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Interpretations:See The Constellation

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I think this is just one of those songs that are about a dreamer. Lots of peole look to the sky, it's beautiful. I like how near the end the guy talks about how he switches places and is looking down like he was the constellation. I just think it's one of those beautiful songs that can mean alo of things... one of the reasons that i'm never without my TMBG songs... (jade from New Brunswick)

A very poppy song that sound like the B52s sound of the early 1990s. Apollo 18 was where Flans began to try and write more commercial songs like this. It doesn't really work, even though it should. It still stands Head and shoulders above the appalling Guitar!(Mr Tuck)

Nonononononononononono. ~ magbatz 22:18, 31 August 2008 (UTC)

Sidenote concerning this song: On the album "Bad Hair Day" by "Weird" Al Yankovic, the song "Everything You Know is Wrong" is said to be a TMBG style parody/tribute. But on that same CD, the song "I Remember Larry" seems to have the same basic chords and riffs as "See the Constellation" running through most of it. Coincidence? JoeMcDuck

I believe Flans has said the lyrics to this one are personal. A lot of it seems fairly self-explanatory--he's looking up at the night sky, and comparing himself to a constellation he sees in the sky. He's lonely ("no lady on his arm") and feels empty ("just a guy made of dots and lines"). It's a little unclear as to why he's laying his head on the railroad track, though. Is he trying to kill himself? Listening for oncoming trains? Just trying to get a better view of the sky? -VoVat

The song heard at the end sounds more like the first few notes from the theme song of the bus in EarthBound on the SNES. Is it just me? {Mavhunter}

I hope everyone loves this song enough to not interpret it. It is just a beautiful song about seeing the constellation. Don't look that hard into it; just appreciate it for what it is-- one of the best TMBG songs in creation.

I don't know if this is obvious to non-astronomy buffs or not, but if you're trying to use a telescope within the city limits, it can be difficult to see things in the night sky because there's so much ambient light. That's one interpretation of the lyrics in the second verse ("I was looking up past the city lights / but the city lights got in my way"). - LyleJohnson

This is probably obvious, but the constellation is of orion and how he is so lonley up there being the only human in the sky.

I think it's another break-up song: "Your train is gone, won't be coming back". The empty feelings, loneliness, and suicidal depression seem to stem from that.

This song, like a number of others, features what I call a "comfort" solo -- Linnell's symmetrical accordion riff, which has the effect of soothing the harshness of the song's gloom.

Oops. That comment was meant for Narrow Your Eyes. --Nehushtan 21:14, 31 Mar 2006 (CST)

I dunno how to interpret it, but I know that this lyric

'I found my mind By the railroad track It was looking up I was looking back I was in the sky all dressed in black'

was really inspirational for me somehow. I love this song so much. -Salioshy

Everything on earth was once in a star, but got flung out and cooled and then here we are looking up at those selfsame stars we were born in. I saw a great quote once about how we're stardust or the universe experiencing itself in third person. Though I can't remember the exact quote, that's what came to mind when the line about the mind being down on the ground and the rest of him was dressed up in black specifically to be observed by the mind on the ground.

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