Bette Midler – EVERYONE’S GONE TO THE MOON (Live in Texas, 1983)
One person’s meaning of the song
I think it could be a song about SOLDIERS IN WARTIME
“Streets full of people, all alone” can be an army base where the newly arrived soldier knows no one, OR, a street that has many families living on it that have a serviceman, and the families miss their young heroes.
“Roads full of houses, never home” can be the barracks where the soldiers stay, which provide physical shelter but not the emotional kind
“Church full of singing, out of tune” can be a military chapel, and the solider can’t pay attention to the service because he’s thinking how stupid war is, OR it can be the family of a soldier praying in church for the safe return of their boy.
“Everyone’s gone to the moon” The soliders are stationed somewhere so far flung that they might as well be on the moon
“Eyes full of sorrow, never wet” The soldiers want to cry over the tragedy of war and their loneliness for their loved ones, but they don’t dare cry because they were told to “toughen up” and “be men”
“Hands full of money, all in debt” The soldiers earn good money but are paying their debt to Uncle Sam
“Sun coming out in the middle of June” The hope that the war will end soon
“Long time ago
Life had begun
Everyone went to the sun” — time before the war started
“HEARTS full of motors, painted green” — The soldiers being forced to care about nothing but where they’re headed in their tanks and their jeeps
“Mouths full of chocolate-covered cream” The soldiers are cheered up by gifts of candy (boxed chocolate assortments) from loved ones back home
“Arms that can only lift a spoon” Possibly a reference to wounded or disabled soldiers
“Everyone’s gone to the moon
Everyone’s gone to the moon
Everyone’s gone to the moon “
