Bird Dream Of The Olympus Mons

General CommentOlympus Mons is the largest mountain on Mars, and the largest mountain in the solar system. The 'rusty morning' also has overtones of Mars, which is made of a lot of ferrous oxide (rust) making it red.

Not that I know what the song is about, however.

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General CommentSeems to me this song could have parallels to 'Motorway to Roswell' ("his tiny ship..."), though not necessarily involving the same character. I imagine a human-piloted spacecraft experiencing engine failure ("speed leaving without warning..."); the pilot crashes, stays the night, and watches the Martian sunrise as his oxygen runs out. He contemplates his life ... "once I had a good fly..."

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General CommentI've heard one of the recordings where he says explicitely it's about a bird dreaming about Olympus Mons. But... kshe95's interpretation is incredible. If this song isn't about that, it SHOULD be.

Also, this is, bar none, my favorite song by the Pixies. It's like my eyes glaze over and I'm in another dimension when I listen to this, absolutely incredible.

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My Interpretationthis tune is just sublime! i reminds me of tannhauser's retreat from the "sad" and " martial" (the rusty morn) of the european middle ages--he falls exhausted into the olympus mon(tallest mount on mars)--to me the venusberg--he follows the setting sun of the love goddess to retire with her and her entourage into her subterranean paradise.

See Aubrey Beardsleys's ":Under the Hill", Wagner"s "Tannhauser" and the references to "Under the Hill" in Nabokov's "Lolita"---somehow I think that Francis, clever boy that he is, is familiar with all of these.

I just feel that the meaning of the lyrics of Pixies song aren't resolvable--they relate to a field of possible meaning and feelings. most interesting rt can't be boiled down.

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General CommentIt about a bird, dreaming of soaring over the mountains of mars.

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General CommentYes... the "official" interpretation of the song is the one which Feinstein stated. On the "Situation Red" bootleg Black Francis says that at the beginning of the song, and I think that the first half of the song, where it says "I need some place to sleep tonight" refers to the bird falling asleep.

Anyway, the interpretation of Kshe95 is simply beautiful and breathtaking. An incredible and romantic way to go off...

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General CommentI think exactly that, albium - this song it's just awesome... I still remember the first time I listened to it... Thought it was actually something like dawn on the Moon, but it was just way too strong... fantastic imagery!... how he screams "sunshine in the rusty morning" and the final "I will fall..."... tear-inducing!

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General CommentThis is absolutely the most underrated song in musical (let alone Pixies) history.

Its meaning is pretty straightforward; it's just imagery. Good imagery set to delightful guitar work and such.

Absolutely beautiful.

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General CommentWow, I remember the first time I heard this song too. It had an epiphany within those 4.01 minutes.

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General CommentIts because he has nowhere else to go in life, and there are no more last resorts on earth, he has to go to mars to stay up there. Its really quite beautiful.

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