Spaceman

Harry Nilsson

Bang, bang, shoot 'em up destiny (bang, bang)
Bang, bang, shoot 'em up to the moon (bang, bang)
Bang, bang, shoot 'em up one, two, three (one, two, three, four)
I wanted to be a spaceman, that's what I wanted to be
But now that I am a spaceman
Nobody cares about me

Hey, Mother Earth, won't'cha bring me back down safely to the sea?
Around and around and around and around is all she ever say to me

I wanted to make a good run, I wanted to go to the moon
I knew that it had to be fun
I told 'em to send me real soon
I wanted to be a spaceman, I wanted to be it so bad
But now that I am a spaceman I'd rather be back on the pad

Hey, Mother Earth, won't'cha bring me back down safely to the sea?
Around and around and around and around is just a lot of lunacy (yeah)
(Yeah)

'Round and around and around and around and around (so bring me back down)
'Round and around and around and around and around, safe on the ground

Hey, Mother Earth, better bring me back down safely to the sea
But around and around and around and around is all she ever say to me, yeah

You know I wanted to be a spaceman
That's awhat I wanted to be
But now that I am a spaceman nobody cares about me
Say hey, you Mother Earth, you better bring me back down
I've taken just as much as I can
Around and around and around and around is the problem of a spaceman


Lyrics submitted by oofus

Spaceman Lyrics as written by Harry Nilsson

Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

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Spaceman song meanings
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6 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment
    i love this song...im really in to fairly hard rock/metal.. but Nilsson is a genius and this is his best song.....................fly away and know one will care. LOVE IT
    kill_me_killroyon June 18, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    I have listened to this song SO many times in the past month (along with "Gotta Get Up", and "Down". Nilsson had such a great voice, and a witty sense of humor that played out in his lyrics.
    GinaMarzon August 01, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    I s'pose this could be a metaphor for when you actually get to be with a person you had a huge crush on and finding it to be more than you can handle, or boring, or what have you (A la Sam and Cindy from "Freaks and Geeks"). Or it could just be about wanting to be a spaceman.
    savethemooseson December 03, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    I think the song is about the monotony of floating around the earth at high speeds. No matter the message, It's a catchy, memorable song!
    OpinionHeadon May 15, 2010   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation
    I don't want to be that guy that says every 70s song is about drugs but, for this one I think its about "shooting up" to the moon, taking drugs to get high etc (shoot up heroin etc). Shoot em up to the moon. He wanted to have a good run, heard itd be fun, but he had taken enough and didn't want the drugs anymore.
    Seryllon June 16, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    A space-themed allegory of disillusionment, perhaps.
    KStormon March 01, 2013   Link

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