About the song
Few artists embody the enduring spirit of American songwriting quite like **Willie Nelson**, and with his 1997 recording of **“Funny How Time Slips Away”**, he revisits one of his earliest and most poignant compositions. Originally written by Nelson in the early 1960s and first made famous by Billy Walker in 1961, the song has been interpreted by many over the decades—from Elvis Presley to Al Green—but there’s a special resonance when Nelson himself returns to the tune. His 1997 version, featured on the album *Teatro*, offers a weathered, introspective take that feels like a letter from an old friend reflecting on life’s quiet ironies.
**“Funny How Time Slips Away”** is a masterclass in conversational songwriting. The lyrics unfold like a casual run-in with a former lover, full of polite exchanges and veiled emotion. What begins with gentle reminiscence gradually reveals undercurrents of hurt, regret, and unresolved feelings. When Nelson sings, “It’s been so long now… but it seems now, that it was only yesterday,” there’s a genuine sense that time hasn’t dulled the memory—it has merely rearranged it. This is a song that doesn’t shout its sorrow; it simply lets it hang in the air, as quiet and heavy as the passage of years.
In the 1997 rendition, **Willie Nelson’s** voice—earthy, cracked with age, yet unmistakably warm—adds a deeper dimension to the song’s emotional palette. Produced by Daniel Lanois, known for his atmospheric touch, the *Teatro* version drapes the tune in sparse instrumentation and echoing textures. A haunting blend of guitar, subdued percussion, and harmonies gives the track a ghostly, cinematic quality, as if the song itself is drifting in from the past.
This isn’t just a performance—it’s a meditation. At a time in life when the future shrinks and the past expands, Nelson’s version of **“Funny How Time Slips Away”** reminds us that time doesn’t just move—it shifts us, softens us, and leaves us wondering where it all went.
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Lyrics
… Well, hello there
My, it’s been a long, long time
How am I doing?
Oh, I guess that I’m doing fine
… It’s been so long now
And it seems now that it was only yesterday
Gee, ain’t it funny how time slips away?
… How’s your new love?
I hope that he’s doing fine?
I heard you told him
That you’d love him ’til the end of time
… Now that’s the same thing that you told me
It seems like just the other day
Gee, ain’t it funny how time slips away?
… I gotta go now
I guess I’ll see you around
I don’t know when though
Never know when I’ll be back in town
… But remember, what I tell you
That in time you’re gonna pay
And it’s surprising, how time slips away
