Gona Be High-igh-igh As A Kite By Then

I only realised for the first time recently that Elton John's "Rocket Man" was about drug addiction. Or, to be pedantic, a man who has lost everything because of his drug addiction.

I always would’ve considered myself fairly on the ball when it came to metaphors and symbolism, but this one totally escaped me. Honestly, for my entire fucking life (presuming it was on the radio in the delivery room) I’ve seriously thought that that song was about a guy who had a rocket backpack that could make him fly – you know, like Superman or something. It never once crossed my mind that a) the lyrics might be a metaphor for something more relevant, or b) why the fuck would someone write a song about having a rocket backpack?

So there I was, listening to the song, and all of a sudden I started thinking about the lyrics... and here’s exactly how it went (internal monologue in italics):

# “She packed my bags last night pre-flight” #

– doesn’t ‘pack his bags’ mean ‘kicked out’? Why would she kick him out because he wanted to go spinnin around on his backpack thing? Maybe he’s spending too much time fucking around in the park, spitting on seagulls, than at home.

# "And I'm gona be high as a kite by then" #

- wait a minute...? ‘High as a kite’ could be interpreted in two ways!

# “I miss the earth so much I miss my wife
It's lonely out in space
On such a timeless flight” #

– Holy shit! It’s almost 51% likely that this song isn’t about having a rocket backpack!

# “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” #

– Ok, at this point I’m not really thinking about much; rather, I’m singing along to the “I’m a Rocket Man” bit, trying my best to hit the high notes (don't deny it - you know you do it to)…

“Mars ain't the kind of place to raise your kids
In fact it's cold as hell”

– Ah, the anti-drugs message that all former addicts put at the end of songs, books, movies, etc. I’ve yet to see a piece of work by a former drug addict that just said, “kids – get as fucked up as you like, cause it’s cool, and you might be able to write a good song out of it… and if you die, even a shit song will do”