Released: June 23, 1997
Songwriter: David Bowie
Producer: Erick Benzi
[Verse 1]
It's a godawful small affair
To the girl with the mousy hair
But her mother is yelling "No"
And her father has told her to go
But her friend is nowhere to be seen
Now she walks through her sunken dream
To the seat with the clearest view
And she's hooked to the silver screen
[Pre-Chorus]
But the film is a saddening bore
For she's lived it ten times or more
She could spit in the eyes of fools
As they ask her to focus on
[Chorus]
Sailors fighting in the dancehall
Oh, man, look at those cavemen go
It's the freakiest show
Take a look at the lawman beating up the wrong guy
Oh, man, wonder if he'll ever know
He's in the best selling show
Is there life on Mars?
[Verse 2]
It's on America's tortured brow
That Mickey Mouse has grown up a cow
Now the workers have struck for fame
'Cause Lennon's on sale again
See the mice in their million hordes
From Ibeza to the Norfolk Broads
Rule Britannia is out of bounds
To my mother, my dog and clowns
[Pre-Chorus]
But the film is a saddening bore
'Cause I wrote it ten times or more
It's about to be writ again
As I ask you to focus on
[Chorus]
Sailors fighting in the dancehall
Oh man, look at those cavemen go
It's the freakiest show
Take a look at the lawman beating up the wrong guy
Oh man, wonder if he'll ever know
He's in the best selling show
Is there life on Mars?
Is there life on Mars?
It's a godawful small affair
To the girl with the mousy hair
But her mother is yelling "No"
And her father has told her to go
But her friend is nowhere to be seen
Now she walks through her sunken dream
To the seat with the clearest view
And she's hooked to the silver screen
[Pre-Chorus]
But the film is a saddening bore
For she's lived it ten times or more
She could spit in the eyes of fools
As they ask her to focus on
[Chorus]
Sailors fighting in the dancehall
Oh, man, look at those cavemen go
It's the freakiest show
Take a look at the lawman beating up the wrong guy
Oh, man, wonder if he'll ever know
He's in the best selling show
Is there life on Mars?
[Verse 2]
It's on America's tortured brow
That Mickey Mouse has grown up a cow
Now the workers have struck for fame
'Cause Lennon's on sale again
See the mice in their million hordes
From Ibeza to the Norfolk Broads
Rule Britannia is out of bounds
To my mother, my dog and clowns
[Pre-Chorus]
But the film is a saddening bore
'Cause I wrote it ten times or more
It's about to be writ again
As I ask you to focus on
[Chorus]
Sailors fighting in the dancehall
Oh man, look at those cavemen go
It's the freakiest show
Take a look at the lawman beating up the wrong guy
Oh man, wonder if he'll ever know
He's in the best selling show
Is there life on Mars?
Is there life on Mars?