Ticket to the Moon

On the superficial level, this is, amazingly enough, about a guy who ends up having to leave his girl behind and go to the moon - a one way ticket, so chances are it's a prison isle type thing a la Australia?

On the actual meaning level, it seems to simply be about a guy who is, due to unfortunate circumstances nevertheless outside of his control, forced to break off contact with the person he loves.

I like that analysis. Simply put, this is one of my favorite ELO songs. I think it's metaphorical for someone who is wistful of how things used to be, but due to change in events he had to leave his love behind. He wishes he didn't have to make that choice but he had already put the things in motion to go. I just love the metaphors in this song.

Overall very depressing.

Whatever it was originally about, I cannot help but see the Tenth Doctor and Rose when I hear this song. There is a video waiting to be made.

I love this song a lot, so melancholy and I like the metaphors in this song. They just keep my brain spinning. So here is my very personal interpretation of the text. Not all could be proven with textsamples from the song, so please forgive me this degree of interpretation-freedom. And please bear in mind, that I'm not a native english-speaker.

A man (could be a woman, but the singer is male) is sitting in the apartment on his packed boxes and muses on his relationship. Previously, his relationship was great, but in recent years it has become too complicated. ("Remember the good old 1980s? When things were so uncomplicated?") It has become so complicated that his girlfriend has decided to finally end the relationship. Probably the two had already started several attempts to save their relation but everything has failed. ("I wish I could go back there again And everything could be the same.")

But his decision is taken and he has everything under way (bags are packed). And now he can not go back. And it was his fault, that she ended their relation. ("I paid the fare, what more can I say? Its just one way (only one way )...")

In particular, the decision to separate was sorely needed in order to make a fresh start. Unfortunately, he still hangs on his "old" love and he is deeply saddened by the loss. ("And the tears I cry might turn into the rain") And he suffers, because he does not know what lies ahead of him ("Fly, fly through a troubled sky"). But he also hopes that his new future is better, brighter. ("Up to a new world shining bright") He still asks himself whether his decision was right. Is there not a way back? A way back to his "old" love, a happy love? ("Wondering sadly if the ways that led me here. Could turn around and I would see you there")

In the depths of his heart he wants to keep his old love ​​and be happy with her. ("But I'd rather see the sunrise in your eyes.")

Oh man, everytime I hear this song I have to cry ;-)

During the early 80s, I was a young teenager (maybe aged 12), and there were quite a few tapes I owned for myself. ELO's Time album was one of them, and I must have listened a hundred times to it, back then. As I'm not a native English speaker, just having started learning English by then, I even copied the lyrics of all songs using my father's type writer, trying to figure out the meaning of all those beatiful songs.

By then, I was (like many boys in this age), quite interested in astrophysics and in science fiction. Therefor, ELOs way to use robot voices (vocoders), or beeping synths was an additional (if not even the original) attraction for me, then.

For this reason, it never came into my mind that the story of this song could be anything else but a science fiction story, set in the future (like its succeeding track "yours truly 2095", which I took for a letter back from the same guy who was going to the moon here).

"Back in the 80s, when things were less complicated" - this is a kind of nostalgy towards today from a future point of view, kind of ironic, I'd say.

I took the song in a direct way, as a farewell song of a moon tourist (or even worker in a colony, like in Heinlein's: Moon is a harsh mistress).

P.S.: It's interesting that death and drugs seem to be read in any song, for instance also in "Boat on the River" (see there). But art is open to individual interpretation, so I am glad having found this forum.

I think this song is about going back on tour. The last time ELO had toured when this song was written was back in 1978, in what looked like a huge spaceship for a stage. With the release of Time, ELO would once again have to return to the road, and Jeff Lynne was never a fan of touring. He was also newly remarried with a baby daughter at the time.

"Ticket to the Moon", I believe, represents an upcoming, unwelcome trip back to the road and the stage.

The words of every song can be interpreted to the personal experiences and interpretations of each individual, that is the wonderful thing about music. I have read all the comments regarding ticket to the moon and. They all fit the meaning of the song. The song was actually written about a person about to die and reflecting on leaving everything and everyone he loved. How do I know? Jeff Lynne told me many years ago

I friggin had to created an account to say u guys are friggin blind if you dont see that "ticket to the moon" is metaphore to drugs and 1980 life was uncomplicated becouse drugs hadnt had big negative effect on him yet and did wonders, but now the man has serious addiction which fucks up his relationship. There is even a line saying that he wishes to have both drugs and his relationship.

But I'd rather see the sunrise, in your eyes.

Wondering sadly if the ways that led me here, Could turn around and I would see you there, Standing there

Though, imo the girls is dead according to lyrics.

And lastly, he knows drugs are killing his life and he still decides to fly to the moon saying:

I paid the fare, what more can I say, It's just one way.

Also suicide is possible metaphore to the ticket to the moon, it could sound even more logical at some parts, but having in mind that songs starts mentioning 1980s which is actualy related with drugs.