Gonna get back to basics
Guess I'll start it up again
I'm fallin' from the ceiling
You're falling from the sky now and then

Maybe you were shot down in pieces
Maybe I slipped in between
But we were gonna be the wildest people they ever hoped to see
Just you and me

So why'd you come home to this sleepless town
It's a lifetime commitment
Recovering the satellites
All anybody really wants to know is...
When you gonna come down

Your mother recognizes all you're desperate displays
And she watches as her babies drift violently away
'Til they see themselves in telescopes
Do you see yourself in me?
We're such crazy babies, little monkey
We're so fucked up, you and me

So why'd you come home to this faithless town
Where we make a lifetime commitment
To recovering the satellites
And all anybody really wants to know is...
When are you gonna come down

She sees shooting stars and comet tails
She's got heaven in her eyes
She says I don't need to be an angel
But I'm nothing if I'm not this high

But we only stay in orbit
For a moment of time
And then you're everybody's satellite
I wish that you were mine

So why'd you come home to this angel town
It's a lifetime decision
Recovering the satellites
Everybody really knows for sure...
That you're gonna come down
That you're gonna come down



Lyrics submitted by 3ssence

Recovering the Satellites Lyrics as written by Ben G Mize Adam Fredric Duritz

Lyrics © IMAGEM U.S. LLC

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Recovering The Satellites song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

18 Comments

sort form View by:
  • 0
    General Comment

    All the comments thus far seem very valid for this song, but I'd like to ascribe a variation as this song mirrors a story anyone who grew up in a small town can relate to.

    Small towns bread two types of ambition... those who can't wait to get the hell out of dodge and do something "better" and those with less lofty ambitions that simply want to make things "better" right where they are at.

    This song just sings a story of a man who grew up in a small town and had his eye on a girl ... a girl with troubles at home... a girl that couldn't wait to get out of there... to leave and find a new life out there...

    And likewise.. this boy had dreams too.. just not quite so lofty... while she reached for the stars... he just reached for the ceiling.

    But just like all small towns... they have a horrible way of recalling you back when things get rough. You find things difficult out there in the world and you retreat to the safety of your small town... and usually your family in that town.

    Families... and mothers especially... have a habit of pulling you back... of bringing you back home. I can't tell you how many times my mom would call me and tell me to come live back home. I was out in orbit... and she wanted to bring me back down to where they were... where the family was.

    When you think about it ... think of how much gossip happens in small towns.. how many times there is a resentment of those who "make it out" of there...

    There is this awful gossip that just says... "they'll be back."

    I think this song just nails that story. It touches me deeply ... as I've gone through those recalls... i've ended back in that small town... hating every minute... feeling like I needed to get back to basics and figure out what they hell to do next with my life.

    To walk downtown and see your friends from high school in the same situation... just makes this song real to me.

    thehiredgunon January 25, 2006   Link

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

Album art
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
In regards to the meaning of this song: 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.” That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
Album art
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
Album art
Son Şansın - Şarkı Sözleri
Hayalperest
This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere. In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
Album art
No Surprises
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Album art
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.