The Red Weed
Richard Burton; Jeff Wayne Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

It's looking good, it's going good
We're getting great pictures
Hhere at NASA Control, Pasadena
The landing craft touched down on Mars
Twenty eight kilometers from the aim point

We're looking at a remarkable landscape
Littered with different kinds of rocks

Red, purple, how 'bout that, Bermuda?

Fantastic, look at the dune field

Hey, wait. I'm getting a no go signal
Now I'm losing on of the craft
Hey, Bermuda, you getting it?

No, I lost contact
There's a lot of dust blowing up there
Now I've lost the second craft
We got problems
All contact lost, Pasadena
Maybe the antenna's

What's that flare? A green flare, coming from Mars
Kind of a green mist behind it
It's getting closer, you see it, Bermuda?
Come in, Bermuda, Houston, come in, what's going on?

Tracking station 43, Canberra, come in, Canberra

Tracking station 63, can you hear me, Madrid?
Can anybody hear me? Come in, come in

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to The Red Weed by Richard Burton Jeff Wayne describe a NASA control team observing the landing of a craft on Mars. The team seems ecstatic about the landing, commenting on the beautiful landscape with rocks of different colors. However, soon after landing, the team loses contact with two crafts and begins to panic. A green flare is seen coming from Mars, causing even more confusion and desperation for answers. The song ends with the team calling out to different tracking stations in hopes of finding any answers.

The Red Weed is a part of the "Musical Version of The War of the Worlds," which is based on H.G. Wells' novel of the same name. The song's lyrics not only evoke a sense of excitement and curiosity but also convey fear and confusion. The landing team is clearly in a state of panic, which is demonstrated through the urgency in their voices and the desperation of their questions.

Line by Line Meaning

It's looking good, it's going good
The mission is progressing well so far

We're getting great pictures
The team at NASA Control is receiving high quality images from the landing craft on Mars

Here at NASA Control, Pasadena
The mission is being monitored from NASA Control in Pasadena, California

The landing craft touched down on Mars
The spacecraft has successfully landed on the surface of Mars

Twenty eight kilometers from the aim point
The spacecraft has landed 28 kilometers away from the intended landing site

We're looking at a remarkable landscape
The team is observing a unique and interesting Martian terrain

Littered with different kinds of rocks, Red, purple, how 'bout that, Bermuda?
The team is observing rocks of various colors, including red and purple, and is sharing their observations with their colleague in Bermuda

Fantastic, look at the dune field
The team is impressed by the dune field on the Martian surface

Hey, wait. I'm getting a no go signal
The team is receiving a signal indicating that something is wrong with one of the spacecrafts

Now I'm losing on of the craft
One of the spacecrafts is experiencing a technical failure and cannot be reached by the team

Hey, Bermuda, you getting it?
The team is checking with their colleague in Bermuda to see if they are receiving the same signal

No, I lost contact
The team has lost all contact with the spacecraft

There's a lot of dust blowing up there
A lot of dust is being kicked up on the Martian surface

Now I've lost the second craft
The team has lost contact with a second spacecraft

We got problems
The situation is not good and there are technical issues with the mission

All contact lost, Pasadena
NASA Control is no longer receiving any signal from the spacecrafts

Maybe the antenna's
It is possible that the issue is with the spacecraft's antenna

What's that flare? A green flare, coming from Mars
The team is observing a green flare on Mars

Kind of a green mist behind it
There is a green mist behind the flare

It's getting closer, you see it, Bermuda?
The green flare is approaching Bermuda and the team is asking if they can observe it

Come in, Bermuda, Houston, come in, what's going on?
The team is trying to establish communication with their colleagues in Bermuda and Houston to figure out what is happening

Tracking station 43, Canberra, come in, Canberra
The team is attempting to communicate with tracking station 43 in Canberra, Australia

Tracking station 63, can you hear me, Madrid?
The team is trying to establish communication with tracking station 63 in Madrid, Spain

Can anybody hear me? Come in, come in
The team is desperately trying to establish communication with any tracking station or team member

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JEFF WAYNE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Comments from YouTube:

@jeffstone2136

3y↑159

The track everyone skips. Yet it is the most alien and eerie piece of the album.

@TayoEXE

3y↑17

I actually tend to skip the Artillery Man Returns. This song is too good. It makes me feel so... alien, beautiful, terrified, all at the same time. I don't know how though.

@hamishwhitehenderson5197

3y↑10

I skip anything in the album with singing- this is my absolute favourite track. It's almost like something the BBC radiophonic workshop would do.

@Hydro66

3y↑47

I skip absolutely none of the tracks. They’re all amazing.

@HollowHandCollective

3y↑11

Never! This track changed me when I was about eight. I'd never heard anything like it.

@Noobsaibot21

3y↑9

@_ Hydrociraptor _ Good call. At a stretch, the final track (or even the epilogue with modern day NASA) but really, I skip none when I go to listen to the album.

19 More Replies...

@jordythecat7181

2y↑59

I love how this combines the vibes of “the beauty of alien wildlife” and “the horror of an invasive species”

@helannavanbrakel6537

3y↑36

This album, musical, music has always been in my mind ever since I first heard it. Such a masterpiece Such a beautiful voice Richard Burton has. Such perfect sound, words. It's a masterpiece and so it always will be in my mind, ears, and heart.

@TaylorZanderFrancis

3y↑24

As a kid, the first 21 seconds used to freak me out. I have auditory sensitivity, so those low pitched drones used to play hell with my ears as a kid. Especially with that low pitched bell heard only in the original 1978 version

@mutmeista

33w↑3

The root of my inspiration always comes back to this album. It has NO EQUAL.

@lewismurray2505

3y↑107

I remember discovering this album as an 8 year old after my father showed it to me, we had the album on CD and I remember looking in the album booklet at the artwork and I remember stumbling upon this image and it frightened the absolute shit out of me, I thought it was some sort of giant blood splatter at first. Combined with the creepy music needless to say I was absolutely terrified yet intrigued at the same time.

@tomatenshow973

3y↑6

I sadly started with the 2005 war of the worlds and tehn watched the movies and YouTube Videos,fan made and others ,it was and still is a great theme!

@constancekavanagh1125

3y↑4

Ditto 40 years ago when I was a child 🇮🇪🙌😖😁🌬

@totalnia9076

3y↑5

Same, but my album was on tape. There is no cd players at the time.

@Buran-Class_Orbiter

3y↑6

"terrified and intrigued at the same time" is bassicly a description for anything martian in wotw..its alot of its charm..seeing terryifying and very intresting machines and weaponry..same would be if you see a martian society

@Kaz249

I think the red weed is grown out of what is basically human smoothie, isn't it?

4 More Replies...

@r.e.l.lerner64

3y↑13

I discovered this album around 1988. I loved the Moody Blues, and it may have been Forever Autumn🍁🍂 that drew me in, because Justin Hayward sings it. I share my music with those closest to me. Haven't played it for my wife yet. She'll love it.

@Om5g1

Play it to your wife if you haven't

@andyknight1

46w↑4

This has to be my favorite track. Beautiful, yet haunting.

@screamingbaboon664

4y↑27

Doom in its entirety. And the sound effect from Alien when the organism approaches

@Buran-Class_Orbiter

3y↑9

i love how eerie it feels....and the hopelessnes sometimes..as it seems like humanity has forever fallen to the martians as the red weed overtakes our green lushes world of beauty

@sirandrelefaedelinoge

1y↑3

Summer of 1980 - long dark nights in the Scottish Highlands - at eleven years old, this album gave me the creeps. I've never forgotten it.

@jamiewilson1834

3y↑15

Went to the immersive experience and this was played in loop during the interval. It's really fitting for the short break, but you got to feel sorry for the bar staff who hear this on loop all day.

Imagine trying to get to sleep of an evening whilst hearing this looping in your head.

@luclefeber7426

1y↑3

Prachtige tekeningen .. Vroeger had ik het op een casettenbandje staan nog wel gekopieerd ik heb dat rot gedraaid..x aantal jaren heb ik het op cd gekocht en heb er al uren nog eens uren naar geluisterd ik word het nooit beu. En nu ik dit beluister hoor ik altijd iets nieuws en echt meesterwerk. Het spreekt meer en meer tot de verbeelding.

@janruudschutrups9382

1y↑3

The first part of the song has a very melancholy feel to it, especially around 1:30. Hauntingly beautiful piece.

@KillerKevinSupremo

3y↑14

Is Funny How The Musical Appears On Youtube This 2020 (42 Years Later)

@JohnDoe-ne4kg

3y↑2

It's been on Youtube for years ...

@KillerKevinSupremo

3y↑1

@John Doe oh

@finneganspace5263

3y↑1

TIOO K DEJA DE ESCRIBIR EN INGLEEES VERGA

@KillerKevinSupremo

3y↑1

No B)

@_x____

@John Doe no

@greggregson9687

3y↑7

I remember rarely hearing this one when my mother used to put the albums on. She used to always skip ahead, indeed, she used to listen to the first side quite often, but hardly put the second on. Once I listened to it however, it actually does conjure up a freaky atmosphere pretty well.

@dayday8421

3y↑10

A masterful discordant harmony of horror. I genuinely feel this is the most expertly crafted piece on the album, yet most skip it.

@T-Jex

3y↑10

There is no geneva convention in space.

@Shep-1701

3y↑11

The main melody really reminds me of The Dark Crystal's main theme, with a bit of Journey of the Sorcerer in there too

@275simon

3y↑8

I wish my cauliflowers would grow like the red weed 😊

@vicentehizon6202

3y↑3

Fast?

@thearmoredgeorgian2736

3y↑1

You want to terra form the earth with cauliflower?

@oliverdacheeto9009

1y↑1

@The Armored Georgian YES! then we'd have cauliflower for everyone!

@lorennelson2950

3y↑9

This is so bizarre sounding and damn do I love it.

@someidiotontheinternet9000

20w↑1

It is sad mostly everyone skips this part of the album. It sounds eerie but at some parts it also sounds beautiful at the same time.

@TheAlienFan

4y↑70

Personally, I prefer my weed to be green

@mrholmes3776

3y↑8

Have you seen scary movie four were a guy smoked the red weed?

@dickterpene8697

3y↑1

Rosy glow strain from Ideal (2005)

@brink2961

Lol

@theworldwar1scottishhistor189

What do you mean green weed my weed is always red

@krishnan-resurrection714

2y↑3

This album is british ...not Afrikkaan . . . . .😁

1 More Replies...

@690_5

2y↑4

It's all I can think of when I hear the story of Lytton, BC. Town of 250 people records the highest temperature in Canada at 49.6C (121.3F) and the next day, the whole town disappears.

@LusciousTwinkle

2y↑1

How did it disappear? When was this?

@690_5

36w↑1

@@LusciousTwinkle It burned. The whole town burnt down, leaving nothing but concrete foundations.

@SeanKojin

3y↑7

Not sure why but when I listened to this as a kid it made me feel extremely nauseous, it didn't help that I was looking at this picture in the original booklet at the same time

@thevikingwarrior

1y↑1

I don't why it is that I associate the color red with my personality and who I am! It is definitely my color!

@KraalThal

39w↑2

After studying and marvelling over these pictures for years, I'm only discovering new details from these comments: a silhouette of a fighting Machine standing over the house in the north west corner and a Martian in one of the windows of the middle left house.

It took me ten years to find out there's also a dead body, subliminally hidden. Past the middle right house, you can see a rafter that has fallen to the right. Slumped over it is what looks like a human or it could just be another piece of wood. Cleverly done.

Years back, I think it was on the old Jeff Wayne WotW forum, someone mentioned in Raiders of the Lost Ark during the scenes with Marion and Belloq in the tent, whenever the lightning strikes, it causes that mirror in the background to look like a Fighting Machine. (Look at the thumbnail in the clip supplied by ClipsTime.)

@BasementDweller_

1y↑2

Mmm Red Weed.

@Pomni376

30w

The War of the Worlds” is a science fiction novel written by H.G. Wells, first published in 1897. It tells the story of an alien invasion of Earth by Martians, who use advanced technology to wreak havoc on humanity. The novel has been adapted into various films, radio dramas, and other media over the years, becoming a classic in the science fiction genre.

@darania1

1y↑5

The eeriest part of this track for me is the almost human voices warbling at 2.30 which affected my subconscious enough to hear it in some equally weird dreams I experienced...

@will-pz9ss

1y↑2

It is rather scary I'll give ya that

@darania1

1y↑1

@will-pz9ss More unsettlingly weird than scary...But IMO perfect lucid dream music...

@fmpentertainmentmedley3338

3y↑5

Terrifying!!! I first heard this as a child and it still disturbs me to this day!!! BUT i love it :)

@vicentehizon6202

3y↑34

The art looks great. However, the “red weed” doesn’t even look like a plant. Looks more like blood-red goop that spilled out of a giant basin.

@Felamine

3y↑8

Yeah, I always imagined red weed being something like kudzu, an invasive vine in a lot of countries. It's capable of covering whole houses and can grow a foot a day.

@BentheDalek

3y↑13

@Adamohm I always imagined it looking like this though. nothing earth like. You can see there are some ‘frons’ reaching up the water spout, as well as in the houses.

@strigonshitposting793

2y↑6

I see the art depicting the red weed as more of a look into the Journalist’s mind. Given all that he has been through, I’d find it unsurprising if he is unable to fully comprehend the plant- something no one had ever seen before- and mostly took note of how it blanketed everything it came across.

@RandyBarnstormer

The red weed is what they eat, they grind humans into mush and mix it with alien plant life then spray it all around for it to grow

@axjagfilms

2y↑1

Looks like a fungus

3 More Replies...

@OfLanceTheLonginus

1y↑2

As man had succumbed to the martians

tho our land now succumbed to the red weed..

@RandyBarnstormer

2y↑1

One of my fave tracks

@LucaXtagVtag

4y↑9

I can see a martain on the Northern Western above the house.

@zimbabweanzucchini4253

3y↑4

Either I’m blind or it’s just not there

@strigonshitposting793

3y↑2

I can’t see it lmao

@Peoples_Republic_of_Devonshire

3y↑1

There is no Martian

@LucaXtagVtag

@Wessex Wyvern Thanks!

@Peoples_Republic_of_Devonshire

@Unlucky Owen Jones where?

2 More Replies...

@upsidedownniko4119

3y↑2

The book gave me a whole new opinion towards mars and its red glow.

@nefariousgremlin7554

3y↑10

as dated and somewhat cheesy and just plain weird as this is, the more ambient tracks like this one still feel super disturbing and alien to me, thanks to the weird, warbling synths, the chaotic piano keys and the overall melody. It just makes me feel really uneasy, but at the same time it's beautiful.

@willfomes406

2y↑1

80s movies I heard when listening to this: Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind.
Labyrinth.
Star Wars.

@icefire5799

1y↑2

I was a child when i first looked at the pictures provided by the album not fully understanding/paying attention to everything and skiping forwar in the pictures i though those where melted people.

Also i cant clearly remember there behing an absolutly metal picture of the pastor holding a cross and confronting 3 fighting machines does anyone have a link to that artwork.

@autisticchopper

49w↑2

It's the artwork used in the Spirit of Man video if I remember correctly.

@creepycrespi8180

3y↑1

The Red Weed is so cool.

@siyacer

4y↑6

Ulla!

@brink2961

3y↑2

Oooooo laaaaaa

@SerialDesignationN2024

wow the handiling machines harvest lots of red weed very cool

@ScottishMeetBall

22w

ayo who would win, the disassembly drones or the fighting machines?

@SMJ0fficial

4y↑20

Should i be spooked or relaxed?

@Huntedj20

4y↑8

Both 😂

@doom7ish

4y↑3

Bit of both actually

@Hydro66

3y↑4

Both. That’s the strangest thing about this track.

@mariegriffiths

3y↑1

@_ Hydrociraptor _ I agree. BTW Get well soon Himenez, we are near the relegation zone.

@Hydro66

@Marie Griffiths God I hope he comes back soon. But it’s a shame we’re so shit without him. We can’t be a team that relies on only one good player.

1 More Replies...

@uglymedic7286

15w

i got alien vibes when i heard this for the first time

@millerdiamond708

16w

red weed is strange and alien to look at

@OpabiniaRegalisGaming

43w↑1

This illustration...it scares me.

@thebritishcomanderof

2y↑1

#eve of the war

@JamesAlexanderMusic.

1y↑2

I don’t know what it is but this picture gives me the creeps

@Nikkiijean

3y↑3

Lockdown vibes

@dickterpene8697

3y↑1

Major clanger ft soup dragon.

@thebritishcomanderof

2y↑1

#eveofthewar

@3667woof

Remember thinking that picture of it in booklet didn't look anything like weed lol

@jackdriver9227

2y↑3

For once can doctor who crossover with TWOTW

@JoesAnimationHub

14w

I get what you mean, I get vibes this music IS very "Peter Davison" era who sounding... like a cross between Paddy Kingsland and Roger Limb.

@barneycalhoun4456

Is the white one are the dirt? Or something?

@Huntedj20

4y↑6

10th comment this relaxes me for a weird reas9n.

@jeffstorey5208

Borrowed from the outro in Glass Onion on the Beatles White Album

@Friendlyneighborhoodreaper

22w

This picture gives me cookie clicker flashbacks

@ixchellegriffiths5755

ar journys always but nathanil is the remember

@CitizenLenny

2y↑2

Caelid be like

@TheBfutgreg

Same thing I thought when I was sent to that hellish place by that transporter trap

@axjagfilms

You know when as of 2022 people are listening to BTS and still all you listen to is this

@visceractor3514

3y↑13

tbh this picture is really disturbing

@vicentehizon6202

3y↑1

Doesn’t even look like a plant, it just looks like a truck dumped red slime all over the town.

@hamishreid8791

2y↑3

@Vicente Hizon Anyone had a good look at the front-on left house? If you look at the top row of windows, it looks like a Martian is looking out of the window fourth from the left. Of course it could just be me?

@JamesAlexanderMusic.

@Hamish Reid I definitely see something there, it’s the house on the middle left you’re talking right?

@hamishreid8791

1y↑1

@James Alexander Yes. If you see three dark windows, then the fourth window looks like a face of a martian. Total coincidence of course, but interesting.