If you listen carefully, you may have noticed the meaning of the song “3rd Planet” by Modest Mouse is multidimensional. The meaning of the lyrics evolve as the listener moves through the song. Understandably, Isaac Brock and the band have a preference for leaving their songs open to interpretation rather than explicitly explaining their intended meanings. But we’re the Song Detectives… so of course we’re gunna try to break it down for you, b/c that’s what we do.
Song Background
“3rd Planet” is a song by the American rock band Modest Mouse. It serves as the opening track of their third studio album, “The Moon & Antarctica.” (released 2000). We’re not going to hide it. Here at Song Detectives, we love us some Modest Mouse and we’ve written about the history of the band.
It’s easy to miss some of the more revealing lyrics in this song. The vocal stylings of frontman Isaac Brock are so unique, he manages to sneak in words and syllables that are hard to decipher with the naked ear.
What is clear, is that the narrator is struggling with recent events in their life and trying to make sense of these events, the world, and life in general. Throughout the song, we seem to slip back and forth between layers of various metaphors. Overall, the heartbreakingly clever lyrics paint a vivid picture of pain, loss, and a journey towards acceptance.
The Surface of Things
The outer layer speaks to the idea that we earthlings are floating around on the 3rd planet aka Earth. The narrator says the earthlings are convince there’s an “eye in the sky” watching them, “that can’t be stopped”. A clear reference to a god or a higher power.
The 3rd planet is sure that they’re being watched
By an eye in the sky that can’t be stopped when you get to the promise land
You’re gonna shake that eye’s hand
Arriving at “the promised land” and shaking the “eye’s hand” seems like a clear reference to crossing over to the afterlife and meeting the all powerful and watchful eye in the sky.
“The universe is shaped exactly like the earth, if you go straight long enough you’ll end up where you were” is giving us real Inception vibes. Brock seems to suggest that everything is a nesting doll of planets and universes. Each planet contains its own universe and that universe contains more planets, forever and ever amen.
A friendly warning
If you love this song, have listened to it for years, and have managed to blissfully remain on the surface of things, good for you! And if that’s where you’d like to stay, we recommend you stop reading now. Scroll back up, click on that “history” link above and go on with your day.
Ain’t no shame in taking that blue pill every once in a while. It’s music, ya know. Isaac Brock would not judge you at all, he’d probably say “whatever makes your day easier”.
For those seeking the red pill experience of the meaning of this song, keep reading.
See How Deep the 3rd Planet Rabbit Hole Goes
Many fans have theorized that the song’s underlying meaning revolves around the narrators struggle to make sense of the loss of a pregnancy. If you tune into the lyrics, they certainly seem to support this idea.
To take it one step further, it seems that this song is primarily written from the viewpoint of a man who unintentionally caused a pregnancy, and now he’s guilt-tripping at the gates of hell, trying to make sense of the experience.
Here’s the giveaway:
Well, a 3rd had just been made and we were swimming in the water
Didn’t know then, was it a son, was it a daughter
This clearly refers to two people who made a third person and they don’t know “was it a son, was it a daughter” leading us to believe the third person had not been born.
And then this line, which, I gotta be honest — I’ve listened to this song 1,000 times and I never tapped into this lyric:
Baby cum angels, fly around you
Reminding you we used to be three and not just two
The concept of “baby cum angels” alludes to the idea that this was early in the pregnancy, and of course we interpret the “angels” as being representative of something or someone that has passed away. In the song, these angels are flying around as a reminder.
In summary, this lyric is telling us the pregnancy did not make it to full term. They “used to be three and not just two”. The lyrics in the song don’t reveal why the pregnancy was lost.
It goes without saying, these lyrical revelations have a cascading effect on the way you might interpret the song title as well as the rest of the lyrics and the overall meaning of this song (full lyrics are at the end).
Actions, Consequences, Loss and Connection
Knowing what we know about the later verses in the song, it’s helpful to revisit the song from the beginning. We think the opening lines of the song depict a male narrator that feels guilty about what an unexpected pregnancy means for his female counterpart, because (obviously) she has to live with the consequences in (biological and physiological) ways that he won’t have to endure.
Everything that keeps me together is falling apart
I’ve got this thing that I consider my only art of fucking people over
In Summary
As we conclude our exploration into the depths of “3rd Planet” by Modest Mouse, it’s clear that the song carries a profound and multi-layered narrative. The surface level alludes to celestial metaphors and existential ponderings, while a deeper dive exposes a poignant interpretation of the loss of a pregnancy. Throughout the song, we find elements of guilt, regret, and an attempt to understand the consequences of our actions. With the intricate weaving of themes and metaphors, the song stands as a testament to the band’s ability to infuse songs with layered meanings that resonate on multiple levels. This analysis is a reminder that music, much like life, can offer varied interpretations, and that sometimes, the most profound meanings lie beneath the surface, waiting to be discovered.
3rd Planet Full Lyrics
Everything that keeps me together is falling apart
I’ve got this thing that I consider my only art of fucking people over
My boss just quit the job
Says he’s goin out to find blind spots and he’ll do it
The 3rd planet is sure that they’re being watched
By an eye in the sky that can’t be stopped when you get to the promise land
You’re gonna shake that eye’s hand
Your heart felt good
It was drippin’ pitch and made of wood
And your hands and knees
Felt cold and wet on the grass beneath
Well outside naked, shivering, looking blue
From the cold sunlight that’s reflected off the moon
Baby cum angels, fly around you
Reminding you we used to be three and not just two
And that’s how the world began
And that’s how the world will end
Well, a 3rd had just been made and we were swimming in the water
Didn’t know then, was it a son, was it a daughter
And it occurred to me that the animals are swimming
Around in the water in the oceans in our bodies
And another had been found, another ocean on the planet
Given that our blood is just like the Atlantic, and how
Well the universe is shaped exactly like the earth
If you go straight long enough you’ll end up where you were
And the universe is shaped exactly like the earth
If you go straight long enough you’ll end up where you were
The universe is shaped exactly like the earth
Your heart felt good
It was drippin’ pitch and made of wood
And your hands and knees
Felt cold and wet on the grass beneath
Well outside naked, shiverin’ looking blue
From the cold sunlight that’s reflected off the moon
Baby cum angels, fly around you
Reminding you we used to be three and not just two
And that’s how the world began
And that’s how the world will end
Well, a 3rd had just been made and we were swimming in the water
Didn’t know then, was it a son, was it a daughter
And it occurred to me that the animals are swimming
Around in the water in the oceans in our bodies
And another had been found, another ocean on the planet
Given that our blood is just like the Atlantic, and how
Well, the universe is shaped exactly like the earth
If you go straight long enough you’ll end up where you were
And the universe is shaped exactly like the earth
If you go straight long enough you’ll end up where you were
The universe is shaped exactly like the earth
Everything that keeps me together is falling apart
I’ve got this thing that I consider my only art of fucking people over
