The man lay before
me his eyes look off in space
He looked to me older then the hills
His breathing was labored, his vital signs weak
Yet his grip upon my hand gave me a chill
Son I've lived a lifetime, I've no regrets to say
I've done everything that anyone can do
I've seen the rings of Saturn, landed on the moon
Even mined an asteroid a time or two
But for all that's said and done there is one thing I will miss
A feeling I have each and every time
It's the feeling at liftoff leaping towards the sky
As my heart beats loudly as I climb (Chorus)
(CHORUS)
I want to feel the thrusters shake the plates beneath me
As the rocket gains escape velocity
I want to see the solar sails spread towards the sunlight
I want to see the stars in all their majesty
I was born to long line dreamers
Who explored all the earth from sea to sea
When the challenges of space lay before them
There was no question where they ought to be
Granddad saw Neil Armstrong walk upon the moon
And told me tales of space upon his knee
My father flew the shuttle into orbit everyday
And mother helped construct moon colony
I have followed in their footsteps, a spacer's life I led
And have traveled the system far and wide
But no matter where I've been no matter what I've done
It's the feeling of the launch I keep inside (Chorus)
Is there anything I can do? A tear rolled from my eye
He said, No son, just please don't cry for me.
Like I've said before, I know my time has come
Soon I will have found my final peace
I tried to make him comfortable, sat with him all night
As he faded in and out of fitful sleep
At lucid times he'd tell me yarns that would make me laugh
But at other times the tales would make me weep
The sun rose up that morning I sat up with a start
For I had fallen asleep before the dawn
I gazed into the old man's eyes upon that dusty plain
I knew that spacer's heart was finally gone (Chorus)
I buried him that night underneath the stars he loved
An old solar sail would line his grave
His final resting chamber was a coffin made from plate
And the thunder of drum is what I played
I stood there alone underneath that Martian sky
And silently I asked the gods above
That someday I would go peaceful like this man
With the love of space forever in my heart
I turned and walked back towards the camp stars shined in the night
Our ship flew high above the Martian sea
A smile came to me slowly for it was clear to me
That his final words were my legacy
Copyright 2011
Last updated on
May 2, 2011