Rocket Man 03
Elton John Lyrics


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Daniel is travelling tonight on a plane
I can see the red tail lights heading for spain
Oh and I can see daniel waving goodbye
God it looks like daniel, must be the clouds in my eyes

They say spain is pretty though Ive never been
Well daniel says its the best place that hes ever seen
Oh and he should know, hes been there enough
Lord I miss daniel, oh I miss him so much

Daniel my brother you are older than me
Do you still feel the pain of the scars that wont heal
Your eyes have died but you see more than i
Daniel youre a star in the face of the sky

Daniel is travelling tonight on a plane
I can see the red tail lights heading for spain
Oh and I can see daniel waving goodbye




God it looks like daniel, must be the clouds in my eyes
Oh God it looks like daniel, must be the clouds in my eyes

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Elton John's song "Rocket Man 03" features the singer, who is bidding farewell to his brother Daniel, who is flying to Spain. As he watches the red tail lights of the plane disappearing in the sky, he reminisces about Daniel's love for Spain, a place he deems as the best he has ever seen. The singer misses Daniel dearly and longs for his company. In the second verse, the singer speaks directly to Daniel, acknowledging their age difference and wondering about the pain of the scars that he still carries. Despite this, the singer believes that he sees more than him, as Daniel is a star shining in the face of the sky.


The song's lyrics touch on themes of separation, loss, and longing, all of which are common in many of Elton John's songs. In this case, the feeling of separation and loss is heightened by the physical distance between the singer and Daniel as the latter travels on a plane to a far-off destination. The song's title, "Rocket Man," also suggests themes of journeys (both physical and emotional) and the sense of adventure that comes with them.


Line by Line Meaning

Daniel is travelling tonight on a plane
Daniel is taking a trip on an airplane tonight


I can see the red tail lights heading for spain
I can see the backlights of the airplane heading towards Spain


Oh and I can see daniel waving goodbye
Oh, and I can see Daniel waving goodbye to me


God it looks like daniel, must be the clouds in my eyes
I think I see Daniel, but it could just be my eyes playing tricks on me because of the clouds


They say spain is pretty though Ive never been
People say Spain is beautiful, but I've never had the chance to go


Well daniel says its the best place that hes ever seen
But Daniel, who's been there many times, says it's the best place he's ever been


Oh and he should know, hes been there enough
He's been there enough times to make an informed opinion about it


Lord I miss daniel, oh I miss him so much
I really miss Daniel, and I wish he were still here with me


Daniel my brother you are older than me
Daniel, my brother, you're older than I am


Do you still feel the pain of the scars that wont heal
Do you still feel the pain of emotional wounds that haven't fully healed?


Your eyes have died but you see more than i
You may seem emotionally numb, but you still see things more clearly than I do


Daniel youre a star in the face of the sky
Daniel, you're like a shining star in the vast blue sky


Oh God it looks like daniel, must be the clouds in my eyes
Oh, it seems like I see Daniel again, but it's probably just the clouds playing tricks on me




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BERNIE TAUPIN, ELTON JOHN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@chloegordon1716

Maybe it's from watching Californication but I can't help but associate this particular version of this song with a drastic even or change in life.

When I moved back to my hometown, this song was the only thing I played on that hour and a half drive back.

When I quit my old job and found a new one, this song was playing on my way to and from my new job.

I just got accepted into community college so I can get out of retail and came back to this song today.

I will likely be listening to it again when I graduate.



@brunosousa7407

She packed my bags last night, preflight
Zero hour, nine a.m.
And I'm gonna be high
As a kite by then

I miss the earth so much
I miss my wife
It's lonely out in space
On such a timeless flight

And I think it's gonna be a long, long, time
'Til touchdown brings me 'round again to find
I'm not the man they think I am at home
Ah, no, no, no
I'm a rocket man
Rocket man
Burnin' out his fuse
Up here alone

And I think it's gonna be a long, long, time
'Til touchdown brings me 'round again to find
I'm not the man they think I am at home
Ah, no, no, no
I'm a rocket man
Rocket man
Burnin' out his fuse
Up here alone

Mars ain't the kind of place
To raise your kids
In fact, it's cold as hell
And there's no one there to raise them
If you did

And all this science
I don't understand
It's just my job
Five days a week
A Rocket Man
Rocket Man

And I think it's gonna be a long, long, time
'Til touchdown brings me 'round again to find
I'm not the man they think I am at home
Ah, no no no...
I'm a rocket man
Rocket man
Burnin' out his fuse
Up here alone

She packed by bag last night, preflight
Zero hour, nine a.m.
And I'm gonna be high
As a kite by then

I miss the earth so much
I miss my wife
It's lonely out in space
On such a timeless flight

And I think it's gonna be a long, long, time
'Til touchdown brings me 'round again to find
I'm not the man they think I am at home
Ah, no no no...
I'm a rocket man
Rocket man
Burnin' out his fuse
Up here alone

Mars ain't the kind of place
To raise your kids
In fact, it's cold as hell
And there's no one there to raise them
If you did

And all this science
I don't understand
It's just my job
Five days a week
A Rocket Man
Rocket Man

And I think it's gonna be a long, long, time
'Til touchdown brings me 'round again to find
I'm not the man they think I am at home
Ah, no no no...
I'm a rocket man
Rocket man
Burnin' out his fuse
Up here alone



All comments from YouTube:

@robertshao8274

Californication was always such a powerful show to me. Not sure why, but I've never felt the feels more than from this show. Gonna miss it.

@m1stformer

just saw the ending yesterday. im still feeling it this morning and listening to this song non stop. It was the best thing i saw in my 25 years on this planet

@MoLetalis

m1stformer I also felt the awful ending the day after. Too bad this show has sunk to the bottom of TV-land.. because the first 4 seasons were also the best thing I ever saw in TV history.

@marceljoergmjr

True Story

@evanrohde5521

Best written show ever 💯

@jesspower87

Californication. Amazing series. 👌🏼

@XBOXSUCHTI34

Best Serie i have ever watched!! They should bring more seasons...

@tomdude75

Jessica Power keep seeing comments like that have never heard of the show lol

@jesspower87

Tom CFC oh my god. You need to watch it. Such a great series. Heads up, not one for family viewing. 👌🏼

@SkaffaboysNL

Jessica Power I came here because of Californication after finishing watching the complete serie for the second time. Fucking love Californication!

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