Jagger reportedly wrote the lyrics in Brixton prison following his conviction on drug charges in June 1967. The song was recorded by the band at Olympic Studios during July and September 1967. The working title of the instrumental backing was "Toffee Apple". On the recording, Brian Jones performs a prominent accompaniment on Mellotron that follows Bill Wyman's bass intro -very unusual for rock and roll standards. The song is also one of Wyman's favorite tracks of the Stones' 60s era.
The music video was directed by Peter Whitehead who also worked with Pink Floyd and other "Swinging London" protagonists for the 1967 documentary "Tonight Let's All Make Love in London".
The song's video was finally remastered in 4K and released for the first time as a complete uncut album version on Abkco's Youtube channel on November 18, 2022.
2000 Light Years From Home
The Rolling Stones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We're setting off with soft explosion
Bound for a star with fiery oceans
It's so very lonely, you're a hundred light years from home
Freezing red deserts turn to dark
Energy here in every part
It's so very lonely, you're six hundred light years from home
It's so very lonely, you're a thousand light years from home
It's so very lonely, you're a thousand light years from home
Bell flight fourteen you now can land
Seen you on Aldebaran, safe on the green desert sand
It's so very lonely, you're two thousand light years from home
It's so very lonely, you're two thousand light years from home
The Rolling Stone's "2000 Light Years From Home" is a song about the loneliness and isolation that comes with being far away from home. The lyrics describe the experience of traveling through space, leaving behind the familiar world and venturing into the unknown. The opening lines, "Sun turnin' 'round with graceful motion / We're setting off with soft explosion / Bound for a star with fiery oceans," describe the beauty and wonder of space travel, but also highlight the sense of awe and disorientation that can accompany it. The sense of loneliness is underscored by the repetition of the refrain, "It's so very lonely, you're a thousand light years from home," which emphasizes the vast distance between the traveler and everything they have ever known.
As the song progresses, the imagery becomes more desolate, with references to freezing red deserts and the energy that pulses through them. This shift in tone highlights the challenge of adapting to new environments and the difficulties of finding connection in unfamiliar places. The final verses, which describe the return of an astronaut to Earth, offer a sense of hope and closure. The astronaut is welcomed back to familiar green desert sands, but the sense of isolation remains, as they are still thousands of light years from the rest of humanity.
Overall, "2000 Light Years From Home" is a powerful meditation on the human experience of space travel, one that captures both its awe-inspiring beauty and its profound sense of loneliness and isolation.
Line by Line Meaning
Sun turnin' 'round with graceful motion
As the sun rotates in a beautiful manner, we embark on our journey with a gentle burst of energy.
We're setting off with soft explosion
We begin our expedition with a subtle release of energy.
Bound for a star with fiery oceans
Our destination is a star with vibrant, blazing waters.
It's so very lonely, you're a hundred light years from home
The distance of one hundred light years from home leaves one feeling isolated and alone.
Freezing red deserts turn to dark
As we travel, the icy, crimson deserts transform into darkness.
Energy here in every part
There is a powerful energy present everywhere in this place.
It's so very lonely, you're six hundred light years from home
The vast distance of six hundred light years away from home makes one feel incredibly lonely.
It's so very lonely, you're a thousand light years from home
Being one thousand light years from home is an incredibly isolating and lonely experience.
It's so very lonely, you're a thousand light years from home
Being one thousand light years from home is an incredibly isolating and lonely experience.
Bell flight fourteen you now can land
The aircraft with the call sign 'Bell flight fourteen' has reached its destination and is ready to make a landing.
Seen you on Aldebaran, safe on the green desert sand
We have observed you on the planet Aldebaran, where you are now safely resting on the verdant sands of the desert.
It's so very lonely, you're two thousand light years from home
Being two thousand light years from home is an incredibly isolating and lonely experience.
It's so very lonely, you're two thousand light years from home
Being two thousand light years from home is an incredibly isolating and lonely experience.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Abkco Music Inc.
Written by: Keith Richards, Mick Jagger
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Greg Halder
Totally underrated track and album..
@williamronan4058
A brilliant composition on so many levels. Writing, arrangements, lyrically. And sonically it was "light years" ahead. The textures, sound effects, guitar sound, brilliant use of the mellotron. For that we can thank Brian Jones.
@annoyingbstard9407
Paul McCartney actually. Jones pressed the buttons after Paul sampled the sounds and showed him how to use it.
@one4320
But only after Tiny Tim showed Paul how to sample the sounds.
And I'm pretty sure it was Snoop Dog what showed TT.
@realitychallenged4488
Rolls eyes and jerkss awf
@zcam1969
the stones had so many songs out at that time ,66,68 and this song didnt get the respect
@blib3786
@Annoying B'stard It's literally just a factory mellotron tape bank, wtf are you talking about?
@supersonicnomad8437
Their Satanic Majesty's Request is without question one of the most underrated and misunderstood albums of all time. Truly a legendary top tier masterwork of psychedelic rock 'n roll excess in high level cerebral doses at it's uttermost purest and fitnest form.
S. Nomad
Saturday, 9/12/20, 3:38am
@randallkennedy2066
You must be joking.1 great song.Rest is junk.
@jimmyredd
@Randall Kennedy I don't think someone who signs and dates their YouTube posts has the capacity for joking.