# The song "25 or 6 to 4".....what does it mean? Help! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 27, 2003, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-song-25-or-6-to-4-what-does-it-mean-help/164597 "2003-03-27T20:08:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Siemsi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b19c9b/32.png) [@Siemsi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siemsi)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2003, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-song-25-or-6-to-4-what-does-it-mean-help/164597/1 "2003-03-27T20:08:59Z")
I did a search, but could not find anything in regards to this song by the band Chicago. Any thoughts? Any interpretations? Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2003, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-song-25-or-6-to-4-what-does-it-mean-help/164597/2 "2003-03-27T20:15:30Z")
[[http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/m25or6to4.html](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/m25or6to4.html)](Straight Dope Staff Report: What does the Chicago lyric “25 or 6 to 4” mean?) ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2003, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-song-25-or-6-to-4-what-does-it-mean-help/164597/3 "2003-03-27T20:16:50Z")
We had a thread about this a while back. My view has always been that that title refers to the time, i.e, it’s either twenty five minutes or twenty six minutes until four o’clock in the morning. The singer is too wasted to know exactly what time it is. That’s why he’s “sitting cross-legged on the floor,” and wondering “Should I try to do some more?” ---
**Author:** ![Siemsi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b19c9b/32.png) [@Siemsi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siemsi)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2003, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-song-25-or-6-to-4-what-does-it-mean-help/164597/4 "2003-03-27T20:19:14Z")
Thank you Skammer and Labdad. I kinda figured it had a drug reference…well, kinda. ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2003, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-song-25-or-6-to-4-what-does-it-mean-help/164597/5 "2003-03-27T20:19:55Z")
The lyrics are what you need. Here is a part > [@](#): > > Waiting for the break of day > Searching for something to say > Flashing lights against the sky > Giving up I close my eyes Its about stting up all night looking for inspiration and still being awake at 25 or 26 minutes to four in the morning. I remember reading this in an interview with the band many years ago, apparently the writer was suffering a bout of writers block and the attendant frustration that goes with it. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2003, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-song-25-or-6-to-4-what-does-it-mean-help/164597/6 "2003-03-27T20:49:58Z")
well, you know what I mean. ---
**Author:** ![benson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@benson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/benson)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2003, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-song-25-or-6-to-4-what-does-it-mean-help/164597/7 "2003-03-27T21:11:06Z")
I heard this song on the radio the other day and before he played the song the DJ said that Robert Lamm had been up all night trying to write the song and was so tired he couldn’t figure out what time it was. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2003, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-song-25-or-6-to-4-what-does-it-mean-help/164597/8 "2003-03-27T21:40:29Z")
Ooooooooooooooooooooooooh! Use the archive before you ask here. I made the same mistake one time a few years ago.