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 Lenin'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 numb, edited by Smxxch, Mellow_Harsher, Waterlord, aljosa95, BowieTheStarman

Life On Mars? Lyrics as written by David Bowie

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

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Life on Mars? song meanings
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  • +5
    General Comment

    In his book "The Complete David Bowie," Nicholas Pegg (p. 126) writes that Bowie described the song in 1971 as " A sensitive girl's reaction to the media." Pegg then writes: "After pausing for thought, he added 25 years later that 'I think she finds herself let down. I think she finds herself disappointed by reality. I think she sees that although she's living in the doldrums of reality, she's being told that there's a far greater life somewhere, and she's bitterly disappointed that she doesn't have access to it...I guess I would feel sorry for her now. I think I had empathy for her at the time.'" This is the comment of Bowie himself. One wonders if the ellipse or missing spot can be recovered, and if he would come on Songmeanings to discuss this with us mice! If we can sparkle, he may land tonight! I am still enchanted today by the possibility that it is Bowie that the girl is going to meet, and in the song he wrote the film. (Come, all mice and Mighty mice, and visit me at mmcdonald77@wordpress.com).

    mmcdonaldon May 06, 2015   Link

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