What does Rocketman mean?

Elton John: Rocketman Meaning

Album cover for Rocketman album cover

Song Released: 1972


Rocketman Lyrics

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...

  1. anonymous
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    Dec 18th 2011 !⃝

    I think the song is about addiction...and how lonely it is being an addict..he has replaced his family with his addiction...so he misses his wife.. outer space is no place for kids..meening you shouldn't be raising your children under the influence..

  2. anonymous
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    Sep 21st 2011 !⃝

    Elton told me in a face to face interview that it was about a career choice. He said, "Sadly my career and addiction wer balsting off in equal momentum at the time and bot Bernie and I knew this.... I wanted to scrap the song from the album because it was too personal".... Elton walked away from interview as he was called for the stage.. He glanced back at me as I was stage left behind his piano. He winked and opened with "Rocket Man"

  3. anonymous
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    May 9th 2011 !⃝

    Its about the cultural transition between the 60's and 70's.

  4. anonymous
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    Nov 25th 2009 !⃝

    I think it is about life on the road or on tour. Constantly on the move, never anywhere for any length of time. I think it's a battle of wanting to having some normality in his life, and the sacrifices he has to make for his career. Who he wants to be, and who he pretends to be.

  5. anonymous
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    Jul 29th 2009 !⃝

    I hate how everyone thinks that because Elton is gay that all of his music has homosexual inuendos. Get your facts straight, Elton only wrote the music to this song, not the lyrics. So stop it with your unresearched and completely misconstrued psychological interpretations of something you know nothing about.

  6. anonymous
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    Feb 27th 2009 !⃝

    It's somewhat about drugs. When he goes to space (LSD trip, for example) he gets so high (as referred in the song) that he misses his own wife (he's gay, which means he is so crazy that he misses her.)

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  7. anonymous
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    Nov 8th 2007 !⃝

    This song has nothing to do with being gay. If anything, it may actually be an allegory for how Elton John feels being in the limelight.

  8. anonymous
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    Oct 30th 2007 !⃝

    I think the song is about a gay man dealing with the frustration of living in the closet.

  9. Surfer_Coyote
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    Oct 12th 2007 !⃝

    It is about an astronaut, however I do believe it has some parallels to anyone who is in the limelight. He has desire to lead a normal life with his loved ones, but the fame and glory have alienated him and it will be a long time before the attention fades and he can return home.

  10. anonymous
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    Sep 28th 2007 !⃝

    Not every song has to be about sex or drugs, and posting stuff you don't even believe is annoying. This song is about an astronaut, and about how lonely his job gets.

  11. anonymous
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    Apr 15th 2007 !⃝

    It's about a family man who is secretly gay. Hence the very obvious phallic imagery of the rocket.

  12. anonymous
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    Apr 2nd 2007 !⃝

    It's about an astronaut going off to space...duh

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  13. anonymous
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    Nov 4th 2005 !⃝

    It is about how his career has alienated him from his family and friends.

  14. anonymous
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    Oct 14th 2005 !⃝

    This is about drug addiction. He likens his being stoned to being alone in space.

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