Interpretations:What Bothers The Spaceman?

• Song
• Lyrics
• Interpretations
• Credits
• Guitar Tab
• Bass Tab
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Spacey Guy

This ode to a wacky 1970s baseball pitcher seems rather oblique, like most TMBG-related stuff. It seems to imply his strangeness ("Far from the crowd"), and lyrics like "Walk past the trees / He used to swing from" possibly compare Lee to a goofy, oddball monkey hanging around a tree. It also alludes to his baseball past: "Wave to the people / Out on the lawn" could refer to the areas of some smaller stadiums where fans can lounge on a grassy area near the outfield. Lee's career ended abruptly in the early 1980s thanks to his antics, so the small stadium and senior circuits are just about all he has left to play. Why we should wonder about what's bothering him is beyond me, though he does appear on radio talk shows where he expresses his thoughts (see here). I can't begin to fathom who "Mr. Ellis" is, though. --MisterMe 13:53, 1 August 2012 (EDT)

Followup - based on the information here, "Mr. Ellis" likely refers to Dock Ellis, another pitcher from the same era who also admitted to using drugs while pitching. --MisterMe (talk) 10:35, 4 March 2016 (EST)