Lord, how the day passes! It's like a life — so quickly when we don't watch it and so slowly if we do.

The line juxtaposes two subjective experiences of time: unselfconscious absorption, in which hours seem to vanish, and self-monitoring attention, in which each moment feels prolonged. By likening a single day to an entire life, the speaker suggests that the same paradox governs human existence: when we are not preoccupied with measuring time, it appears to “pass” swiftly; when we scrutinize it—through worry, boredom, or anxious self-awareness—it drags. The exclamation “Lord” underscores a sudden, almost startled recognition of this paradox, hinting at a reflective, possibly weary mood and a broader meditation on mortality and the costs of vigilance.