[Verse 1] Well, he started out with a shovel And a hole in the ground Said, "There's gold beneath the prairie If you know where to pound" He hired himself a hundred men Then a hundred men more Built a factory beside the river Built a mansion by the shore He said, "The sky's the limit, boys!" Then he bought himself the sky Put a price upon the heavens And an ad up way up high [Chorus] TO THE MOON! TO THE MOON! Buy your ticket, buy it soon! Put your pennies in the rocket We'll be billionaires by June! TO THE MOON! TO THE MOON! Hear the shareholders all croon! If the whole damn thing comes crashing down We'll call it an opportunity soon! [Verse 2] He built a tower of silver With a golden elevator Said, "The Lord can keep the pearly gates I'm building something greater" He sold the bricks to investors He sold the windows by the pane He sold the view from the penthouse Then he sold the penthouse again He put a little goat upon the logo Had it climbing up a chart Said, "The future belongs to dreamers!" And he charged them for the part [Chorus] TO THE MOON! TO THE MOON! Buy your ticket, buy it soon! Put your pennies in the rocket We'll be billionaires by June! TO THE MOON! TO THE MOON! Hear the shareholders all croon! If the whole damn thing comes crashing down We'll call it an opportunity soon! [Verse 3] Well, the tower got to leaning And the rocket got to shaking The workers asked about the bolts And the boss said, "You're mistaken" There were numbers on the dashboard There were warnings on the screen But the charts were looking bullish And the future looked pristine So he strapped himself aboard it With a flag and bottle of wine Said, "When I get to heaven, boys, I'll own the place by nine" [Verse 4] Well, the rocket lit the heavens Like a dollar sign on fire Climbed above the clouds of witnesses And higher, higher, higher Then the engine made a funny noise The cabin filled with smoke He said, "That's just a market correction!" And laughed at his own joke Then the sky gave back the pieces And the sea received the rest And the men who built the rocket Went to work for someone else [Bridge — spoken, like a traveling storyteller] Now, some say he made it to the moon. Some say he's still up there. Some say the whole thing was a hoax And there never was a rocket. But if you look up on a cloudless night, You might see a little light moving against the stars. That's the old man, still climbing. Still looking for a higher place to stand. Still trying to sell the moon To somebody down below. [Final Chorus] TO THE MOON! TO THE MOON! There's a ghost up there at noon! With a golden helmet on his head And a pocket full of IOUs! TO THE MOON! TO THE MOON! Hear him singing through the gloom! He built a ladder out of other men's backs And it carried him straight to the tomb! [Outro] Well, the moon don't take dollars And the stars don't take requests There's no stock exchange in heaven And no corner office for the blessed But the ghost still climbs that ladder Past the satellites and snow Singing, "Just a little higher, boys! There's nowhere else to go!"
