In 2006, Arthur's song "In the Sun" was covered by Michael Stipe (of R.E.M.) and Coldplay singer Chris Martin. Released for a Hurricane Katrina Relief program, the EP includes six versions of the cover, one of which has Arthur himself singing with Stipe.
Arthur established his own record label, Lonely Astronaut Records, in 2006, and released two studio albums, Let's Just Be (2007) and Temporary People (2008) with backing band The Lonely Astronauts. Arthur subsequently returned to performing and recording as a solo artist, releasing The Graduation Ceremony in 2011 and the double album, Redemption City in 2012.
Arthur is also an acclaimed painter and designer. His artwork has graced the sleeves of his entire discography; the sleeve design for his 1999 album entitled Vacancy was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Recording Package.
Lonely Astronaut
Joseph Arthur Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Falling down like ecstasy
I feel your pain
Raining now inside of me
Far from where we′re going
Away from where we've been
Everything we lost out here
One day must be lost again
The moon will rise to
Worship lonely astronauts
To our surprise
We can never get the light we lost
With the weight of our emotions
Which are gone before they end
Are they here just to remind us
Of everything we′ve lost again
Everything we've lost again
You are gone far beyond the sun
You are gone far beyond the sun
We disappear
Into one another's mind
And reappear
With faith in something new to find
We are resurrecting our history so thin
With graduatin′ needs to fill
The love we′ll only lose again
The love we'll only lose again
You are gone far beyond the sun
You are gone far beyond the sun
You are gone far beyond the sun
You are gone far beyond the sun
When you cry your eyes are hollow
When you cry your eyes are hollow
When you cry your eyes are hollow
When you cry your eyes are hollow
When you cry your eyes are hollow
When you cry your eyes are hollow
When you cry your eyes are hollow
When you cry your eyes are hollow
When you cry your eyes are hollow
When you cry your eyes are hollow
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I ...
Love Love Love Love Love Love Love Love Love Love ...
I stay out of reach
I stay out of reach
I stay out of reach
I stay out of reach
Stay out of reach
I stay out of reach
Stay out of reach
Stay out of reach
Stay out of reach
I don′t want to sleep
Stay out of reach
I don't want to sleep
I stay out of reach
I don′t want to sleep
And I love you
I stay out of reach
I don't want to sleep
And I love you
Because you′re like a vision
Because you're like a vision
Because you're like a vision
I stay out of reach
And I love you
Lost in past
I stay out of reach
Because you′re like a vision
I love you
Yes,some things you can′t teach
Stay out of reach
Some things you can't teach
I love you
Stay out of reach
Some things you can′t teach
I love you
The lyrics of Joseph Arthur's song, "Lonely Astronaut," paint an image of a painful, emotional journey through life. The opening line, "Here comes the rain, falling down like ecstasy," sets the tone for the rest of the song, as it describes the emotional turmoil that the singer is experiencing. The rain is both a metaphor for the singer's grief and a symbol of the cleansing power of nature. In particular, the line "I feel your pain, raining now inside of me" suggests that the singer has taken on the pain of a lost love or perhaps the pain of the world itself.
The next two lines further elaborate the idea that the singer feels lost and disconnected from the world around him. He is "Far from where we're going, away from where we've been," suggesting that he is untethered from both his past and future. The repeated refrain of "Everything we've lost again" emphasizes the sense of loss and sadness that permeates the song.
The chorus of "Lonely Astronaut" features the imagery of the moon and the lost light of love. The moon is described as "worship[ping] lonely astronauts," which suggests that the astronaut is seeking a connection to something greater than himself. However, he is ultimately disappointed by the fact that he can never "get the light we lost." This line suggests that the singer has lost something very important to him, perhaps a relationship or a sense of purpose, and that he cannot regain it.
Overall, "Lonely Astronaut" is a deeply introspective and emotional song that explores themes of loss, grief, and the search for meaning in a world that can sometimes seem cruel and unfeeling.
Line by Line Meaning
Here comes the rain
The rain represents an overwhelming emotion that is about to befall the singer
Falling down like ecstasy
The rain is intense and powerful
I feel your pain
The singer is experiencing an emotional connection with someone and can feel their pain
Raining now inside of me
The emotions of the person he is connected to are now flowing through him
Far from where we’re going
We are moving away from the future we imagined
Away from where we've been
We are moving away from the past we shared
Everything we lost out here
The many things we have lost and left behind out here in life
One day must be lost again
One day, we will lose more things again
The moon will rise to
The moon represents hope
Worship lonely astronauts
Even though astronauts explore the universe, they are still alone and isolated
To our surprise
Despite our best efforts and expectations, things don't always work out as planned
We can never get the light we lost
We can never truly recover what we've lost in life
With the weight of our emotions
Our emotions can be heavy and overwhelming
Which are gone before they end
Our emotions can sometimes disappear before we fully understand them
Are they here just to remind us
Our emotions may serve as reminders for what we've lost
Of everything we’ve lost again
Our emotions remind us of things we've lost in life
You are gone far beyond the sun
The person the singer is connected to is no longer with him and is unreachable
We disappear
We lose ourselves and become lost in our own thoughts and emotions
Into one another's mind
We connect with each other on a deep, emotional level
And reappear
We come back to the present and face life again
With faith in something new to find
We believe that there is something new and better waiting for us
We are resurrecting our history so thin
We are trying to bring back something that is almost gone, something that is fragile
With graduatin′ needs to fill
We have to fill a void in our lives, like when one has to be content with just graduating instead of getting a life partner
The love we′ll only lose again
Even if we find love, we may still lose it again eventually
When you cry your eyes are hollow
The act of crying can leave a person feeling empty and hollow on the inside
I stay out of reach
The singer is avoiding getting too close to someone or something again
I don’t want to sleep
The singer does not want to rest or take a break from life because there is so much to do
And I love you
Despite everything, the singer still loves the person he is connected with
Because you’re like a vision
The person the singer is connected to is like a vision and he cannot touch them
Lost in past
The singer is lost in a past that he cannot get back
Yes, some things you can't teach
Some things in life cannot be learned from others or taught, they need to be experienced
Some things you can’t teach
Reiterating that there are certain things in life that we must learn on our own
Writer(s): Joseph Lyburn Arthur
Contributed by Chase O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.