Kohan gave Spektor access to rough edits of the episodes while the first season was in production . Spektor said she composed the song while " thinking about the idea of what it must be like to be in prison and the different states of mind . " After recording the song with producer Rob Cavallo , she brought the demo to Kohan , initially apprehensive that Kohan would not like it . " We took out the rough mix and listened to it with headphones and sort of held our breath , like , ' Is she going to like it ? ' And then she said , ' This is fucking awesome , I love it ! It ’s going to fit really well ! ' " The song has been well received . Casey Cipriani of '' Indiewire '' wrote that the song 's lyrics suggesting animals trapped in a cage was ideal for '' Orange Is the New Black '' . Garin Pirnia of '' Rolling Stone '' noted that after the song begins with Spektor 's " aggressive " guitar playing , " ' You 've Got Time ' softens during the bridge , though , generating an aura of hope . When Spektor sings the title refrain , it works literally for the prison motif but also alludes to the show 's themes of redemption and forgiveness . " " You 've Got Time " was nominated in the Best Song Written for Visual Media category at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards . It was Spektor 's first Grammy nomination
56th Annual Grammy Awards
56th Annual Grammy Awards
You've Got Time