Although "space and time" are common themes throughout the release, with songs such as "Wasted Years", "Caught Somewhere in Time", "Stranger in a Strange Land" and "Deja-Vu", the band never intended for it to be a concept album, with Harris stating, "We certainly never went in there and said, 'Right let's write a load of songs on the subject of time. The album opener and demi-title track "Caught Somewhere in Time", written by Harris, is narrated from the point of view of the Devil (or a demon) offering a man the opportunity to travel in time, in exchange for his soul. Adrian Smith's "Wasted Years", the album's leading single, deals with the themes of
homesickness and alienation and was partially inspired by Smith's own experiences during the seemingly-unending
World Slavery Tour, and is followed by "Sea of Madness", an up-tempo song by the same author; speaking of those, Harris highlighted their "optimistic message". "Heaven Can Wait" was one of the first songs completed during the writing process, and Harris stated that it is about a person having an
out-of-body experience and fighting it with their determination to live. The album's second single, "Stranger in a Strange Land", was inspired to Smith by the true story of a sailor who disappeared during an expedition to the North Pole and found years later perfectly preserved in ice, and draws its title from a 1959
Robert Heinlein book. "Dejà Vu" (the only co-written song in the track list) is about the psychological sensation of
déjà vu, whereby someone feels a strong sense of recollection despite the context makes it uncertain or impossible. The album's closing track, "Alexander the Great (356–323 BC)", is a chronological narration of the life and conquests of
Alexander the Great, the King of Macedon from 336 to 323 BC and conqueror of a great portion of Eastern Mediterranean and Asia Minor. ==Cover artwork==