One of the gimmicks of the band is reocurring characters in their songs. One of these is "Doktor Cosmos" ("Doctor Kosmos" in Swedish). Doktor Kosmos is at the same time the stage name for the band's front man Uje Brandelius.
The band lineup is:
Uje Brandelius - Vocals, Keyboards
Twiggy Pop (Lina Selleby) - Vocals
Martin Aagård - Bass
Anders Bennysson - Guitar
Henrik Svensson - Drums
Mayday
Doktor Kosmos Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lysrören surrar i taket. Han är trött
Påväg hem från hemligt uppdrag svävar rymdeskeppet som en pråm i natten
Då får han se nåt som får honom att signalera
Mayday x8
Framför skeppet syns ett rykande inferno
Obeskrivligt. Geiger-mätaren slår i botten
Rymdemannen signalerar i panik
Mayday x8
Rymdemannen river bland sina kartor
"Var är jag?", "Vad heter planeten?" är frågor som han ställer
Så hittar han en karta över Vintergatan
Klotet heter Jorden
Mayday x16
The song "Mayday" by Doktor Kosmos talks about a space man who is taking a break and having a sandwich in the cafeteria. He is worn out from a secret mission and is on his way back home on a spacecraft that is floating like a barge through the night sky. Suddenly, he spots something that makes him want to send out a distress signal. As he looks ahead, he sees a chaotic and destructive scene that displays an enormous ball that is emitting an obnoxious stench of agony and death. The man's panic increases, and he repeatedly sends out the Mayday signal in desperation.
The desperate situation continues as the space man scrambles through his maps, looking for answers to questions like, "Where am I?" and "What is this planet called?" In the end, he finally finds a map that shows the Milky Way, and the ball he saw is Earth. The song is trying to depict an apocalyptic scenario where the world is in chaos, and death is rampant. The lyrics contain a strong feeling of hopelessness, and the panic and confusion of the space man are used as metaphors to emphasize the gravity of the situation on Earth.
Line by Line Meaning
Rymdemannen sitter och äter en smörgås i fikarummet
The spaceman is sitting and eating a sandwich in the break room
Lysrören surrar i taket. Han är trött
The fluorescent lights buzz above. He is tired.
Påväg hem från hemligt uppdrag svävar rymdeskeppet som en pråm i natten
On the way home from a secret mission the spaceship floats like a barge in the night
Då får han se nåt som får honom att signalera
Then he sees something that makes him signal for help
Mayday x8
Mayday x8
Framför skeppet syns ett rykande inferno
In front of the ship, there is a smoking inferno
Ett klot medf vrålande stank utav död och utav pina
A sphere with a roaring stench of death and agony
Obeskrivligt. Geiger-mätaren slår i botten
Indescribable. The Geiger counter is off the charts
Rymdemannen signalerar i panik
The spaceman signals for help in a panic
Mayday x8
Mayday x8
Rymdemannen river bland sina kartor
The spaceman sifts through his maps
"Var är jag?", "Vad heter planeten?" är frågor som han ställer
"Where am I?", "What is the planet called?" are questions he asks
Så hittar han en karta över Vintergatan
Then he finds a map of the Milky Way
Klotet heter Jorden
The sphere is called Earth
Mayday x16
Mayday x16
Contributed by Ryan L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.