The Killers: Spaceman Meaning
Song Released: 2008
Spaceman Lyrics
Next thing I knew they ripped me from my bed
And then they took my blood type
It left a strange impression in my head
You know that I was hoping
That I could leave this star crossedworld behind,
But when they...
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1TOP RATED
#1 top rated interpretation:I think it's about a man who tries to kill himself (despite regretting it later), and has a near death experience, which haunts him for the rest of his life.
"It started with a low light" - The first sight of the bright white light people record as seeing when they have near death experiences.
"You know that I was hoping,
That I could leave this star-crossed world behind;" - The man wanted to commit suicide.
"But when they cut me open,
I guess that changed my mind." - The near death experience changed his perception of life and death.
"Have just flown too far from the floor this time" - In many near death experiences, some people claim they have 'out of body' experiences, where they seem to float about above their body.
"’cause they calling me by my name" - People describe voices as calling their names towards a bright light.
"And the zipping white light beams" - The brilliant white light people claim to see when they have near death experience is seen by the person in the song.
"That was the turning point;
That was one lonely night" - People who have near death experiences describe a 'turning point' of sorts, where they think they have a choice whether to continue into the white light, or return to their body (thereby choosing whether to live, or continue in on an afterlife).
"The dream maker’s going make you mad" - The 'dream maker' (God) will make you go insane by making you think so much about this experience.
"The spaceman says, “Everybody look down
Its all in your mind”" - A skeptical person, namely a spaceman, blames the white light on psychological factors, and tells people to look down at the Earth, and see it is just a planet; there is no heaven or hell.
"Well now I’m back at home, and-
I’m looking forward to this life I live;" - After leaving hospital, the person has changed their lifestyle, like many people who claim to have near death experiences.
"You know its gonna haunt me," - The experience was frightening, and he dwells on it for a long time.
"You think you might cross over,
You’re caught between the devil and the deep blue sea;
You better look it over,
Before you make that leap" - A few near death experiences involve a 'river of life', and 'darkness' being heaven and hell respectively, and the person who had the experience was trapped between the two sides, so the person singing is changing his life so he doesn't get stuck in hell.
"but I hear those voices at night sometimes they justify my claim," - He still hears the voices he heard during the experience in his dreams, and they prove that the experience did happen, despite people saying it didn't.
"and the public don’t dwell on my transmission
’cause it wasn’t televised" - The media do not believe him very much, and don't care, so it wasn't reported in the media.
I don't believe in near death experiences having a holy or religious meaning, and I do believe they're psychological, but I ask you to consider this idea.
Thank you! -
2TOP RATED
#2 top rated interpretation:No, no, no.....this song is not about suicide at all, or even death, although I liked the comment about her mom dying, it did make a lot of sense and relate. Anyway, the song to me is about a man and the clashing of his views, both scientific and religious, star maker referring to god, dream maker to his own imagination, and spaceman to scientists and the modern world view.In the beginning he is meshing dreams together, taking his blood type and taking him from his bed referring to a scientific dream, while star crossed world, meaning the universe other than earth, since star crossed is an astrological term, saying the earth is doomed when judgement day comes, since everyone is favoring science over god these days. flown too far from the floor is him saying he had a dream in which both science and religion were both present, but religion was dominant, sipping white lights, associated with angels and heaven, disregarded the bombs and satellites, modern day scientific things. The star maker is telling him having these dreams isn't bad since it means something, while science is telling him to look down from space and see earth, and that he's imagining things, which is making the dream maker, his imagination or mind, go crazy trying to pick a side. He says how he's back at home and the dreams have stopped, even though he remembers wat they said and that he is still stuck between the 2 sides. He says you betetr look it over before you make that leap, saying kno both sides before you choose one. The voices, of angels or god or the religious element, r telling him his dreams were right, but since modern day tv didn't cover his story and made nothing of it, he thinks he is crazy and has noone to turn to, "oh wat a lonely night". The nile line is referring to the power science has in todays world, and that they can discovered even things like a river having a different course in the past. Having viewed both sides, he still hears voices but they r less discreet, and he winds up siding with science to fit in with the rest of the world, "its all in my mind" he is denying god's presence in his dreams and saying science was right about his experiences.
Thats my take at least, I wanted to make it original yet still have it make sense, if you disagreed please post your views on y I am wrong. -
3TOP RATED
#3 top rated interpretation:Well I think that spaceman could be about the killers (or just flowers) sudden introduction to fame.
References to a spaceman are possibly a link between the killers fame and the feeling of leaving the mundane world behind for loftier things.
"it started with a low light
Next thing I knew they ripped me from my bed
And then they took my blood type
That left a strange impression in my head"
This could mean it started with a small amount of recognition, then all of a sudden flowers is being taken from his comfort zone and assesed, weighed and tested by the public. This leaves him feeling confused.
"You know that I was hoping
That I could leave this star crossed world behind
When they cut me open
I guess I changed my mind"
this could mean that flowers was initially eager for fame, leaving his old world behind. But after he was figuratively cut open and examined by the people he was performing for he became hesitant.
“And you know I might
Have just flown too far
From the floor this time
Cause they're calling me by my name”
This could mean that flowers is worried that things are too advanced to slow, and that he can’t go back to his old life. They’re calling me by my name could reference millions of people he has never met calling to him by his name.
And they're zipping white light beams
To street corners, phones and satellites
An obvious reference to the use of the media in his rise to fame.
The star maker said it ain't so bad
The dream makers going to make you mad
The spaceman says, "everybody look down"
Its all in your mind
Star maker could refer to a corporate type who manages famous people. He is reassuring despite flowers distress.
The dream maker is similar to the star maker, but when the dreams don’t reach fruition, he leaves you frustrated.
I think the spaceman is flowers, feeling insecure in his lonely but lofty position. By telling us to look down he is saying be happy with our place in the world, and his position is not always one to be aspired for. Its all in your mind basically means that all that perceived grandeur is false.
Well now I'm back at home
And looking forward to this life I live
You know it's going to haunt me
So hesitation to this life I give
This simply means he is unsure if he can continue living his old life, because the fame may haunt him
You think you might cross over
You're caught between the devil and the deep blue sea
You better look it over
Before you make that leap
A clear warning: even if you're in a bad position, and you’re trying to become famous, you had better be sure before you take the plunge.
And you know I'm fine
But I hear those voices at night
Sometimes that justify my claim
And the public don't dwell on my transmission
Cause it wasn't televised
He is ok with it all, but is still plagued with the old worries. And people didn’t hear about any of flower’s distress because it wasn’t made public
I know that there are probably massive holes in my logic and line of reasoning and I am open to suggestion or even correction, but this is how I interpret spaceman =) -
This is for the warfighters, an opening of my heart I hope will help.
I love how a good song can mean just about anything to anyone, how sure it makes you feel it was written just for you. Personally, the logic side of me thinks it's about an astronaut, literally a Space Man, but what do any of us really know.
My interpretation is equally as personal and unlikely, and yet it's too literal to not be right.
I served active duty with the US Army for years, did 3 tours worth of combat deployments, joined soon after the war started, so I knew what I was getting into, or at least I thought I did...
It really did start with a low light, that of the drill sergeant's pen light as they made their way to the bay room lightswitches where we recruits slept, after which they literally ripped us from our beds to bring us to the clinic that drew our blood to type it, where they'd smear a drop onto an index card that could be used to ID us in the non-zero chance event that we get blown to unrecognizable bits. They didn't need to say that's why they needed to archive our DNA, it was hard not to let the reality of what could easily happen sink in, and yes, coming to terms with the cold hard logistics of preparing for your gruesome death, does in fact leave a strange impression in your head.
Ideology amd patriotism aside, I never met another soldier that didn't at least in small part hope to leave their former lives behind. We'd be fools not to, fools to not realize that active duty service means such a complete overhaul of your life that you've no choice but to leave the star crossed world you knew behind.
Many of us also hoped for great things (being all that we can be in the US Army), to rise above, for me, in a literal sense as a flight medic, but I also thought the uniformity of our appearance would allow for some anonymity, at least that's what I thought till they started calling me by name (or "highspeed" as they do when your nametag isn't plainly visible), telling me to do extraordinary and frightful stuff I'd just as soon have pretended not to hear, except I flew too far
at that point, following direction was the best way to survive.
Then there was our night fire exercises, where they literally zipped white light beams (and shot over our heads and blasted fight scenes from saving private Ryan over loudspeakers while they blew smoke grenades and any other scary distractions) to get us used to disregarding the literal bombs and satellites we needed to low crawl through to make it "safely" to the other side. I was surrounded by other recruits and cadre, yet that night was the most alone I'd felt to that point, crawling through mud, under barbed wire, unable to see anything through the darkness or focus past the flashing explosions of lights from muzzles and flickering search lights and occasional flares that blinded our ability to see at night (close your dominant eye they said, as if you could ever know when). Surrounded by other recruits but unable to make anything out except the next patch of dirt your face is buried in right in front of you, unable to even crawl in a straight line. Never by yourself, yet so alone; a true turning point in my life. Oh what a lonely night indeed.
Out of order in the song, but that low crawl got me stuck with enough splinters that I got an infection, compartment syndrome, they literally cut me open to relieve pressure. I "guess" I changed my mind at that point, but I already signed the contract, so I guess, but didn't matter what my guesses were anymore, the die was cast.
That was my entry into service. Then there was my return from combat, my ETS from service, going home...
Coming home, I really was looking forward to the life I'd live, though I couldn't deny war would haunt me, bring some hesitation to this life I'd give.
My nephew expressed interest in the navy, thinking he'd cross over to the deep blue sea, I told him to look it over before making that leap, that there was a devil between him and his dream.
And you know, I'm fine, mostly, but I do hear those voices at night sometimes, more often lately as we deserted the very people I fought alongside to free them of the Taliban, and they justify my claims, but the public don't dwell on my transmission, 'cause it wasn't televised, though movies were made, newscasters showed footage, but none truly can capture our experience, the raw emotion of constant failure no matter the win, the realization that it was all for so little, but, it was the next turning point, seeing just how unaware my fellow citizens are to our plight. Yet again, I'm surrounded by my supportive American citizens, yet they know not, they cannot truly be with me...
Oh what a lonely night.
The above experience is largely universal to any active duty war fighter, the chorus may be more just my experience:
My platoon sergeant was one hell of a storm maker, quick to diminish your pain and insist it ain't so bad to bleed green.
My dream maker was a pretty blonde I fell in love with upon redeployment, right when I was most "mad" (in the sense of sanity, true madness)
, and madness did ensue.
The spaceman was my shrink (combat stress psychologist), who urged me to just look down and see my feet are now firmly planted on safe soil, the post traumatic stress was all in my mind... so he says.
I still hear those voices sometimes, they still call me by my name. I hope if you're a combat veteran or love one that is, that you find a better spaceman than I did, we've all had enough lonely nights and it's not all in our minds.
-
The song is about the evils of Hollywood and how they literally steal you’re soul and turn you into a puppet to brain wash the public. ever noticed all the devil images that we see in so many music videos?
#thegreatawakening
#wwg1wga -
This like many other the Killer’s songs is about heartbreak. The star-crossed world references star-crossed lovers. Failed love. A man who failed at love is heartbroken to the point that he attempts suicide. Hence, the whole operating room themed lyrics. He survives the suicide but has an epiphany to not take life for granted. He flew to far from the floor meaning he took things too far. His mindset was not grounded. The star-maker is obviously god. What do all religions tell you when you have problems. That it will get better. God will make it better if you believe. The god-like Buddha tells us not to take our problems too seriously. It ain’t so bad. The dream maker is you. The maladaptive daydreaming and obsessing over this other person. Wishing she was still yours and that you can spend the rest of your life together. These dreams drive people insane because they do not accept reality and are living a lie. They feel as though the world is corrupt or star-crosssed. The spaceman sees the world spinning everyday. You are so small in comparison to the earth that you can’t even be seen. People get their heartbroken, people die, the world keeps spinning. The spaceman says all your problems are in your mind. That’s the truth. Your problems don’t exist in the world just in your mind. Life will go on without you. This is a hatch reality but accepting it will free you. Your failed love is just in your mind and it’s time to let go.
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Think it's about suicide attempt.
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It's about freaking aliens.
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Well then, these have all been very good interpretations of one of my favorite songs. I have a strange one, that I decided to think about whilst listening to it. The man in the song is suffering from the aftereffects of what he calls an alien abduction. They took him from his sleep, took samples, possibly knocked him out (the strange impression). Nobody believes him. He didn't get a news segment. Nothing. The voices are still in his mind, haunting him. He remembers the bright lights and the ship zooming past the satellites in the atmosphere. Nobody believes him because he was driven crazy. The spaceman is a doctor (or a therapist) who tells him it's all in his mind, that none of it was real. I am most likely wrong, but whatever. It's a great song.
-
Well then, these have all been very good interpretations of one of my favorite songs. I have a strange one, that I decided to think about whilst listening to it. The man in the song is suffering from the aftereffects of what he calls an alien abduction. They took him from his sleep, took samples, possibly knocked him out (the strange impression). Nobody believes him. He didn't get a news segment. Nothing. The voices are still in his mind, haunting him. He remembers the bright lights and the ship zooming past the satellites in the atmosphere. Nobody believes him because he was driven crazy. The spaceman is a doctor (or a therapist) who tells him it's all in his mind, that none of it was real. I am most likely wrong, but whatever. It's a great song.
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It is about a suicide attempt.The low light is the paramedic's light dilating his pupils.I've been in a trauma room on several occasions and once very sick as a patient.This is exactly how surreal it feels.They drag you from the bed to stabilize someone in trauma.The trauma room is bright and noisy and the voices are loud but confusing.The memory it leaves you with is vague and strange.I also work in an ER.When I heard this song it brought those memories back the same way.It's ultimately Brandon that has the true interpretation.
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does this song remind anyone else of ender's game? but yeah it could be interpreted as being about the conflict between scientific beliefs and religious beliefs. like, how do you want to see the world? which actually makes it pretty amusing that people are getting into so many arguments over whether it is just about aliens or has a deeper meaning
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I don't know if you watch the music video it look like demons and the devil to me. When it starts there is a two or three face misshapen demon. then he goes up the stairs and there is some sort of mason lodge. Then the people dressed in many colors reminds a lot like astral projection. The skull with two horns the devil. musicians like to put symbols and small skits to interpret there meaning further. ok if don't think so tell me but there is an angel as well with a burning sword.
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Well I think some of you are quite close, and some just oversmoked that joint... But this song is actually about a dwelling soul. It simple! He dies, he's cut open for the biopsy and by then he realizes he's done... So he feels lonely cause nobody would talk to him anymore... Then just follow the idea and you'll see that's it.
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ok I cant promise this song is about Brandon's mom, but based off research it deffently makes more sence then drugs, suicide, or aliens...
Jean Flowers was 64 and had been suffering from brain cancer, which she was diagnosed with in 2008.
Spaceman was released as the second single from the band's third studio album Day & Age on November 4, 2008. -
I think it's about a guy who is insane, and is haunted by something, possibly trying to kill himself earlier in life. He hears voices that are encouraging his thoughts, either his thoughts to commit suicide again. The spaceman is a "spirit" (if you'll call it that" and is whispering to him saying that it's all in his head, but that just makes him more insane because he's hearing voices.
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Stupid, hes telling you right infront of your face.
He is talking about a story that once occurred to him, he was taken by aliens, and shown the reality of the world. He is telling you we are living in a dream world and its time to wake up. listen to him. -
The first part is obviously about aliens, a low light, abducted out of bed, blood samples taken and either or both a microchip is placed into his head or the strange impression in my head is about how this peculiar event left an impression on him.
“It started with a low light
Next thing I knew they ripped me from my bed
And then they took my blood type
It left a strange impression in my head”
Flying too far from the floor is a metaphor for not being “grounded” as a normal person is, because he is open minded
Light beams, bombs and satellites being used with disregard is about our time (we are on the edge of a new age – listening to their music it’s quite clear the killers are well aware of this)
“And that was the turning point
That was one lonely night”
The times we live in now, the lonely night.
The song makers are the entertainment industry, media etc…“it ain’t so bad” they tell us
The dream makers are the religious institutions who will turn you crazy
The spaceman is the scientific community, who say quite simply looking down from space at the earth, a floating gem in silent space that all the problems of earth are just in our minds.
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