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Destination Moon Lyrics

Don't bother to call this room
There's nobody here who can pick up
Or has stuff they need to talk about
And who won't be now checking out and flying

By rocket to the moon
By airplane to the rocket
By taxi to the airport
By front door to the taxi
By throwing back the blanket hanging down the legs

Thank you for the card with the cartoon nurse
But you see, there's nothing wrong with me
You think, "That's what you think
That's what they all say"
Before I blow you away

By rocket to the moon
By airplane to the rocket
By taxi to the airport
By front door to the taxi
By throwing back the blanket hanging down the legs

Soon, the man who sweeps the room
Brings a secret telegram:
"Commence official interplanetary exploration"

Thank you for the card with the cartoon nurse
But you see, there's nothing wrong with me
You think, "That's what you think
That's what they all say"
Before I blow you away

By rocket to the moon
By airplane to the rocket
By taxi to the airport
By front door to the taxi
By throwing back the blanket hanging down the legs

By rocket to the moon
Crawl to the rocket
By coughing at the airport
By limping to the taxi
By throwing back the blanket hanging down the withered legs
Song Info
Submitted by
weezer182 On Dec 25, 2001
13 Meanings

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Cover art for Destination Moon lyrics by They Might Be Giants

The missing lyrics are "Emancipation Interplanetary Exploration" meaning leaving my body to explore space. The last chorus pretty well seals the meaning.. he is dying and there is nothing he can do about it. He says "there's nothing wrong with me" but everyone else thinks it's horrible that he is dying, he know he is just preparing for his next journey. I've told my wife and best friends that I want this song played at my funeral. :) It's really uplifting in the same way that most TMBG songs are. They sound upbeat, but have (usually) a sad message, but if you stare long enough into the subliminal you can find the happy again. :)

Cover art for Destination Moon lyrics by They Might Be Giants

Smeghead is absolutely right! 100%. This guy, in the song, is dead. Dead.

The very first line! "Dont bother to call this room theres nobody here who can pick up"

That's the hospital room. I think we all agree that it's a hospital, because of the obvious get well card, with the cartoon nurse. And the lines about "There's nothing wrong with me", and the ending... where the words change... "crawl to the rocket by coughing at the airport by limping to the taxi".

So he's in a hospital room. He's in there, right? But... don't bother to call? There's no one there who can pick up? He's already "checked out". And now his soul/spirit/ghost is free to fly wherever. And he's going to the moon. Smeghead said it very well...

"It's really uplifting in the same way that most TMBG songs are. They sound upbeat, but have (usually) a sad message, but if you stare long enough into the subliminal you can find the happy again."

This song is sung by a dead guy. A ghost/spirit. But... a happy dead guy! lol.

Cover art for Destination Moon lyrics by They Might Be Giants

Unfortunately, my tape is no longer playable due to overuse... But I think the missing lyrics are: "Commence initial interplanetary exploration"

Cover art for Destination Moon lyrics by They Might Be Giants

yes, those are indeed the missing lyrics.

Cover art for Destination Moon lyrics by They Might Be Giants

actually...i think it's "official" instead of "initial." i dunno. and also, i'm pretty sure it's "before i blow you away" and not "but for." but i could be wrong.

Cover art for Destination Moon lyrics by They Might Be Giants

is this a loose connection to the tintin comic with the exact same name of "destination moon"? the whole card with the cartoon nurse/ room cleaner with the secret telegram show no parallels to the comic, however the "room" :Dont bother to call this room theres nobody here who can pick up or has stuff they need to talk about and who won't be gone checking out or flying , the room is a hospital room and this totally fits a scene in the comic. a spy shoots at tintins head, only grazing the skull ever so slightly. tintin is placed in a hospital room and he can't "be gone checking out or flying" until his head heals. his trip to the moon is delayed. damn. tmbg and tintin are both very awesome.

Cover art for Destination Moon lyrics by They Might Be Giants

oh i forget to mention that at the end of the destination moon series, the rocket, upon returning, has run out of sufficient oxygen due to various reasons. everybody on the rocket is passes out and has to be brought out on stretchers... this fits the ending verse well, where it turns around telling that the person on the rocket is returning home, but getting bruised and battered on the way back... just like tintin ;)

Cover art for Destination Moon lyrics by They Might Be Giants

The card with the cartoon nurse is obviously a get well card, implying an illness. To me, this song is about a person determined to travel to the moon, taking necessary steps along the way and dealing with people who keep telling him he's crazy or wasting his life. The last part shows that he has continued his attempt throught his life and is on his last legs, but still determined to make it a reality.

Cover art for Destination Moon lyrics by They Might Be Giants

maybe it was so secret he couldn't type it. lol :)

Cover art for Destination Moon lyrics by They Might Be Giants

one cant help but wonder if some of this song was based on discorporate by frank zappa, since they essentially cover the same idea. also another notable zappa crossover is the fact he wrote a song called "Concentration moon" coincedence? probably. but still a remarkable one to say the least.

 
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