Rocket Man
John (Elton) Lyrics


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She packed my bags last night pre-flight
Zero hour, nine AM
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 touch down brings me round again to find
I'm not the man they think I am at home
Oh no no no, I'm a rocket man
Rocket man burning out his fuse up here alone

And I think it's gonna be a long, long time
'Til touch down brings me round again to find
I'm not the man they think I am at home
Oh no no no, I'm a rocket man
Rocket man burning 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, a rocket man

And I think it's gonna be a long, long time
'Til touch down brings me round again to find
I'm not the man they think I am at home
Oh no no no, I'm a rocket man
Rocket man burning out his fuse up here alone

And I think it's gonna be a long, long time
'Til touch down brings me round again to find
I'm not the man they think I am at home
Oh no no no, I'm a rocket man
Rocket man burning out his fuse up here alone

And I think it's gonna be a long, long time
And I think it's gonna be a long, long time
And I think it's gonna be a long, long time
And I think it's gonna be a long, long time
And I think it's gonna be a long, long time
And I think it's gonna be a long, long time




And I think it's gonna be a long, long time
And I think it's gonna be a long, long time

Overall Meaning

In "Rocket Man," Elton John tells the story of an astronaut who is about to embark on a journey to space. The song begins with the astronaut reflecting on how his wife has just helped him pack for the trip and how he's going to be "high as a kite" by the time he reaches his destination. Despite the excitement, the astronaut admits to missing Earth and his wife, acknowledging the loneliness he will feel on the "timeless flight."


As the song progresses, the astronaut shares his realization that this journey is going to change him. He sees himself as a "rocket man," someone different from how others see him at home, and acknowledges that he is isolated in his space mission. He points out that Mars is not a suitable place to raise children, with its harsh conditions and lack of life. In the final line, the repetition of "and I think it's going to be a long, long time" emphasizes the loneliness and isolation the astronaut will feel on this journey, underscoring the song's central theme.


Line by Line Meaning

She packed my bags last night pre-flight
My wife helped me prepare for my space journey


Zero hour, nine AM
The planned departure time for my rocket launch


And I'm gonna be high as a kite by then
I will be experiencing the thrill of space travel


I miss the earth so much, I miss my wife
I feel homesick and miss my loved ones on earth


It's lonely out in space
The isolation of space travel can be difficult


On such a timeless flight
The journey feels endless and without time


And I think it's gonna be a long, long time
I anticipate being away from home for a significant duration


'Til touch down brings me round again to find
Until my return to earth brings me back to reality


I'm not the man they think I am at home
I am a different person when I am in space than when I am on Earth


Oh no no no, I'm a rocket man
I am an astronaut travelling in space


Rocket man burning out his fuse up here alone
The physical and emotional toll of space travel is draining and isolating


Mars ain't the kind of place to raise your kids
Mars is not suitable for long-term human settlement


In fact it's cold as hell
The climate on Mars is harsh and inhospitable


And there's no one there to raise them if you did
There is no community on Mars to provide for the raising of children


And all this science I don't understand
As an astronaut, I am not a scientist and do not comprehend all the complexities of space travel and exploration


It's just my job five days a week
Working in space is my occupation, and I must fulfill my duties on a regular basis


A rocket man, a rocket man
I am an astronaut, piloting a rocket through space




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Elton John, Bernie Taupin

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

@craighombre4048

Lyrics:
She packed my bags last night pre-flight
Zero hour nine AM
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
'Till touch down brings me round again to find
I'm not the man they think I am at home
Oh no no no I'm a rocket man
Rocket man burning out his fuse up here alone

And I think it's gonna be a long long time
'Till touch down brings me round again to find
I'm not the man they think I am at home
Oh no no no I'm a rocket man
Rocket man burning 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, a rocket man

And I think it's gonna be a long long time
'Till touch down brings me round again to find
I'm not the man they think I am at home
Oh no no no I'm a rocket man
Rocket man burning out his fuse up here alone

And I think it's gonna be a long long time
'Till touch down brings me round again to find
I'm not the man they think I am at home
Oh no no no I'm a rocket man
Rocket man burning out his fuse up here alone

And I think it's gonna be a long long time
And I think it's gonna be a long long time
And I think it's gonna be a long long time
And I think it's gonna be a long long time
And I think it's gonna be a long long time
And I think it's gonna be a long long time
And I think it's gonna be a long long time
And I think it's gonna be a long long time



All comments from YouTube:

@WhatIsTheDill

I played this song for a few friends. None of them liked it. Clearly I need new friends

@jakethesnake1312

I'll be your friend

@Trolligi

I’ll be your friend lol

@josephchetelat5772

my friends and I still play this around the campfire.

@osjorjoes

TRUE

@joeshmoe7967

VERY clearly!!

502 More Replies...

@frenzyy34

while going through radiation at the hospital for cancer treatment , they always ask what playlist i want to listen to. my go to is always either an elton john playlist or a queen playlist. but i remember on my last radiation appointment i chose elton and i was listening to this song as i finished. i had been feeling so distant because i couldn’t do much cause how sick i was, but this song brought me so much happiness. and in that moment, for some reason i knew that i’d get through it and be alright in the end. and here i am still alive to this day fighting cancer for the 7th time and i will never give up. don’t care if it takes a long long time , i’ll be okay :).

@syncopatedglory

🤗

@ashtonsides2612

Stay strong.

@ametalhead5676

baiting for likes 🗿.

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