Released: January 27, 1982

Songwriter: Ricky Wilson (B-52's) Robert Waldrop

Producer: David Byrne

[Verse 1]
Turn your watch, turn your watch back
About a hundred thousand years
A hundred thousand years
I'll meet you by the third pyramid
I'll meet you by the third pyramid
Ah come on, that's what I want
We'll meet in Mesopotamia, oh oh-oh

[Chorus]
(We're goin' down to meet) I ain't no student
(Feel those vibrations) Of ancient culture
(I know a neat excavation) Before I talk
I should read a book
But there's one thing I do know
There's a lot of ruins in Mesopotamia

[Refrain]
Six or eight thousand years ago
They laid down the law
Six or eight thousand years ago (Ha-ha ha-ha ha-ha)
They laid down the law (Ha-ha ha)

[Verse 2]
I'll meet you by the third pyramid
I'll meet you by the third pyramid
Ah come on, that's what I want, we'll meet
In Mesopotamia, oh oh-oh

[Chorus]
(We're goin' down to meet) Now I ain't no student
(Feel those vibrations) Of ancient culture
(I know a neat excavation) Before I talk
I should read a book (Mesopotamia, that's where I wanna go)
But there's one thing that I do know (Mesopotamia, that's where I wanna go)
There's a lot of ruins in Mesopotamia

[Refrain]
Six or eight thousand years ago (Ha-ha ha-ha ha-ha)
They laid down the law (Ha-ha ha)
Six or eight thousand years ago (Ha-ha ha-ha ha-ha)
They laid down the law (Ha-ha ha)
In Mesopotamia (Ha-ha ha-ha ha-ha ha-ha ha)
They laid down the law (Ha-ha ha-ha ha-ha ha-ha ha)
In Mesopotamia (Ha-ha ha-ha ha-ha ha-ha ha)

The B-52's

The B-52’s, (now stylized as The B-52s) are an internationally successful New Wave band also known for their campy fashion. The group’s original line-up consisted of Fred Schneider, Kate Pierson, Keith Strickland, Cindy Wilson and Ricky Wilson. Originally, all members of the band played multiple instruments. However, after Ricky Wilson’s tragic AIDS-related death in 1985, instead of hiring a full-time replacement, Strickland transitioned to primarily playing guitar, and the band has used various other musicians for recording and touring purposes.

Their self-titled first album The B-52’s was released to critical acclaim in 1979, spawning the Canadian chart-topping hit “Rock Lobster”, which was also successful in Australia, New Zealand, the US and the UK. Rolling Stone magazine later placed the album at #152 on its list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

Their second album, Wild Planet, released in 1980, spawned another minor US hit with “Private Idaho”. Whammy! followed in 1983, giving the band a third minor US hit with “Legal Tender”. Their fourth album, Bouncing Off the Satellites, was recorded and mixed but not yet released when Ricky Wilson died in October 1985. It was nearly a year before the album was released, in September 1986. It is the band’s only album that does not feature a picture of its members on the cover.