to simpleplan11, i totally agree with you. i never used to think much of asthenia when the album first came out. i mean, i liked it as much as the rest of the album but i never felt anything from it as much as i do now. it can apply to anything. and whenever i listen to it now, it just means so much more to me coz this really inspirational teacher of mine died really suddenly and he really helped me thru school for the year that i knew him. The first and second verses just say it all for me, really. And yeah, even tho its hard for me to think about him, this song makes his death easier to deal with :]
without blink, i dont know where id be and im soooo happy they got back together and ended their hiatus :]

deff if you look at the time this album was wrote theirs nothing happy about it, and its weird kus now tom wont ditch ava like he did blink...?

this song can either mean someone being literally in space, or just isolating himself from others, either way, it's pretty much how he's gone from people because he thought that's what he wanted, like he needed a break, and when he got that break, he realised how much he needs other people.
i recon it's a song that has a good message, yea, i love blink

This is possibly the most under-appreciated song by Blink-182, I love this song so much, I wish the intro wasn't so long though. The effects with the delay are simply amazing! The riff is also one of the catchiest I have ever heard, I dunno, I just wish more people took some time to listen to this one.

I hope I won't forget you!!

i love this.
i especially love the way "so" is stressed in "sick of the boundaries, i miss you so much".

Asthenia (Greek: ασθένεια, lit. lack of strength but also disease) is a medical term denoting a feeling of weakness without actual loss of strength.
but, asthenia defined by NASA is when an astronaut dose not want to return to earth do to manic depression from being alone in space...this is the unofficial definition but one commonly used by NASA.
amazing song.

Everyones looking at the obvious meaning (space) i think its deeper than that and is actually about a broken relationship and he's using Outer Space and like space lingo like houston as kind of a metaphor

btw i think every song on this album has something to do with relationship issues in some way?

Hmm... Seems oddly familiar to AVA's new movie coming out in the Fall called, "I-Empire"

this song is freakin amazing! i love it so much.
blink 182 is like a person to me that i love more than anything. like if i had a boyfriend that didnt like blink i wouldnt be able to have that.haha there song are so great and this song is so good. if someone dont like it they must be some kinda crack user. lol♥

This is easily the best song Blink 182 had ever written.

its about a guy in outer space

wondering if going back to earth will actually make a difference

to a world covered in war

and poverty

he makes no difference

and tbh he looks down on earth and he can see the beauty that the world is

but

there is nothign that he can do

if he went back to earth he cant do anythign to change the world

etc

Love Blink forever

x

I Found This On This Quiz Site Thingy.

"This song is about one thing only, an astronout sitting in a space capsule about the size of a car, floating above the earth. He's contemplating if even coming back or not will make a difference on such a negative place. A song about the loss of hope. A term was coined for the breakdown of life in space and it is called Asthenia." - Tom DeLonge

I love this song. It's one of my favorites, for some reason. Not only is it literal about an astronaut, but just about being lonely. About missing someone. I relate this song to my ex. "Should I go back, should I go back, I feel alone and tired." about going back to an ex because you're lonely and just miss them. Or about missing someone you could've been with "I'm sick of the boundaries, I miss you so much." That's my favorite quote ever, actually. haha. I don't know. This song is sick.

I love this song. It's one of my favorites, for some reason. Not only is it literal about an astronaut, but just about being lonely. About missing someone. I relate this song to my ex. "Should I go back, should I go back, I feel alone and tired." about going back to an ex because you're lonely and just miss them. Or about missing someone you could've been with "I'm sick of the boundaries, I miss you so much." That's my favorite quote ever, actually. haha. I don't know. This song is sick.

this song was originally going to be named "shoulda got caught" but was changed to "Asthenia" which is the breakdown of life in space where you believe you have nothing on the earth worth coming back for. Quote Tom Delonge:

"This song is about one thing only, an astronaut sitting in a space capsule about the size of a car, floating above the earth. He's contemplating if even coming back or not will make a difference on such a negative place. A song about the loss of hope. A term was coined for the breakdown of life in space and it is called Asthenia, the name of the track."

one of the most meaningful songs i have ever heard.

yep, the whole space thing is definitely a metaphor

Despite what Tom says in the liner notes, I think it's definitely open to interpretation nonetheless. My thought was that this is about someone who has been off of drugs for awhile, been in recovery, gotten himself into a stable relationship, etc. and then relapses. He's sitting in a cheap hotel room, high (which is why the "where are you Houston?" space metaphor works), wondering if he can ever go back to being sober again, arguing with himself about whether or not to go back home to the people who he's disappointed.

Hey, Warning sign! Nice thinking and nice writing. I would just add a little comment on the lines you have problems with.

Ever heard for the phrase: HOUSTON, WE HAVE A PROBLEM!? It's like you're an astronaut 300miles above earth and your rocket is about to explode - sure you report your problem, but .. Houston (Space center in Florida) is a bit far away to help you right then, don't you think?

Personally i believe that the line "this time, where are you houston..." is one of best lines ever. Definetly the best way to explain that you're in a deep deep shit, oh pardon me, troubles...

i agree with I heart blink they are the best band ever they have been my favorite band since i have listened to music which is bout 10 years and since they broke up i cant have a favorite band becasue they cant be replaced but this is a good song and it is a bout an astronaut anyways blink 182 is and always will be the best band and they need to get back together tom needs to go back to travis and mark and apologize casue angels and airwaves is not nearly as good as blink 182 and plus 44 is really really good blink 182 favorite band ever and always will be

Ok well... I have to say I dont agree with any of that in space stuff but whatever it is all about how someone interprets it so whatever. I think the song has a way deeper meaning than anyone thinks it does. Here is what the song means to me. When I had read reviews of the cd Blink182 Self-titled, I read alot about the fact that it was a much "Darker" cd than any other they had done and that it was because there was tension between the band because of Tom not including Mark in boxcar racer. So I think this song was more about Tom struggling internally with himself about whether or not Blink182 was where he was supposed to be in that moment of his life. Here is a breakdown of how I interpret the words

Last night it came as a picture
With a good reason, a warning sign.

I think that he is talking about the tension in the band as a wake up call to him as to whether or not this is where he should be in his life and he starts to truly doubt he is where he wants to be.

This place is void of all passion
If you can imagine it's easy if you try

This to me means that the band is losing the drive that they had for the music they were creating because they all seemed to want to take it in different directions.

Believe me I failed this effort
I wrote a reminder this wasn't a vision

To me this can mean that maybe at first he thought that the tension and the passion they had lost would soon pass and they would be back on track but then realized it was something he had to seriously think about.

This time where are you Houston
Is somebody out there will somebody listen

This part is a bit harder for me to understand but I think that he is relating Houston to outer space but more as "God" like the heavens than actual outer space. I think that he may be wondering if god is listening and may help him with his decision.

Should I go back should I go back should I
I feel alone and tired

To me this has a double meaning. He could either be wondering if he should go back to the band but is not sure if he wants to because he is tired of it, or that whether or not he should go back home to his wife and daughter because he feels alone and is getting tired of being with his band. He may feel he is not spending his time how he should, with his family.

Should I go back should I go back should I
I hope I won't forget you

Again, a double meaning. The first thought that came to mind was that he did not want to "forget" about his wife and daughter and not give them the time they needed. and the second meaning is that he does not want to forget the band and lose friendship with them if he did leave.

My head is made up of memories
Most of them useless delusions

He is looking back on the recent memories with the band and realizing that times just arent how they used to be, that they are not longer fun but just seem to fly by him while he keeps struggling to move forward with the band.

This room is bored of rehearsal
And sick of the boundaries
I miss you so much

These are the lines that made me first realize what this song is really about. He is getting tired of what he is doing because he lost all interest in the type of music that he is making. The boundaries part refers to the musical boundaries that he was trying to break through and and create a new more mature sound for Blink182 that would have a greater impact on people, which later became angels and airwaves music. And then of course, he misses his wife and daughter.

This is my interpretation of the Lyrics which I believe are correct, but it is just my opinion. This is also my favorite blink182 song of all time because I think that it really tells the greatest story of any of the bands songs.

this song awsome and about a dude in space missing his love and wanting to go back for her but doesnt want to go back to earth because of how bad the frekin place is he is tore between going back and not wanting to

yes i agree, it is about a man in space (you can tell from the extra sounds from the beginning, even b4 the song starts) debating to whether go back or stay.
A great song.

This song is about a guy in space. He doesn't want to go back, but he doesn't want to stay in space. He doesn't want to go back because he knows that the world is a horrible place. But he wants to go back because his love is on earth. In my opinion this is blink's most mature song ever. I still wish they would get back together though. I miss them.

Asthenia is one of my favourite Blink songs. It also sounds different that a lot of songs by Blink, even on that album. I think they would have made more songs like this had they made another album.

From the first time I heard this song I happened to think about someone that talked about his hometown. It seems like he's missing the town and the people he grew up with. But it also seems more logical about the hole spacething.