Major Tom
Nick Valensi Lyrics

Standing there alone the ship is waiting
The ship is still on the ground and waiting for Major Tom to board. He is alone and nobody can join him further into space.

All systems are go, "Are you sure?"
Everyone is ready to commence the launch, but some doubt remains.

Control is not convinced, but the computer
The team on the ground have doubts regarding the launch, but the computer-generated evidence suggests that everything is working as intended.

Has the evidence no need to abort
The evidence suggests that launching the rocket is a good idea, and therefore there is no need for an emergency abort.

The countdown starts
The countdown commences and the rocket is going to launch soon.

Watching in a trance the crew is certain
The crew is focused on their tasks and is confident in their abilities.

Nothing left to chance all is working
The systems are all working properly, and there is no need to worry.

Trying to relax up in the capsule
Major Tom is trying to relax and find some peace before he blasts off into space.

"Send me up a drink," jokes Major Tom
Major Tom is trying to lighten up the mood before launch and is joking about wanting a drink in space.

The count goes on
The countdown continues, getting closer and closer to launch time.

Four, three, two, one
The countdown has begun its final stage.

Earth below us
As the rocket launches, you can see the Earth below them as they leave the planet's atmosphere.

Drifting, falling
As the rocket ascends, it begins to drift and fall towards space.

Floating weightless
As the rocket reaches space, the crew becomes weightless.

Calling, calling home
The crew calls out to their loved ones back home as they venture further into space.

Second stage is cut we're now in orbit
The rocket has now finished its initial ascent and entered into orbit around the Earth.

Stabilizers up, running perfect
The rocket's systems are still functioning properly even after entering orbit.

Starting to collect requested data
The crew begins to collect data as they orbit the Earth.

"What will it affect when all is done?"
Major Tom wonders about the impact of the data they are collecting.

Thinks Major Tom
This line acts as a transition to Major Tom's thoughts before moving back to the actions of the ground team.

Back at ground control there is a problem
The ground team has hit an issue that needs to be addressed.

"Go to rockets full," not responding
The ground team is giving instructions to Major Tom, but he isn't responding.

"Hello Major Tom, are you receiving?
The ground team tries to contact Major Tom again to check what's wrong.

Turn the thrusters on we're standing by"
The ground team urges Major Tom to turn on his thrusters so they can assist him from the ground.

There's no reply
Major Tom is unresponsive, and the ground team can't contact him.

Across the stratosphere a final message
Major Tom sends his final message from space back to Earth.

"Give my wife my love, " then nothing more
Major Tom says goodbye to his loved ones before he loses contact with Earth.

Far beneath the ship the world is mourning
People on Earth are grieving for Major Tom, who they believe has died in space.

They don't realize he's alive
Unknown to people on Earth, Major Tom is still alive up in space.

No one understands, but Major Tom sees
Even though he's up in space, Major Tom knows that people on Earth would not understand his situation.

"Now the light commands this is my home,
Major Tom feels a sense of belonging in space, and he accepts that he will most likely stay there for the rest of his life.

I'm coming home."
Major Tom accepts his fate and is ready to pass on to the next journey.

Earth below us drifting, falling
The final chorus reflects on the emptiness and isolation Major Tom felt while in space.

Floating weightless coming home
Despite drifting through space for all eternity now, Major Tom finds solace in returning back to Earth, even if only in his mind.

Earth below us drifting, falling
The final chorus reflects on the emptiness and isolation Major Tom felt while in space.

Floating weightless coming, coming
Despite being lost in space, Major Tom still has hope of returning back to earth reasonably soon.

Home, home
Major Tom's idea of home has shifted from earth to space in which he never wanted to come back after losing contact.