Jonathan Larson (February 4, 1960 – January 25, 1996) was an American compo… Read Full Bio ↴Jonathan Larson (February 4, 1960 – January 25, 1996) was an American composer from New York City who created musicals including Rent (1996) and tick, tick...BOOM! (1990).

These musicals seriously tackle issues such as multiculturalism, addiction, sexual orientation and HIV. Rent was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and won four Tony Awards. The scores of his shows reveal that he was an apt composer and lyricist.

One tick, tick...BOOM! song called "Sunday" is an homage to Stephen Sondheim, who supported Larson. It stays close to the melody and lyrics of Sondheim's own song of the same title but turning it from a manifesto about art into a waiter's lament.

Among the many awards he received during and after his lifetime were: the Pulitzer Prize for Drama (for Rent), the Richard Rodgers Production Award, the Richard Rodgers Development Grant, the Stephen Sondheim Award, the Gilman and Gonzalez-Falla Theatre Foundation's Commendation Award, the Tonys for Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, and Best Score of a Musical for Rent, the Drama Desks for Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Book, and Best Lyrics (also for Rent), the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Musical (again for Rent), the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Musical in the Off-Broadway category (another for Rent), and three Obie Awards for Outstanding Book, Outstanding Lyrics and Outstanding Music (yet again for Rent).

Among his many creative works are Rent, tick, tick...BOOM!, Sacrimoralimmorality (1981)with David Armstrong (retitled Saved for the one-week run on 42nd Street), Superbia, the music for J.P. Morgan Saves the Nation, numerous individual numbers, music for Sesame Street, music for the children's book cassettes of An American Tail and Land Before Time, music for Rolling Stone magazine publisher Jann Wenner, and four songs for the children's video Away We Go! (which he also conceived and directed).

Larson died unexpectedly of an undiagnosed aortic dissection (aortic aneurysm), believed to have been caused by Marfan syndrome, on January 25th, 1996. It was ten days before his 36th birthday, and the night before Rent's first preview off-Broadway.

After his death, Larson's family and friends started the Jonathan Larson Performing Arts Foundation.

In 2005, a film version of his most popular production Rent was released, directed by Christopher Columbus.

In September of 2008, Rent closed after 12 successful years on broadway. One of the final shows and the finale were filmed for a limited engagement film, "Rent: Filmed Live on Broadway." The DVD and Blu-Ray disc were released was in February 2009.

Currently original cast members Anthony Rapp, Adam Pascal, and Gwen Stewart are performing on the farewell broadway tour of the show.

Over the Moon
Jonathan Larson Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Last night, I had a dream
I found myself in a desert called Cyberland
It was hot
My canteen had sprung a leak and I was thirsty
Out of the abyss walked a cow, Elsey
I asked if she had anything to drink she said
I'm forbidden to produce milk
In Cyberland we only drink

Diet Coke (Diet Coke Diet Coke)
She said

Only thing to do is jump over the moon
They've closed everything real down like barns and troughs and
Performance spaces
And replaced it all with lies and rules and
Virtual life (life life)
But there is a way out (leap of faith leap of faith leap of faith leap of faith)

Ooh
"Only thing to do is jump over the moon"
I gotta get outta here
It's like I'm being tied to the hood of a yellow rental truck
Being packed in with fertilizer and fuel oil pushed over a cliff by a suicidal Mickey Mouse
I've gotta gotta gotta gotta gotta gotta gotta gotta gotta gotta find a way
To jump over the moon only thing to do is jump over the moon

Then a little bulldog entered
His name we have learned is Benny
And although he once had principals he abandoned them
To live as a lapdog to a wealthy daughter of the revolution
A one two three "That's bull" he said
"Ever since the cat took up the fiddle that cow's been
Jumpy
The dish and the spoon were evicted from the table and eloped
She's had trouble with that milk and the moon ever since maybe it's a
Female thing
Cause who'd wanna leave Cyberland anyway
Walls ain't so bad
The dish and the spoon for instance
They're down on their luck they come knockin' on my doghouse door and I say
'Not in my backyard utensils
Go back to China'"
(Bi-di-bong)
"The only way out is up"
Elsie whispered to me
"A leap of
Faith"
"Still thirsty?"
"Parched" (parched parched)
"Have some milk"
And I lowered myself beneath her swollen udder
And sucked the sweetest milk I had ever tasted
"Climb on board"
She said
And as a harvest moon rose over Cyberland
We reared back we sprang into a gallop, leaping, out of orbit, and I awoke singing
(Leap of faith leap of faith leap of faith leap of faith)
Ooh only thing to do
Only thing to do is jump
Only thing to do is jump over the moon
Only thing to do is jump over the moon
Over the moon
Over the
Moo
Moo
Moo!
Moo with me
Please sir could you give me a little moo
Moo, yes, moo, yes, moo with me, moo
Yes moo with me
Yes it sounds beautiful
Moo, let me hear you New York City

Thank you
Moo

Overall Meaning

In Jonathan Larson's song "Over the Moon," the singer describes a dream where they end up in a desert called Cyberland. They are thirsty and encounter a cow named Elsey who tells them that all they drink in Cyberland is Diet Coke. Elsey encourages the singer to jump over the moon as the only way out of Cyberland's virtual life. In the dream, the singer also meets a bulldog named Benny who has abandoned his principles and a spoon and dish who eloped after being evicted from the table. Elsey gives the singer milk, and they ride off into the night.

The lyrics of "Over the Moon" reflect the idea of searching for a way to escape from a mundane and monotonous existence. The song is an anthem for anyone who desires to break from the norm and seek something new and exciting. The use of surreal imagery, such as the talking cow and bulldog, creates a dream-like quality that emphasizes the idea of taking a leap of faith to break free. The song's ending with the audience being asked to "moo" along creates a sense of community and camaraderie in this quest for freedom.

Overall, "Over the Moon" is a thought-provoking and imaginative song that encourages listeners to break from the ordinary and seek adventure. It's a powerful reminder that there's always a way out of any perceived limitations if one is willing to take a leap of faith.

Line by Line Meaning

Last night, I had a dream
Jonathan Larson is about to recount a dream that he had.

I found myself in a desert called Cyberland
The dream takes place in a virtual world called Cyberland, compared to a desert due to the lack of realness.

It was hot
The environment in the dream was uncomfortably warm.

My canteen had sprung a leak and I was thirsty
In the dream, Jonathan Larson is thirsty but his means of hydrating is faulty.

Out of the abyss walked a cow, Elsey
A cow named Elsey appears out of the nowhere in the dream.

I asked if she had anything to drink she said
Jonathan Larson queries the cow if there is anything to drink in Cyberland.

I'm forbidden to produce milk
The cow cannot provide any milk for Jonathan Larson to drink in Cyberland.

In Cyberland we only drink Diet Coke (Diet Coke Diet Coke)
Jonathan Larson is informed about the only available beverage to consume is Diet Coke, as he is in Cyberland.

Only thing to do is jump over the moon
To escape from Cyberland's fake environment, the only option is to take a big leap of faith.

They've closed everything real down like barns and troughs and Performance spaces
In Cyberland, where Jonathan Larson is dreaming, all that is genuine has been closed down with only imitations remaining.

And replaced it all with lies and rules and Virtual life (life life)
A virtual life full of untruths and limitations surrounds Jonathan Larson in his dream of Cyberland.

But there is a way out (leap of faith leap of faith leap of faith leap of faith)
Despite feeling trapped in Cyberland, being brave enough to take a huge risk can lead to an exit strategy from the world.

I gotta get outta here It's like I'm being tied to the hood of a yellow rental truck Being packed in with fertilizer and fuel oil pushed over a cliff by a suicidal Mickey Mouse
Jonathan Larson feels desperate to escape from Cyberland as it feels like a dangerous place to be, akin to being tied to a vehicle filled with hazardous materials and forced off a cliff by an irrational Mickey Mouse.

I've gotta gotta gotta gotta gotta gotta gotta gotta gotta gotta find a way To jump over the moon only thing to do is jump over the moon
Jonathan Larson feels a strong urge to find a way to take the risky jump and exit Cyberland, as it seems like the only way left.

Then a little bulldog entered His name we have learned is Benny And although he once had principals he abandoned them To live as a lapdog to a wealthy daughter of the revolution
In Jonathan Larson's dream, a bulldog called Benny appears, who was once principled but gave up his values to be with a rich revolutionary daughter.

A one two three "That's bull" he said "Ever since the cat took up the fiddle that cow's been Jumpy The dish and the spoon were evicted from the table and eloped She's had trouble with that milk and the moon ever since maybe it's a Female thing Cause who'd wanna leave Cyberland anyway Walls ain't so bad The dish and the spoon for instance They're down on their luck they come knockin' on my doghouse door and I say 'Not in my backyard utensils Go back to China'" (Bi-di-bong)
The bulldog, Benny, dismisses the cow's reluctance to produce milk and mentions a story of cat, a fiddle, and the dish and the spoon. Benny seems comfortable in Cyberland, but he is unwilling to allow others to join him there.

"The only way out is up" Elsie whispered to me "A leap of Faith" "Still thirsty?" "Parched" (parched parched) "Have some milk" And I lowered myself beneath her swollen udder And sucked the sweetest milk I had ever tasted "Climb on board" She said And as a harvest moon rose over Cyberland We reared back we sprang into a gallop, leaping, out of orbit, and I awoke singing (Leap of faith leap of faith leap of faith leap of faith)
Elsie whispers to Jonathan Larson that faith is the key to escaping Cyberland. After quenching his thirst with some milk, he gets onto Elsie's back and together they jump into the sky, and he wakes up feeling triumphant and singing about the leap of faith.

Ooh only thing to do Only thing to do is jump Only thing to do is jump over the moon Only thing to do is jump over the moon Over the moon Over the Moo Moo Moo! Moo with me Please sir could you give me a little moo Moo, yes, moo, yes, moo with me, moo Yes moo with me Yes it sounds beautiful Moo
Jonathan Larson expresses in various ways that the only way to get out of Cyberland and reach the beautiful sky is to take the leap of faith. He makes requests for participation from people in the audience by asking them to moan with him.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Jonathan D. Larson

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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