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.
It's a god-awful small affair
To the girl with the mousy hair
But her mother is yelling no
And her father 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
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
To the girl with the mousy hair
But her mother is yelling no
And her father 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
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
Lyrics submitted by KaTeSbAdDAY
Life on Mars? Lyrics as written by David Bowie
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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love the original bowie, but really loved anggun with her strong voice.. thank you anggun.
I love how Anggun's voice soars in the chorus. lovely interpretation.
Maybe it's about someone who ahead of her time dreaming away in her mind about fairytale worlds untill it bored her, and is then, faced with the cave mentallity of this world, who only knows drama and violence. I am not sure if the song should be taken too litteraly. Not sure what the "life on Mars means" line means. Silver is feminine, Mars represent masculine. Maybe something about the crashing of the two male/female asbects.shrug.
Also I think it's about mind slavery of the media/news, that originated in America, telling us what to focus on....