This song was written by myself and Eddie. We got together one morning, sat down and worked it all out. The lyrics went through a lot of changes until they were right. An ambitious song but one I had to write. It can be really dangerous to sit back and rest on past achievements and former glories and I have seen a lot of the dirt and glory in my thirty years, so this is my way of putting the past into perspective and bracing myself for the future.
(Mike Peters, Shelter official fanzine, 1991)

Moments In Time was originally written and demo-taped for the Change album in 1989 as Take Me Home and again demo-taped for a second time prior to recording Raw as Story Of My Life. This song caused a huge controversy amongst the band during the actual Raw recording sessions. An argument broke over the lyrics, which resulted in me leaving the band and driving home to Wales. When I got home, I was made to go back by my wife Jules. A few hours later I returned to the studio and again sang the song, only this time with a new set of lyrics and a new title, Swansong. I think at this point, the band realised how important the song was to me and so a compromise was reached and the song was finally recorded as Moments In Time. (Mike Peters – Alarm 2000 collection liner notes)

The Swansong lyrics were never heard again until 30th June 1991 when during the last show of the Raw tour at Brixton Academy in London, Mike Peters sang them once more before making the infamous “on stage” announcement of his decision to leave the band. We’ve shared many a great moment during the last ten years. I’d like to thank all of you people who have supported me from the beginning to the end. Tonight is my last moment in time with The Alarm, I’m going out in a Blaze Of Glory (Alarm 2000 collection liner notes)

I had written the lyrics to Moments In Time upon reaching my thirtieth birthday in 1989. Originally, it was called Take Me Home which were the words Eddie Macdonald used when we came up with the melody line of the chorus. We both developed the verses and as I had just reached a major milestone in my life I decided to tell the story of my time on earth, using images of all the major events that had inspired or shaped my life. It was also the end of the eighties and the beginning of the nineties. We were making an album called Change and I had some vague idea that the lyric could work inside that theme. We considered recording the song for Change but we all felt we had enough good tracks for the album as it was, so we decided to carry it through until the next album. Because it was sung at Brixton, as a swan song, a lot of meaning has been attached to it. It is certainly a song that arouses reaction. However, the truth is, this is not a lyric sung by someone trying to get one over on someone else. It’s just a very simple song written by someone who had tasted “the dirt and the glory”, by someone who was trying, with difficulty, to come to terms with a changed environment. The song as sung by me that night was my way of saying goodbye, but it was as much about the future as it was the past. Whenever I hear that song now, of course I am reminded of The Alarm and in particular, Brixton Academy 30 June 1991. But I’m also reminded of all the things that happened in the time I was in The Alarm and I’m glad to say there is a lot more good to remember than bad. I never felt any pleasure in leaving The Alarm in the way that I did, but what other way was there – after all, we were the band that had written the book on “Going Out In A Blaze of Glory”. As Eddie Macdonald says “It would have been even better if David Bowie hadn’t done it first. (Mike Peters – Alarm 2000 collection liner notes)

1997 – Mike Peters – Acoustic Works 1987-1991
Running length: 4:47
Musicians
Mike Peters – Vocals, acoustic guitar & harmonica
Recorded in Spring 1996 at Dreamland Recording Studios, Woodstock, New York, USA.
Recorded by Joe Brigande. Produced by Mike Peters.

2000 – The Alarm – The Alarm 2000 Collection Box Set : Raw Remastered release
Running length: 5:43
Musicians
Mike Peters – Lead vocals, acoustic guitar & harmonica
Dave Sharp – Electric guitar & backing vocals
Eddie Macdonald – Bass guitar, piano & backing vocals
Nigel Twist – Drums & backing vocals
Rob Storm – Hammond organ
Remastered from the 1990 original recording by Mike Peters.
Remastering Engineered by Gary Butler @ RTS Liverpool in 2000.

April 1991– The Alarm – Raw – IRS Records vinyl IRSA EIRSA 1055, cassette EIRSC 1055, CD EIRSACD 1055 (UK Release) (Original 1990 recording)
Raw was also released on vinyl, cassette in Italy. Vinyl and CD in Europe. CD and cassette in USA. CD only Canada and Japan
2002 – Mike Peters – Acoustic Alarm Standards – CD (Conspiracy Music ‎– Catalogue Number CM0014) (USA only release) (Original 1990 recording)

Worldwide Releases
1997 – Mike Peters – Acoustic Works 1987-1991 – CD (21st Century Recording Company – Catalogue number 21C005).
2000 – The Alarm – Raw (1990-1991) – CD (21st Century Recording Company – Catalogue number 21C016). Appearing as part of the Alarm 2000 collection box set and then later as an individual disc. This is the 1990 recording which was remastered by Mike Peters and engineered by Gary Butler at RTS, Liverpool in 2000.
2004 – The Alarm – 2004 Reissues Sampler – CD (EMI) (Original 1990 recording)

24th May 1991. Recorded live at Hollywood Palladium, Los Angeles, California, USA
Band Line up : Mike Peters, Dave Sharp, Eddie Macdonald and Nigel Twist.
Running length 5:44
Released on CD in 2003 as The Alarm The Sound & The Fury Live 1981 to 1991. (UK, Export)
Released on CD in 2014 as The Alarm When The Storm Broke. (UK)

Worldwide Releases on Twenty First Century Recording Company
(Except where stated)
9th December 2000. Recorded at The Lomax, Liverpool, England. Running Length 7:08
Band line up : Mike Peters, James Stevenson, Richard Llewellyn, Steve Grantley.

24th August 2003. Recorded at William Aston Hall, NEWI, Wrexham, Wales.
Running Length 5:47. Mike Peters Solo acoustic.
Released in 2003 on Alarmstock vol 5 – The Dirt And The Glory

29th August 2004. Recorded at William Aston Hall, NEWI, Wrexham, Wales.
Running Length 5:06. Mike Peters Solo acoustic.
Released in 2004 on Alarmstock 2 vol 5 – Yesterday As If It Was Today.

13th August 2005. Recorded at Electric Lady Studio A, New York, USA
Running Length 3:56 Mike Peters Solo acoustic.
Released in 2005 on Alarmstock III vol 3 – Los Angeles
20th August 2005. Recorded at Capitol Records Studio A, Los Angeles, USA.
Running Length 5:49 Mike Peters Solo acoustic.
Released in 2005 on Alarmstock III vol 3 – Los Angeles

28th February 2009. Recorded at Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff, Wales.
Running Length 5:34. Mike Peters Solo acoustic
Released on CD in 2009 Mike Peters of The Alarm Live Acoustic (Catalogue number 21C049)

22nd October 2010. Record at King Tuts Wah Wah Hut, Glasgow, Scotland.
Running Length 5:15. Mike Peters Solo acoustic
Released on CD in 2010 Mike Peters // The Alarm – Direct Acoustic MMX live in Glasgow (Catalogue number 21C054)

26th January 2013. Recorded at The Gathering 21, Venue Cymru, Llandudno, Wales.
Running length : 5:50. Band line-up : Mike Peters, James Stevenson, Craig Adams, Steve “Smiley” Barnard and Mark Taylor
Released in 2013 – The Alarm – Abide With Us – Live at The Gathering 2013 (Cat. No. 21C063)

18th April 2014. Recorded at McCabe’s, Santa Monica, California, USA.
Running Length 4:47. Mike Peters Solo acoustic
Released on CD in 2014 Mike Peters In Concert at McCabe’s (Catalogue number 21C069)

30th June 1991. Recorded live at Brixton Academy, London SW9, England
Band Line up : Mike Peters, Dave Sharp, Eddie Macdonald and Nigel Twist
Released in 1991 on VHS Video as The Alarm Blaze of Glory – Live at Brixton Academy (Catalogue number VHSCV4110)

13th January 1995. Recorded at The Gathering 3, The Town Hall, Rhyl, Wales
Mike Peters Solo acoustic.
Released on DVD in 2005 – The Alarm – The Gathering History (Catalogue number 21CDVD003)

9th June 2001. Recorded at The Town Hall, Rhyl, Wales.
Mike Peters Solo acoustic.
Released in 2001 on DVD The Story Of The Alarm (20th Anniversary) (Catalogue number 21CDVD002)

28th January 2006. Recorded at The Gathering 14, The North Wales Conference Centre, Llandudno, Wales. Mike Peters solo acoustic set
Released on DVD in 2006 – The Alarm – Live At The Gathering 2006 (Catalogue number 21CDVD007)

26th January 2013. Recorded at The Gathering 21, Venue Cymru, Llandudno, Wales.
Band line-up : Mike Peters, James Stevenson, Craig Adams, Steve “Smiley” Barnard and Mark Taylor.
Released in 2013 on DVD – The Alarm – Abide With Us – Live at The Gathering 2013 (Catalogue number. 21C063)

1st February 2014. Recorded at The Gathering 22, Venue Cymru, Llandudno, Wales.
Band line-up : Mike Peters, James Stevenson, Craig Adams, Steve “Smiley” Barnard and Mark Taylor.
Released in 2014 on DVD – The Alarm – No Barriers | Gathering 2014 (Catalogue number. 21CDVD018)
5th April 2014. Recorded at The Deaf Institute, Manchester, England.
Mike Peters acoustic
Released in 2014 on DVD – Declaration – Live From The Deaf Institute (Catalogue number 21CDVD017)

17th April 1991 – Nicky Campbell Session – Recorded for the BBC Radio One.
First transmitted on 7th May 1991. Running length 5:35
Performed by Mike Peters, Dave Sharp, Eddie Macdonald and Nigel Twist.

I was born of nineteen fifty nine
That’ll be the day rock’n’roll died
Far away on a dark and stormy night
Brought into the new decade
The sixties and her pearly gates
A hard rain fell and the times forever changed
In the back of a car with the wind in our hair
Speeding down the road going anywhere
Was it true we were really going nowhere?

Sixty eight rang like a ricochet
The world arose to a nightmare day
Some people found their voice and a world to change
One small step for man was one giant leap for mankind
How I wish that we could walk that way tonight
On a Woodstock field in the heat of the night
Rock’n’roll music defined the times
The sound of generations collide

These moments in time
(These moments in time)
Live on forever in my mind
(Live on forever in my mind)
Even though we’ve said goodbye
(These moments in time)
Live on forever in my mind

And the seventies king of rock’n’roll
In Gracelands lost his throne
There won’t be any comebacks tomorrow
No Elvis, Beatles or the Rolling Stones
Why they were taken away? God only knows
We formed a band we were haunted by their ghosts
I remember it now like it was yesterday
Playing those guitars at a frantic pace
Somewhere we got lost along the way

These moments in time
(These moments in time)
Live on forever in my mind
(Live on forever in my mind)
Even though we’ve said goodbye
(These moments in time)
Live on forever in my mind

Through the London streets in a taxi cab
A radio played an epitaph
Imagine, the dream is over
Oh I’ve been silent way too long
You never thought I knew what was going on
You probably think that you are in this song
The tragedies behind the dreams
Belie the truth and the honesty
I have seen the dirt and the glory

These moments in time
(These moments in time)
Live on forever in my mind
(Live on forever in my mind)
Even though we’ve said goodbye
(These moments in time)
Live on forever in my mind

These moments in time
(These moments in time)
Live on forever in my mind
(Live on forever in my mind)
Even though we’ve said goodbye
(These moments in time)
Live on forever in my mind

4th January 2021 : Moments In Time [Swansong Version] – Recording and video premiere of Time 1981-2021 version – Video link
The video for Moments In Time was filmed and directed by Andy Labrow at Sain Studios, North Wales, as Mike Peters dug deep to sing the lyrics that were performed on that infamous night in Alarm History on June 30th 1991 at Brixton Academy, London.