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.
I'm wandering round and round nowhere to go
I'm lonely in London, London is lovely so
I cross the streets without fear
Everybody keeps the way clear
I know, I know no one here to say hello
I know they keep the way clear
I am lonely in London without fear
I'm wandering round and round here nowhere to go
While my eyes
Go looking for flying saucers in the sky
While my eyes
Go looking for flying saucers in the sky
Oh Sunday, Monday, autumn pass by me
And people hurry on so peacefully
A group approaches a policeman
He seems so pleased to please them
It's good at least to live and I agree
He seems so pleased at least
And it's so good to live in peace and
Sunday, Monday, years and I agree
While my eyes
Go looking for flying saucers in the sky
While my eyes
Go looking for flying saucers in the sky
I choose no face to look at
Choose no way
I just happen to be here
And it's okay
Green grass, blue eyes, gray sky, God bless
Silent pain and happiness
I came around to say yes, and I say
Green grass, blue eyes, gray sky, God bless
Silent pain and happiness
I came around to say yes, and I say
But my eyes
Go looking for flying saucers in the sky
Yes my eyes
Go looking for flying saucers in the sky
While my eyes
Go looking for flying saucers in the sky
Oh my eyes
Go looking for flying saucers in the sky
Yes my eyes
Go looking for flying saucers in the sky
While my eyes
Go looking for flying saucers in the sky
Oh my eyes
Go looking for flying saucers in the sky
While my eyes
Go looking for flying saucers in the sky
Yes my eyes
Go looking for flying saucers in the sky
I'm lonely in London, London is lovely so
I cross the streets without fear
Everybody keeps the way clear
I know, I know no one here to say hello
I know they keep the way clear
I am lonely in London without fear
I'm wandering round and round here nowhere to go
While my eyes
Go looking for flying saucers in the sky
While my eyes
Go looking for flying saucers in the sky
Oh Sunday, Monday, autumn pass by me
And people hurry on so peacefully
A group approaches a policeman
He seems so pleased to please them
It's good at least to live and I agree
He seems so pleased at least
And it's so good to live in peace and
Sunday, Monday, years and I agree
While my eyes
Go looking for flying saucers in the sky
While my eyes
Go looking for flying saucers in the sky
I choose no face to look at
Choose no way
I just happen to be here
And it's okay
Green grass, blue eyes, gray sky, God bless
Silent pain and happiness
I came around to say yes, and I say
Green grass, blue eyes, gray sky, God bless
Silent pain and happiness
I came around to say yes, and I say
But my eyes
Go looking for flying saucers in the sky
Yes my eyes
Go looking for flying saucers in the sky
While my eyes
Go looking for flying saucers in the sky
Oh my eyes
Go looking for flying saucers in the sky
Yes my eyes
Go looking for flying saucers in the sky
While my eyes
Go looking for flying saucers in the sky
Oh my eyes
Go looking for flying saucers in the sky
While my eyes
Go looking for flying saucers in the sky
Yes my eyes
Go looking for flying saucers in the sky
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Somebody can tell me why Veloso eyes look for 'flying soucers'? Is that just a image o melancholy for Brazil? Or Veloso think like he's been living in another planet? :) I understand that he's missing his country and like to be in London, but not entirely like to be there. So he wants him country back. London is a place where everything it's ok an good and almost unexpectable like 'hurrying peacefully' but the poet walks the streets like going nowhere and feeling quite alien.
Bingo! He meant everything you just described there. Nice interpretation. A totally different place, different people, different language. It was as if he was living in another planet and wanted to come back home.<br />
This song was written when caetano veloso took exile in England to scape the dictatorship in Brazil, they killed so many people during that period, this is why he says "I walk on the streets without fear". Most of the things he says on the song doesn't make much sense to us, but has a lot of meaning of what he was going thru back then.
I think you're right about most of what you said. It could also be a reference to a song on his previous album called "não identificado" ('Unidentified' in English). Here are some of the lyrics to that song in english:
I'll make a love song To record onto a flying saucer* A song telling her everything I'm still alone, in love To launch into outer space
My passion will shine in the night In the sky of a small town As an unidentified object
*(a play on words. in portuguese flying saucer is 'disco voador' or 'flying disc'. disco can also mean 'record')
So while he's wandering the streets of london he is searching for the feelings and emotions that he left behind floating over the skies of brazil.
I've always understood the flying saucers like he feels he's in another completely different planet. He walks the streets without fear, people are not afraid of the police, they are even nice and helpful. In contrast with the situation in his country and other countries of southamerica where repression, censorship, and fear of being " dissapeared" were the common feel of people.
He's simply tedious. There's nothing else left to do, but search flying saucers, which we all know that don't exist.
The Englishman Ritchie said that this lyrics contain some mistakes in the English language, and that's why he didn't want to record it. I couldn't identify them. Could anyone point them out?