Raw, haunting or shimmering, these four songs exhort us to use our time wisely and not look back.

“No Time for Dreaming” (Single) — Charles Bradley, No Time for Dreaming, 2011

Soul singer Charles Bradley is cut from the same cloth as Wilson Pickett and James Brown. His raw songs are reminiscent of the gravelly hearted soul you would have heard in the late ’60s. The title track of this album is his own way of giving himself a kick in the rear to take his singing career seriously. After so many years of doing odd jobs and singing in small clubs, it was his time to stop the dreaming and get to work. Lyrically, the message is simple: Stop the dreamy procrastination, get up and take action, for there will be plenty of time to dream later. Simply put, take this moment to make the dreams real.

“Time” (Single) — Pink Floyd, Dark Side of the Moon, 1973

The song begins with chimes from many different clocks and evolves into a sparse intro with just roto toms and a simple guitar riff. The listener gets dragged into, and discovers, a cautionary tale. Stuck in the routine of life, we watch it pass by with no major accomplishment. A mind-opener for the attentive listener, the song compels us to take control of our destiny or risk waking up and realizing that we are 10 years late to the party known as life.

“Only Time” (Single) — Enya, A Day Without Rain, 2000

This angelic track from the album A Day Without Rain addresses the power time has to heal the wounds of living, loving and loss. As she asks in this hauntingly beautiful melody, “Who can say where the road goes, where the day flows? Only time.” Indeed, when we allow time to do its work, we eventually find the healing and peace that we seek. It’s worth a listen in both happy times and sad.

“Clocks” (Single) — Coldplay, A Rush of Blood to the Head, 2002

On the surface, this is a shimmering burst of musicianship full of delicate string arrangements, electric guitar and a driving piano. Lyrically, there is a darker gut check question being asked by the vocals of Chris Martin — is he worthy of his time on Earth, and has he done anything to contribute to humanity? As Martin ponders if he is part of the problem with the world, or if he needs to do something else to make a difference in his lifetime, he alludes to the irony of our obsession with time while forgetting to make the best of what we have of it.