Rocket Man: lyrics?

[Joseph O'Rourke]

One of my favorite songs is Elton John's "Rocket Man (I think it's
going to be a long long time)" (1972). But I've never been able
to figure out a central part of the lyrics, when the song reaches
apogee:

"Rocket Man, burning .... long(?)."

I've listened countless times but cannot fill in the ellipsis above.
Can anyone help? Thanks! :-j

[Owen Rodda]

If I'm not mistaken, it's:

"Rocket Man, burning out his fuse up here alone." ;-)

[Ramone]

On 1 Mar 97 23:48:50 GMT, oro...@grendel.csc.smith.edu (Joseph
O'Rourke) wrote:

>One of my favorite songs is Elton John's "Rocket Man (I think it's
>going to be a long long time)" (1972). But I've never been able
>to figure out a central part of the lyrics, when the song reaches
>apogee:
>
> "Rocket Man, burning .... long(?)."
>
>I've listened countless times but cannot fill in the ellipsis above.
>Can anyone help? Thanks! :-j

Rocket Man (I Think It's Going To Be A Long Long
Time)

Music by Elton John
Lyrics by Bernie Taupin

She packed my bags last night pre-flight
Zero hour nine a.m.
And I'm gonna be high as a kite by then
I miss the earth so much I miss my wife
It's lonely out in space
On such a timeless flight

And I think it's gonna be a long long time
Till touch down brings me round again to find
I'm not the man they think I am at home
Oh no no no I'm a rocket man
Rocket man burning out his fuse up here alone

Mars ain't the kind of place to raise your kids
In fact it's cold as hell
And there's no one there to raise them if you did
And all this science I don't understand
It's just my job five days a week
A rocket man, a rocket man

And I think it's gonna be a long long time...

[Joseph O'Rourke]

In article <3319723e...@netnews2.worldnet.att.net>,

Ramone <Ram...@worldnet.att.net> wrote:
>On 1 Mar 97 23:48:50 GMT, oro...@grendel.csc.smith.edu (Joseph
>O'Rourke) wrote:
>
>>One of my favorite songs is Elton John's "Rocket Man (I think it's
>>going to be a long long time)" (1972). But I've never been able
>>to figure out a central part of the lyrics, when the song reaches
>>apogee:
>>
>> "Rocket Man, burning .... long(?)."
>>
>>I've listened countless times but cannot fill in the ellipsis above.
>>Can anyone help? Thanks! :-j
>

>Rocket man burning out his fuse up here alone

Thanks so much to both Owen and Ramone! Now I can sing along with
abandon! :-j

[Ogslov]

On the Rocket Man lyrics, I always thought the last line here was "And
there's no one there to raise them if you're dead." kinda makes sense. It
sounds like he says "did," but Elton's accent was pretty strong back then.

but I'm just guessing.
cat

[Max Crittenden]

In article <19970302200...@ladder02.news.aol.com>, ogs...@aol.com
(Ogslov) wrote:

> On the Rocket Man lyrics, I always thought the last line here was "And
> there's no one there to raise them if you're dead." kinda makes sense.

No, I have an original copy of Honky Chateau, and the lyrics sheet
reads "... if you did." I take this as an example of Bernie Taupin's
occasionally twisted yet usually effective syntax: "And there's no
one there to raise them if you did [decide to raise them there]."

There's another good example on the same album, in Mona Lisas and
Mad Hatters:

For unless they see the sky
But they can't and that is why
They know not if it's dark outside or light.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Max Crittenden STRIKE SLIP, Merit 25 Menlo Park, California

[zo...@acsu.buffalo.edu]

The part of Rocket Man that you could not figure out is
"Rocket Man, burning on the fuel of everyone"
The lyrics on in the CD jacket of Honkey Chateau.

On 1 Mar 1997, Joseph O'Rourke wrote:

> One of my favorite songs is Elton John's "Rocket Man (I think it's
> going to be a long long time)" (1972). But I've never been able
> to figure out a central part of the lyrics, when the song reaches
> apogee:
>
> "Rocket Man, burning .... long(?)."
>
> I've listened countless times but cannot fill in the ellipsis above.
> Can anyone help? Thanks! :-j
>
>

=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=
"Ambition bites the nails of success..."
-U2

+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
Daniel Zonis
University at Buffalo
zo...@acsu.buffalo.edu

[Pam Von Krosigk]

(zo...@acsu.buffalo.edu) writes:
> The part of Rocket Man that you could not figure out is
> "Rocket Man, burning on the fuel of everyone"
> The lyrics on in the CD jacket of Honkey Chateau.

A local radio station claims the lyrics are "Rocket man,
running out of fuel out here alone", which does make more
sense. Can anyone check the CD and make sure?

Thanks,

Pam V.K.

[Max Crittenden]

zo...@acsu.buffalo.edu) writes:

> "Rocket Man, burning on the fuel of everyone"
> The lyrics on in the CD jacket of Honkey Chateau.

Zoni mou, ti kaneis; Should we infer a smiley here?

Then as...@FreeNet.Carleton.CA (Pam Von Krosigk) wrote:

> A local radio station claims the lyrics are "Rocket man,
> running out of fuel out here alone", which does make more
> sense. Can anyone check the CD and make sure?

I can do better than that, youngsters. Like I said in my
earlier post, I have the original LP. I'll try to remember
to check it, but I'm absolutely positive that (as a couple of
people already wrote) it's "burning out his fuse up here alone."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Max Crittenden Menlo Park, California

[C and J]

Rocket man, turning out the tunes out there alone . . .

[Michele Scheel]

.....This is starting to get really amusing! I'm on the edge of my seat
waiting for whoever has the lyrics "officially" written out that can shed
some light on this mystery! But I gotta say...I'm reading some really
great ideas on the subject....and to think that all these years I just
mumbled that line, not having even a f-ing clue as to what he might have
been saying....

:) Michele (easily amused)

[Kevin Walsh]

<<<< But I've never been able

to figure out a central part of the lyrics, when the song [Rocket Man]
reaches
apogee:>>>

*I've* never understood the first line of the chorus of Crocodile
Rock. Finally, I bought the reissue of "Don't Shoot Me" and it's printed
as:

Well, Crocodile Rock is somethin' shocking

I hear it as:

Cr'yle Rockin' is a sound and shout

Obviously, he had too many syllables for the line, and condensed it
while singing it...