Both as a standalone and as part of the DSOTS album, you can take this lyric as read. As a matter of public record, Jourgensen's drug intake was legendary even in the 1980s. By the late 90s, in his own words, he was grappling with massive addiction issues and had lost almost everything: friends, spouse, money and had nearly died more than once. "Dark Side of the Spoon" is a both funny & sad title for an album made by a musical genius who was losing the plot; and this song is a message to his fans & friends saying he knows it. It's painful to listen to so I'm glad the "Keith Richards of industrial metals" wised up and cleaned up. Well done sir.
You are lost, you've been bouncin' off the high roof tops
On a plane to disaster
You will crash, I was thinking about it a you passed my way
You will drop if you cannot turn the engine prop
Then you're really in danger
So I stand, though I'd like to make your landin' safe, okay
Lots of runway, room to spare
Trouble due to pilot error
Approach is good, they've cleared the air
Trouble due to pilot error
You're distressed and are tipping back from right to left
While you look for an answer
Coming down you can see the people on the ground go by
You have doubts, take a miracle to pull you out
You can't go any faster
I can see that you haven't any wings to fly, oh, no
Almost home without a care
Trouble due to pilot error (Trouble due to pilot error), oh oh
Partly cloudy, skies to fair
Trouble due to pilot error (Trouble due to pilot error), oh, yeah
You are lost, you've been bouncin' off the high roof tops
On a plane to disaster
You will crash, I was thinking about it a you passed my way
Lots of runway, room to spare
Trouble due to pilot error (Trouble due to pilot error)
Approach is good, they've cleared the air
Trouble due to pilot error (Trouble due to pilot error), oh oh
Almost home without a care
Trouble due to pilot error (Trouble due to pilot error), oh, yeah
Partly cloudy, skies to fair
Trouble due to pilot error (Trouble due to pilot error)
On a plane to disaster
You will crash, I was thinking about it a you passed my way
You will drop if you cannot turn the engine prop
Then you're really in danger
So I stand, though I'd like to make your landin' safe, okay
Lots of runway, room to spare
Trouble due to pilot error
Approach is good, they've cleared the air
Trouble due to pilot error
You're distressed and are tipping back from right to left
While you look for an answer
Coming down you can see the people on the ground go by
You have doubts, take a miracle to pull you out
You can't go any faster
I can see that you haven't any wings to fly, oh, no
Almost home without a care
Trouble due to pilot error (Trouble due to pilot error), oh oh
Partly cloudy, skies to fair
Trouble due to pilot error (Trouble due to pilot error), oh, yeah
You are lost, you've been bouncin' off the high roof tops
On a plane to disaster
You will crash, I was thinking about it a you passed my way
Lots of runway, room to spare
Trouble due to pilot error (Trouble due to pilot error)
Approach is good, they've cleared the air
Trouble due to pilot error (Trouble due to pilot error), oh oh
Almost home without a care
Trouble due to pilot error (Trouble due to pilot error), oh, yeah
Partly cloudy, skies to fair
Trouble due to pilot error (Trouble due to pilot error)
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings
Pilot Error Lyrics as written by Peter Kingsbery
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Step
Ministry
Ministry
Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
Van Halen
The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.