Dying Clock

Album: released as a single (2025)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This 9-minute progressive rock song is from A Light Within, a band from Kansas City that specializes in thought-provoking atmospheric music. Their lead singer, Kyle Brandt told Songfacts the story behind it:

    "Artistically, I've never been drawn to writing in a way that feels overly direct or bound to a single meaning. I prefer to work in metaphor, opening space for listeners to discover their own connections within the words. Still, I'll admit that when this song was written, A Light Within was struggling to keep things alive in the wake of the COVID pandemic. For me, the piece became a meditation on how much I've cherished creating music with the people in this project - even as the dream of turning it into something larger has dimmed.

    You turned to lock the door. Hung up the phone, turned off the lights. Then you threw the key away and drained the battery out.

    Lyrically, the song wrestles with the ache of holding on when circumstances demand separation. It explores the tension between refusal and resignation, and the restless energy that lingers in the aftermath. The voice at its center refuses to let the flame die, circling back again and again to the friction of compromise and loss.

    Conceptually, the track is built around the gradual fading of a clock's rhythm. It begins with a steady, natural tick, but midway through the tempo slows, mirroring a more languid pace. By the end, the clock's pulse disappears entirely - a sonic metaphor for endings, memory, and the quiet persistence of time slipping away."
  • Kelli Scott from the band Failure played drums on this track.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Philip Cody

Philip CodySongwriter Interviews

A talented lyricist, Philip helped revive Neil Sedaka's career with the words to "Laughter In The Rain" and "Bad Blood."

Michael Franti

Michael FrantiSongwriter Interviews

Franti tells the story behind his hit "Say Hey (I Love You)" and explains why yoga is an integral part of his lifestyle and his Soulshine tour.

Graham Parker

Graham ParkerSongwriter Interviews

When Judd Apatow needed under-appreciated rockers for his Knocked Up sequel, he immediately thought of Parker, who just happened to be getting his band The Rumour back together.

Dennis DeYoung

Dennis DeYoungSongwriter Interviews

Dennis DeYoung explains why "Mr. Roboto" is the defining Styx song, and what the "gathering of angels" represents in "Come Sail Away."

Chris Frantz of Talking Heads

Chris Frantz of Talking HeadsSongwriter Interviews

Talking Heads drummer Chris Frantz on where the term "new wave" originated, the story of "Naive Melody," and why they never recorded another cover song after "Take Me To The River."

Dar Williams

Dar WilliamsSongwriter Interviews

A popular contemporary folk singer, Williams still remembers the sticky note that changed her life in college.