Gabriel Luna de la Fuente and Miguel Prado created the Spanish-language song "Duerme" in the mid-1930s, with Prado composing the music and Luna writing the lyrics. In 1941, American lyricist Bob Russell wrote English words for the melody, retitling it "Time Was." The song gained popularity through recordings by Jimmy Dorsey's orchestra and later became a jazz standard performed by artists including John Coltrane.
Gabriel Luna de la Fuente and Paz Miguel Prado Tunes