Time to Kill (1970) – The Band

I love everything about this song from the Canadian- American rock band – The Band. I’m surprised it’s not more widely known. For me, Time to Kill is right up there, even though it’s not their usual gritty, no-nonsense sound. It’s looser, more upbeat, and feels restored and refreshing.

From the opening guitar riff and the lively tempo, to the jangly, saloon-style piano (although Garth Hudson plays electric piano here), the whole song is upbeat and slightly zany. It puts me in a great headspace, and Rick Danko’s vocal fits it like a glove. It’s also a fine example of The Band’s relaxed but precise musicianship. The song moreover is an expression of the joy of country life – I just wanna sit down by the fire / With my love right here beside me.

Time to Kill was released as the A-side of a single in 1970, with their bigger legacy song – The Shape I’m In as the B-side. The Shape I’m In later became strongly associated with The Last Waltz performed by Richard Manuel. It was only while researching that song, published as recently as July 2025, that I became familiar with Time to Kill.

The single didn’t even crack the US Top 40, peaking at No. 77 on the Billboard, which is crazy looking back. Some hardcore fans argue this was because the A- and B-sides should have been flipped, or that Time to Kill simply played it too safe and is one of the band’s most harmless songs. I don’t care – I loved it immediately and added it to my project almost as fast as you can say “firewater.”

Time to Kill appears on The Band’s 1970 album Stage Fright. Alongside The Shape I’m In, the album also includes the standout title track Stage Fright. Both songs went on to become regular features in the group’s live performances.

[Verse 1]
The many roads I’ve covered
The many trails I’ve burned
But when our paths did cross, love, oooh
My whole world made a turn

[Chorus]
And we’ve got time to kill, what a thrill
June and July
We’ve got all our love, buckets of
The tears that we’ve cried
Now we don’t cry no more, gonna bolt the door
Don’t know what we got, but it feels like a lot
We don’t need no more

[Verse 2]
When my day’s work is done
We can take in a jamboree
But I just wanna sit down by the fire
With my love right here beside me

[Chorus]

[Verse 3]
My love wants to have her fortune read
And I know that she’s in a hurry
If we go along the straight and narrow
You don’t even have to worry

[Chorus]

References:
1. Time to Kill (song) – Wikipedia