Dead on Time Lyrics
Oh, yeah
[Verse 1]
Fool, always jumpin'
Never happy where you land, hey
Fool, got no business
Take your livin' where you can, hey
Hurry down the highway
Hurry down the road
Hurry past the people staring
Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!
[Chorus]
(Leave on time! Leave on time!)
Never got your ticket
But you leave on time
(Leave on time! Leave on time!)
Gonna get your ticket
But you leave on time
(Leave on time! Leave on time!)
Put it in your pocket
But you never can tell
[Pre-Verse]
Leave on time, leave on time
Shake that rattle
Gotta leave on time
Leave on time, leave on time
Fight your battle
But you leave on time
Leave on time, leave on time
You never got a minute
No, you never got a minute
No you never, never got
Oh, no matter
Fool, got no business
Hangin' round and tellin' lies
Fool, you got no reason
But you got no compromise, hey
Stampin' on the ceilin'
Hammerin' on the walls
Got to get out, got to get out
Got to get, oh
You know I'm going crazy
[Chorus]
(Leave on time! Leave on time!)
Got to get ahead
But you leave on time
(Leave on time! Leave on time!)
Gotta head on ahead
Gotta leave on time
(Leave on time, leave on time)
You're running in the red
But you never can tell
[Guitar Solo]
Hey-hey
Oh, oh
Oh, hey-hey, yeah!
Ooh, honey, honey
Gotta get laid
Where's my money?
Where's my money?
I wanna get paid, I wanna get paid
Gotta leave, gotta leave
Gotta leave ya, oh!
[Pre-Verse]
Leave on time, leave on time
Gotta get rich
Gonna leave on time
Leave on time, leave on time
But you can't take it with you
When you leave on time
Leave on time, leave on time
Gotta keep yourself alive
But you leave on time
But you leave on time
Leave on time, dead on time
[Outro]
*Thunder Clap*
You're dead!
About
“Dead on Time”, written by Brian May, and features some of his fastest and most aggressive guitar work. Performed at high tempo for Queen, it was considered by some fans to be an ideal live number, but was never played in concert. May would only incorporate parts of it in his guitar solos during the Jazz Tour.
The song ends with the sound of a thunderbolt, followed by Mercury screaming “You’re dead!” The thunderbolt was actually recorded by May on a portable recorder during a thunderstorm. The album’s liner notes credit the thunderbolt to God.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
Interviewer: “Was it hard to build up the solo speed in ‘Dead On Time’?”
I don’t think so. That was something I was quite pleased with, but really nobody else was. It’s something which nobody ever mentions very much. Fat Bottomed Girls I thought was okay, but fairly banal. I thought people would be much more interested in ‘Dead On Time’, but it didn’t really get that much airplay. The explosions at the end are a real thunderstorm which occurred when we were in the south of France. We put a tape recorder outside.
Brian May – 1982, On The Record
- 1.Mustapha
- 3.Jealousy
- 4.Bicycle Race
- 7.Dead on Time
- 10.Fun It
