The group released their first album, Nà Vuccà Dò Lupù, in 1992 (before Pall could play guitar) on Cargo/Headhunter. Their next record, Chief Assassin to the Sinister, came out (also on Cargo/Headhunter) in 1994, with a vinyl version being released by Negative Records. Geffen Records took an interest in them and reissued the album but because of internal strife between the band and the label, 3MP left Geffen and returned to Headhunter. They added Tobias Nathaniel (The Black Heart Procession, The Young Destroyers, A Day Called Zero) on piano/keyboard and released Another Desert, Another Sea in 1997. A self-titled EP was released on Gravity Records the following year.
3MP's early albums were heavily inspired by the cult sci-fi computer game Star Control, as evidenced by album and song titles such as Star Control Out, Chenjesu, The Ur-Quan Destroyer, and Ilwrath.
After an unofficial break-up of sorts following their last album in 1998, Three Mile Pilot have recently reunited, signed to Touch and Go Records, and are actively writing new material for an album to be released in 2009.
Planets
Three Mile Pilot Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
coming through the clowds
burning in the sky
with the sun at my back
(I'm broken inside)
I was so high above
now so far from earth
then headed to the ground
when the wind pulled me down
from the world I was going round.
Cut me down and mess me up
Oh yes, you've done it again
Now I'm standing on the ground
and the world is empty
with no one around
I wanna go back home
(I'm broken inside)
Back to another time
Back to the people and the sounds
Back to the planets in the sky
Back up off the ground
Cut me down and mess me up
Oh yes, you've done it again
(And you're running away)
The lyrics to Three Mile Pilot's song "Planets" describe a person's journey through space, falling from the sky and eventually landing on the ground with a feeling of emptiness and brokenness. The imagery of the planets in the sky acts as a symbol for the sense of wonder and exploration that the person once had, which has now been lost. The repetition of the line "cut me down and mess me up" suggests that the person has been hurt or let down by someone or something, perhaps representing a relationship or experience that has left them feeling lost and disconnected from the world around them.
The use of the phrase "I'm broken inside" further emphasizes the emotional state of the person, who is struggling with inner turmoil and pain. The desire to return to a time when things were better and to escape the emptiness of the present moment is a common theme in the song, as the person longs to go "back to the people and the sounds" and to the planets in the sky where they once felt free and alive.
Overall, the lyrics to "Planets" are poignant and introspective, capturing the feelings of disconnection and longing that many people experience at some point in their lives.
Line by Line Meaning
I was falling down
I was descending rapidly through air or space
coming through the clouds
I was passing through a mass of water vapour in the sky
burning in the sky
I was experiencing intense heat and light in the atmosphere
with the sun at my back
I had the sun positioned directly behind me
(I'm broken inside)
I'm emotionally shattered and in pain
I was so high above
I was at a great altitude in the air or space
now so far from earth
I'm presently located at an extreme distance from the planet's surface
(I'm broken inside)
I'm emotionally shattered and in pain
then headed to the ground
I was subsequently moving downwards towards the earth's surface
when the wind pulled me down
I was subjected to the downward force of the air current
from the world I was going round.
I was being separated from the planet that was orbiting itself
Cut me down and mess me up
You have caused me severe harm and destruction
Oh yes, you've done it again
You have committed this act before
Now I'm standing on the ground
I'm currently positioned on the earth's solid surface
and the world is empty
There are no other living beings or activities around me
with no one around
There is nobody near me
I wanna go back home
I want to return to my place of origin
(I'm broken inside)
I'm emotionally shattered and in pain
Back to another time
I want to return to another period of history
Back to the people and the sounds
I want to reconnect to the individuals and the audible sensations
Back to the planets in the sky
I want to revisit the extraterrestrial bodies in the atmosphere
Back up off the ground
I want to be lifted from the earth's surface once again
And you're running away
You are escaping from the situation
Contributed by Jason O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Chen Wenjia
My favorite song, light melody, awesome lyrics,
Sproket 202
A beautiful song :)
Samsa Lila
I have been waiting for this for years. :)
naman jain
Oh god! Sounds like black heart procession.
ddtCA_MD_ahh
sound a lot like pinback in this song
gt2418
So grateful for your Pinback, 3mp, and SO collections.
sifulowang
Genius - freekin bitchin thanks!