A line from the refrain from this song “build a rocket boys” became the title of the album and Garvey discussed in NME, Q, and other interviews that Build a Rocket Boys was in general about reflecting on the past. Garvey said in NME: “One of the main themes of the record is me getting really annoyed when young people are alienated or demonised by the press because they wear their hoods up.”

This song’s narrator is most likely an adult Garvey looking at kids on the corner, and simultaneously reminiscing of his own days and seeing the behavior of a younger generation. He sees both how far he has come and how halcyon, vibrant, and essential the life of a teen is.

The verses move between past and present, as Garvey observes the teens from a distance of age and physical space, and then lapses into his past, vividly and abstracting describing “coming down from the trees”, a angel, and being unable to relate to his home and parents.

The song’s refrain is a piece of advice, not something that teens are normally interested in hearing, but is all that an adult Garvey can contribute to their teenage life as his is already lived.