Contact

Song Meaning

The lyrics paint a picture of deep time and cosmic arrival, starting with the discovery of ancient fossils that tell a story of migration. This prehistoric narrative is immediately juxtaposed with a modern, almost immediate sense of "contact." The repetition of "Two excavations revealed a prehistoric fossil story about a band" anchors the listener in a vast historical context before the present-day event unfolds. The core tension seems to be between the immense scale of geological time and the suddenness of an encounter, possibly extraterrestrial. The phrase "Interplanetary contact with Earth" is stated plainly, suggesting a momentous event. The narrator's calm commands, "Okay, engine stop" and "I'm going to step off the LEM now," lend a sense of procedural reality to this extraordinary moment, creating a strange blend of the mundane and the miraculous. The lyrics play with the idea of "contact" on multiple levels, from the ancient "band" moving south to the "rapping with the gods" in the future. The destination, "the Los Angeles underground," and the year "1999" ground the cosmic event in a specific, recognizable, and perhaps even slightly gritty, terrestrial setting. This contrast between the infinite scope of space and the very specific, contemporary location of Los Angeles is striking. Ultimately, the effectiveness lies in this juxtaposition of the ancient and the immediate, the cosmic and the urban. The simple, declarative statements about "contact" and Los Angeles being "what's happening" create a sense of awe and inevitability. It's a snapshot of a profound moment, presented with a matter-of-fact tone that makes the extraordinary feel strangely accessible.