Gravity

Gravity
Written by Dennis DeYoung
Lead Vocals by Dennis DeYoung

Gravity keeps pulling me down
Gravity keeps pulling me down
Gravity keeps pulling me down
Gravity keeps pulling me down
Gravity keeps pulling me down
Gravity keeps pulling me down
Gravity keeps pulling me down
Gravity keeps pulling me down

I want to go to Houston, I want to fly to the stars
But I may not have the "Right Stuff" to make the trip to Mars
'Cause it's so hard for me to get my weight off the ground
Yes, it's that Gravity--It keeps pulling me down

I want to climb Mount Everest, and find my Shangri-La
Learn the secrets of the Universe from the Wise Man in Nepal
But it's so hard for me--That mountain's so steep
I know my nose will bleed, 'cause Gravity don't sleep
It don't sleep...

I'm floating...I'm floating...above the crowd
No tensions...no pressures...I touch the clouds
I'm flying...I'm flying...in ecstasy
My problems can't find me...Zero Gravity

Gravity keeps pulling me down
That Gravity keeps pulling me down

I want to be a driver at the Monaco Grand Prix
Have the fastest car in Europe, and meet the Royal Family
But it's so dangerous--It's not the speed that I fear
It's just so difficult to get my motor in gear

I want to be a Millionaire, and own a baseball team
Have a private jet for shopping trips, and a chauffeured limousine
And pay no income tax, and be healthy and sound
But it's my Gravity--It keeps holding me down

Interpretation

In the liner notes to Dennis DeYoung: The Ultimate Collection, Dennis says, "Guess you could call this my sardonic look at shortcomings."

Let's break it down:

I want to go to Houston, I want to fly to the stars
But I may not have the "Right Stuff" to make the trip to Mars
'Cause it's so hard for me to get my weight off the ground
Yes, it's that Gravity--It keeps pulling me down

The Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, was where mission control has been located for NASA space missions going back to the days of the race to the moon in the 1960s.  Launches took place at the Kennedy Space Center near Orlando, Florida. There was a movie in 1983 called The Right Stuff, about the test pilots in the Mercury program (1958-1963) who were the first Americans in space.

I want to climb Mount Everest, and find my Shangri-La
Learn the secrets of the Universe from the Wise Man in Nepal
But it's so hard for me--That mountain's so steep
I know my nose will bleed, 'cause Gravity don't sleep
It don't sleep...

Mount Everest is the highest point on Earth, at 29,038 feet (8,849 meters) above sea level. The first recorded ascent to the summit was by Tenzig Norgay and Edmund Hillary in 1953.  By 1987 there were only 200 recorded ascents, although since then the number has climbed to the thousands (along with over 300 deaths). Everest is located in the Himalayas along the border between  Tibet (China) and Nepal. On the other side of Tibet are the Kunlun Mountains, where the fictional Shangri-La was placed in the 1933 novel Lost Horizon, by James Hilton. Since then, Shangri-La has become associated with paradise.

I'm floating...I'm floating...above the crowd
No tensions...no pressures...I touch the clouds
I'm flying...I'm flying...in ecstasy
My problems can't find me...Zero Gravity

Who doesn't dream of being able to fly, which has led to the invention of hang gliders, balloons, and airplanes. Flying, when done purely for enjoyment, can be relaxing and can at least temporarily help a person to forget all the stress and worries in life.

I want to be a driver at the Monaco Grand Prix
Have the fastest car in Europe, and meet the Royal Family
But it's so dangerous--It's not the speed that I fear
It's just so difficult to get my motor in gear

The Monaco Grand Prix is a prestigious Formula One car race that has run annually since 1929.  Monaco is a small principality on the southern cost of France.  It is a sovereign city-state closely allied with France. The race is extremely demanding because of the narrow course, tight turns, and a tunnel.

I want to be a Millionaire, and own a baseball team
Have a private jet for shopping trips, and a chauffeured limousine
And pay no income tax, and be healthy and sound
But it's my Gravity--It keeps holding me down

To be a millionaire is a status long associated with enormous wealth. Given inflation, to be a billionaire would be the modern equivalent of the wealth held by famous millionaires such as John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, Cornelius Vanderbilt, Henry Ford, or Howard Hughes.  Dennis is a millionaire thanks to his success with Styx, but he may not be rich enough to buy his beloved Chicago White Sox or to travel by private jet or limousine just for shopping trip.  Everyone dreams of not having to pay income tax and to be healthy enough to not ever need medical care.