There’s No Turning Back Time [Dennis DeYoung]

There's No Turning Back 
Written by Dennis DeYoung and Jim Peterik
Lead Vocals by Dennis DeYoung

Reel after reel of old video tapes
Christmas Day mornings, kids on first dates
So many moments of laughter and tears
Too many faces no longer here

In a world where everything moves so fast
How could we know it was too good to last

And year after year the scrapbooks are stored
There for the viewing but mostly ignored
And oh for the chance to rewind and replay
And relive the summers of innocent days

And to find all of the things we've lost
And hold them close no mattеr the cost

And once again we look for a sign
Dancing with shadows that wе've left behind
And though we try we hear the clock chime
We shatter the hourglass but ain't it a crime
There's no turning back time

Some days it feel we've just begun
But time and tide wait for no one
Another trip around the sun
As days rush by

Someone had said so long ago
Beware my child how fast it goes
The day will come before you know
To say goodbye

So raise your glass to Auld Lang Syne
And make a wish and pour the wine
And toast the days when stars aligned
And do not cry

'Cause I know if I could do it all again
I would change so many things
But what good would it bring
So I'll take the loses with the gains
And make the best of what remains

And once again we look for a sign
Dancing with shadows that we've left behind
And though we try we hear the clock chime
We shatter the hourglass but ain't it a crime
There's no turning back time
There's no turning back time

Time, time, time
Time, time, time

Time, time, time 

Interpretation

As much as we might want to, we can't turn back the clock and do things over.  The old videos and scrapbooks should not just collect dust, because those contain many memories. We might want to change the past, but we can't, and we probably shouldn't, because we can't know what else might change, so we should focus on what to do next. We need to make the most of the time we have, because time won't stop, and we may be surprised one day to find it is time to say goodbye forever.