Released: September 5, 1987

Songwriter: Alice Cooper Kane Roberts

Producer: Michael Wagener

Well, I was born on a dead end street
I'm cold blooded but I always felt the heat
All my friend are dead and gone
If there's a hell, I'm one step closer to it
Somewhere I crossed the line
Somewhere I'm lost in time
I lost my soul and now I'm losing my mind

Time to kill I've had enough of all your lies
I've only got time to kill
I've seen the fire in my eyes
I've only got time to kill

I spend my days counting bricks on the wall
And every night I hear those sirens call
I sink deeper into a convict's sleep
And dream about the day I'm gonna hit the streets
One time I cursed the man
He laughed and broke my hand
I'm gonna take that fist and make him understand
I'll make him understand

I've had enough of long goodbyes
I've only got time to kill
I feel the fire in my eyes
I've only got time to kill

Y'know I always thought there was time enough
To win the game
But now I know times are rough
The seasons changed, times are strange
Somewhere I crossed the line
Somewhere I'm lost in time
I lost my soul and now I'm losing my mind

Time to kill I've had enough of all your lies
I've only got time to kill
I've seen the fire in my eyes
I've only got time to kill
I've had enough of long goodbyes
I've only got time to kill
I feel the fire in my eyes
I've only got time to kill

Alice Cooper

Alice Cooper is the stage name and ‘fun villain’ character of Vincent Furnier. Cooper became the target of parents and ministers for his dark lyrics and gory theatrical performances that earned him the title Godfather of Shock Rock. Despite once claiming the name was conjured from a ouija board that told him he’s the reincarnation of a 17th century witch, Cooper laughs the topic off with flippant answers like “It was either a Scrabble board or a bowl of alphabet soup” and “I didn’t want a name like Iron Butterfly or Black Sabbath. I wanted it to be something your aunt might be called.”

The band Alice Cooper was originally signed by Frank Zappa to his own record label. Their first notoriety came when Cooper tossed a wayward chicken (possibly arranged by long-time manager Shep Gordon) into the crowd, who then tore it apart at the 1969 Toronto Rock ‘n’ Roll Revival Festival. Newspapers claimed he’d bit the bird’s head off and drank its blood. Zappa advised them to not deny the story and Cooper used it as inspiration to make his character darker.

The band’s teaming with producer Bob Ezrin for their third album Love It To Death led to their US breakthrough with a top 30 hit “I’m Eighteen” in early 1971. By then, the band was already infamous for their stage show, which had escalated into simulated torture and executions. That same year, Killer was released with its two singles “Under My Wheels” and “Be My Lover” finding moderate US success, and both albums being certified gold the following year.