What does Destination: Moon mean?

They Might Be Giants: Destination: Moon Meaning

Tagged: Death | Disease [suggest]
Album cover for Destination: Moon album cover

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...

  1. JonnyAwesome
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    Mar 16th 2009 !⃝

    My interpretation was that there is someone who quite possibly is mad and is staying in a MENTAL hospital. he keeps going over his very simple and straight forward plan to make his voyage to the cheese wheel in the sky, but spends so much time thinking about and reminding himself about his plan time just slips by a lot faster than he had originally planned for.

  2. larikaz
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    Jan 20th 2009 !⃝

    I like the interpretation of dying. But there is also some whimsy in the song, as there is with many TMBG songs. The janitor brings a note to begin interplanetary exploration. So he's in a hospital bed, dying, and probably delirious. He starts to daydream about going to the moon, thinking there's nothing wrong with him. I could believe this is about a secret mission to the moon, except for the last chorus which shows how sick he really is.

  3. tiggstah
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    Apr 23rd 2007 !⃝

    Yeah, like the above but..

    Perhaps the by rocket to the moon thing is a reference to ground control to major tom, the David Bowie song.

    ...or the rocket thing is him dying and "making the trip to heaven."

    Whatever the case the guy's dieing, nothing can be done about it so, there is nothing more for him to do but pass on and he did. don't bother to call, there isn't anyone here who isn't already "checking out".

  4. ben
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    Oct 28th 2005 !⃝

    Despite its cheery sound, this song is sung from the point of view of somebody who has passed away from a long, crippling disease.

    "Thank you for the card... But, you see, there's nothing wrong with me" Thanks for sending the get well card, but I've passed on, so there's no longer anything wrong with me.

    "Don't bother to call this room, there's nobody here who can pick up"

    and

    "Throwing back the blanket hanging down the withered legs." - Legs atrophied from being bed or wheelchair-bound.

    The interplanetary exploration in the bridge may symbolize the singer's excitement over the things he can do that he is no longer confined to his wheelchair and/or body.


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