Life On Mars?
Tino Casal Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

It's a god-awful small affair
To the girl with the mousy hair
But her mummy is yelling, "No!"
And her daddy has told her to go
But her friend is nowhere to be seen
Now she walks through her sunken dream
To the seat with the clearest view
And she's hooked to the silver screen

But the film is a saddening bore
For she's lived it ten times or more
She could spit in the eyes of fools
As they ask her to focus on

Sailors fighting in the dance hall
Oh man!
Look at those cavemen go
It's the freakiest show
Take a look at the Lawman
Beating up the wrong guy
Oh man! Wonder if he'll ever know
He's in the best selling show
Is there life on Mars?

It's on America's tortured brow
That Mickey Mouse has grown up a cow
Now the workers have struck for fame
'Cause Lennon's on sale again
See the mice in their million hordes
From Ibiza to the Norfolk Broads
Rule Britannia is out of bounds
To my mother, my dog, and clowns

But the film is a saddening bore
'Cause I wrote it ten times or more
It's about to be writ again
As I ask you to focus on





Dring-dring-dring

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Tino Casal's "Life on Mars?" depict a god-awful small affair for a girl with mousy hair, who is being forced by her parents to leave. As she walks through her sunken dream, she is hooked to the silver screen, watching a saddening film that she has lived through ten times or more. However, she is still able to spit in the eyes of fools who ask her to focus on the sailors fighting in the dance hall or the freakiest show with cavemen. The Lawman is even beating up the wrong guy, and she wonders if he'll ever know that he's in the best-selling show. This begs the question, is there life on Mars? The song continues to touch on America's tortured brow where Mickey Mouse has grown up a cow. The workers have even struck for fame because Lennon's on sale again. The mice are in their million hordes from Ibiza to the Norfolk Broads. Rule Britannia is out of bounds to the singer's mother, dog, and clowns. The film is still a saddening bore because it has been written ten times or more, and it's about to be written again as the singer asks the listener to focus.


The lyrics to "Life on Mars?" may be interpreted differently by different people. However, the idea of being stuck in a reality or a boring life, in general, seems to come through. The line "And she's hooked to the silver screen" suggests that the girl is using the silver screen as an escape from her reality. The song also raises questions about the things we focus on in life, whether they are worth our time or not. One of the central themes in this song is the idea of perception and the difference between what is and what isn't. The line, "Is there life on Mars?" reflects how people are always curious about what is beyond what they know. Overall, the song seems to be a commentary on society and how it operates on multiple levels.


Line by Line Meaning

It's a god-awful small affair
The situation is terrible and insignificant


To the girl with the mousy hair
The girl has unremarkable, plain hair


But her mummy is yelling, 'No!'
The girl's mother is objecting or disapproving


And her daddy has told her to go
The girl's father has instructed her to leave


But her friend is nowhere to be seen
Her friend is absent and cannot be found


Now she walks through her sunken dream
She is walking through a depressed or defeated state of mind


To the seat with the clearest view
She goes to a place where she can see everything clearly


And she's hooked to the silver screen
She is addicted to watching movies


But the film is a saddening bore
The movie she is watching is depressing and uninteresting


For she's lived it ten times or more
She has seen the movie multiple times


She could spit in the eyes of fools
She is so disillusioned that she could insult foolish people without consequence


As they ask her to focus on
People are asking her to concentrate or pay attention to something


Sailors fighting in the dance hall
There are sailors fighting in the dance hall


Oh man! Look at those cavemen go
Those people dancing are wild and primitive


It's the freakiest show
It's the most bizarre display


Take a look at the Lawman
See the police officer


Beating up the wrong guy
The police officer is attacking the wrong person


Oh man! Wonder if he'll ever know
Questioning whether the police officer will realize his mistake


He's in the best selling show
The police officer's actions are entertaining to people


Is there life on Mars?
Questioning the existence of life on Mars


It's on America's tortured brow
America is going through a difficult time


That Mickey Mouse has grown up a cow
Mickey Mouse, a once-beloved icon, has turned into something unappealing


Now the workers have struck for fame
Workers are going on strike for publicity or recognition


'Cause Lennon's on sale again
Workers are striking because of a commercial selling John Lennon's music


See the mice in their million hordes
There are countless small and insignificant beings


From Ibiza to the Norfolk Broads
These beings can be found everywhere


Rule Britannia is out of bounds
The former British Empire is no longer relevant


To my mother, my dog, and clowns
Even my family, pets, and jokes are excluded from this outdated rule


But the film is a saddening bore
The movie is still depressing and monotonous


'Cause I wrote it ten times or more
The movie is not enjoyable because it has been written and rewritten many times


It's about to be writ again
The movie is about to be rewritten yet again


As I ask you to focus on
The singer encourages the listener to concentrate on the song


Dring-dring-dring
This is an onomatopoeic sound with no specific meaning




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, BMG Rights Management
Written by: David Bowie

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found

More Versions