Time in a Bottle

A lesson from Jim Croce

In December 1970, singer-songwriter, Jim Croce, found out he was going to be a father. Following the news, he wrote a beautiful song, ‘Time in a Bottle’.

Unfortunately, the words became more poignant only three years later when Jim died, age 30, in a plane crash a week before his son’s second birthday.

If that’s not enough, what makes the story even more tragic is the letter Jim wrote to his wife shortly before he died.

---

The Song

If I could save time in a bottle
The first thing that I’d like to do
Is to save every day
‘Til eternity passes away
Just to spend them with you

If I could make days last forever
If words could make wishes come true
I’d save every day like a treasure and then
Again, I would spend them with you

But there never seems to be enough time
To do the things you want to do
Once you find them
I’ve looked around enough to know
That you’re the one I want to go
Through time with

If I had a box just for wishes
And dreams that had never come true
The box would be empty
Except for the memory
Of how they were answered by you

Jim Croce

(Like with Otis Redding - who also died in a plane crash - and his song ‘Sittin’ on The Dock of a Bay’, Time in a Bottle reached number one following Jim’s death).

---

The Letter

Jim had spent much of his son’s short life away from his family on tour, playing over 250 shows in the space of a couple of years.

Shortly before his death, Jim had posted a letter to his wife, Ingrid, which arrived after his death.

The letter begins by apologising for how he’s treated her and goes on to say he wants to change his life and spend more time with her:

I now want to be the oldest man around, a man with a face full of wrinkles and lots of wisdom.

So this is a birth note, Baby. And when I get back everything will be different. We’re gonna have a life together, Ing, I promise. I’m gonna concentrate on my health. I’m gonna become a public hermit. I’m gonna get my Master’s Degree. I’m gonna write short stories and movie scripts. Who knows, I might even get a tan.

Give a kiss to my little man and tell him Daddy loves him.

Remember, it’s the first sixty years that count and I’ve got 30 to go.

I Love you,
Jim

It’s heartbreaking to imagine Ingrid receiving this letter from Jim so soon after his untimely death.

A letter with the promise of a life never to be lived.

Rather than having another ‘30 to go’ together, Ingrid was instead left with Time in a Bottle, a statement of Jim’s eternal love for her and their son, Adrian.

---

The Message

I’ve looked around enough to know, that you’re the one I want to go through time with.

Jim with his young family (rocking the double denim!)

For me, Jim’s story has an extra resonance. I began listening to Time in a Bottle whilst my fiancée was pregnant with our daughter.

We continued to listen to the song following her arrival, and sing it to her, but it wasn’t until she was a few months old that I discovered the tragic story behind the song.

From then on, whenever I cradled my daughter and sang Jim’s words to her, I’d become filled with emotion - a mixture of boundless love coupled with a deep sadness.

At only 30 years old, Jim had figured it out.

He was clear on who and what was important to him.

He knew his time was finite - sadly, more than he could’ve ever known.

And he knew how he wanted to spend his remaining time on this earth - by being with his loved ones until he was the ‘oldest man around, with a face full of wrinkles and lots of wisdom’.

Jim never got to live out his dream, but (hopefully) we all can.

So, what’s the lesson?

Figure out who and what are important to you, then intentionally build a life that centres around the people and things that mean the most to you.

Don’t wait until it’s too late.

Like Jim, you - or your loved ones - might not have another ‘30 to go’.

Now, on that happy note, do yourself a favour and go and listen to Jim… he does have upbeat songs too!

Thanks for reading.

Tom Redmayne

Chartered Financial Planner

---

Bonus: Music Ramblings

I’ve always been a fan of songwriters and their ability to knit words together in ways that resonate with listeners across demographics and decades. When I was younger, I remember being shocked to find out there are people who listen to music and don’t pay attention to the lyrics… blasphemy!

53 years ago, Jim bottled up his message by consigning a song to tape and sent it floating on down the cosmic airways to our ears - so, the least we can do is listen to what he has to say.

Jim was a great songwriter and, to my mind, he’s responsible for one of the most poetic verses ever written:

If I had a box just for wishes
And dreams that had never come true
The box would be empty
Except for the memory
Of how they were answered by you

I don’t have anything to add in way of analysis… it’s just a bloody good bit of writing.

How some people can come up with such things is beyond me!

---

If you enjoy my content, here’re some simple ways to lend support:

• Giving the article a like (if you liked it) - this helps the Substack algorithm find me and recommend me to new readers.

• Subscribing (if you haven’t already).

• Sharing also really helps my work find a wider audience:

---

This is not personal advice based on your circumstances.

All views are my own.

Not advice.