does think of him and does care....its normal to feel alone, but its just not true. And others can relate.

I just love the falsetto flying notes on the chorus.

I think this song is about a guy who thinks his life is meaningless and no one ever thinks about him, but in reality a girl "can hardly breathe without you ." He also doesnt believe himself, that the girl loves him " Or lie to yourself, and see it all dissolve around you." But by the time he realizes her, she doesnt love him any longer

having related profoundly to this song, i believe that its a story about a man being completely oblivious to the love a woman has for him - passionate, soul-shattering love - and its killing her. she wants to move on, it hurts too much. he's been too busy living in his own world, preoccupied with his own loneliness to see what's been going on. in the very end, he understands but its too late.

(all through a third person omniscient perspective, which i think has been confusing people.)

This is what Tom said about this song (found on keaneshaped.co.uk)

"I always find this quite a hard thing to tell people about, cos I don't know how an audience is going to react...but this song is basically about being in love with someone and they're not in love with you, and this was something that happened to me a few years ago crowd awws But anyway, picture it in your minds. Anyway, this fellow here [Tim] wrote this song, as a way of sort of comforting me at the time crowd awws and cheers Anyway, it really is a song that means so much to me, because it was basically Tim putting his arm around my shoulder and saying 'Don't worry, this happens to everyone at some stage'." - Tom - Leeds Met gig - 24th April 2004

"Tim wrote this song, about a girl who broke my heart after giving me one of the best weekends of my life and then never phoning me again." - Tom - Strangers DVD

:'( :')

to me? at recent concert he said "this songs about you liking someone who doesnt like you back" how it feels

"You say your days are ordinary And no one ever thinks about you But we're all the same And she can hardly breathe without you

She says she has no time For you now"

It's about a guy who doesn't realize what he has until it's too late. He' wallows in self pity about having a boring life and feels lonely even though there is one girl that loves him and is always there for him. But he fails to realize that and she moves on.

"Lonely people tumble downwards...my heart opens up to you...when she said she has no time for you now"

And the singer is telling the guy that he will regret not having noticed one day because she was the only thing he had in his lonely life.