Secular Solstice Songbook

Am D G Em
Am D G /
Am D G Em
A  / / D7

Some things in life are bad they can really make you mad Other things just make you swear and curse When you've chewing an life's gristle, Don't grumble give a whistle And this'll help things turn out for the best

𝄆 G Em Am D7 𝄇 x4

And always look on the bright side of life Always look on the light side of life If life seems jolly rotten there's something you've forgotten and that's to laugh and smile and dance and sing. When you've feeling in the dumps don't be silly chumps Just purse your lips and whistle - that's the thing And always look on the bright side of life Come on always look on the bright side of life For life is quite absurd and death's the final word you must always face the curtain with a bow Forget about your sin - give the audience a grin Enjoy it - it's your last chance anyhow. So always look on the bright side of death just before you draw your terminal breath Life's a piece of spit when you look at it Life's a laugh and death's a joke it's true You'll see it's all a show - keep'em laughing as you go just remember that the last laugh is on you And always look on the bright side of life Always look on the right side of life And always look on the bright side of life Always look on the right side of life

EmD Em    EmD Em
Em  D     C   B
EmD CB
Em  D     EmD Em

Old king plague is dead - The smallpox plague is dead! No more children dying hard, No more victims living scarred With the marks of the devil's kiss We still may die of other things But we will not die of this! Raise your glasses high For all who will not die, To all the doctors, nurses too, And all the lab technicians who Drove it into the ground - If the human race does nothing else It cut this terror down! Old king plague is dead - The smallpox plague is dead! No more children dying hard, No more victims living scarred With the marks of the devil's kiss; We still may die of other things But we will not die of this! Now scarce the headlines said The ancient foe was dead, Then they spoke of curses new - AIDS and SARS, Ebola too, And COVID rages on; Ten new plagues may take its place But at least this one is gone. Old king plague is dead - The smallpox plague is dead! No more children dying hard, No more victims living scarred With the marks of the devil's kiss; We still may die of other things But we will not die of this! Oh noooooo! We still may die of other things, But we will not die of this!

Am /  Dm /
E  /  Am /
F  G  C  /
F  B7 E /

I can hear tomorrow’s voice reach out and lure me, In the silver dew, it rings out like a bell; And the path that stretches beckoning before me Makes me dizzy like a children’s carousel.

Am Dm E  Am
F  C  G  C
Am Dm E  F
Dm Am E  Am

O beautiful tomorrow, don’t lead me into sorrow, Be kind to me, tomorrow, don’t lead me astray; I’ll chart a course to follow to bring me to tomorrow, To beautiful tomorrow I start to make my way. I can hear tomorrow call me on a journey To a world of wondrous beauty, far away; I can hear it ask me urgently and sternly: For tomorrow’s sake what have I done today? O beautiful tomorrow, don’t lead me into sorrow, Be kind to me, tomorrow, don’t lead me astray; I’ll chart a course to follow to bring me to tomorrow, To beautiful tomorrow I start to make my way. Now I’ll strive to be both kinder and more honest And I’ll never leave a suff’ring friend behind; I will toil each day to live up to my promise; I will blaze a trail if there’s no path to find. O beautiful tomorrow, don’t lead me into sorrow, Be kind to me, tomorrow, don’t lead me astray; I’ll chart a course to follow to bring me to tomorrow; To beautiful tomorrow— I start to make my way.

𝄆 Am / / /   Am / G D  𝄇 x3
Am / / /   Am / G Am

Sun barely rising a-bove the hor-izon Little one, little one, bitter wind blown Flowers are withering, naked bark brittle oh, Little one, little one, bitter wind blown Don't understand why the light would abandon us, Little one, little one, bitter wind blown And I don't know how much more he may demand of us Little one, little one, bitter wind blown

Dm / C /   C  / G /
Dm / C /   C  / A /

Sun, sailing a - way I don't know Where... I don’t know why… Sky, darkening grey, wishing there weren’t so man-y good - byes…

C Bm Am /

little one, little one why… Asking me questions I don't have the answers to Little one, little one, bitter wind blown Watching you shiver, and I dont know what to do Little one, little one, bitter wind blown Maybe if we did the dance said the words just right Little one, little one, bitter wind blown Maybe he'd come back may-be things would be all right Little one, little one, bitter wind blown Sun, sailing a - way I don't know Where... I don’t know why… Sky, darkening grey, wishing there weren’t so man-y good - byes… little one, little one why…

D
A/Db
Bm
G

Countless winter nights ago, A woman shivered in the cold, Cursed the sky and wondered why, The gods invented pain. Aching angry flesh and bone, Bitterly she struck the stones, Until… she saw that spark of Light and flame.

Bm
G
D
A

And though The others cried out heresy, She defied them, proud And set afire history

G
Bm
D       A

Tomorrow can be brighter than today Although the night is cold The stars may seem so very far away

Bm
G
D
A

But courage, hope, and reason burn In every mind, each lesson learned, Shining light to guide our way. Make tomorrow brighter than today!

Bm  G
Bm  A

Oh, oh, Brighter than today. Ages long forgotten now, We built the wheel, and then the plow Tilled the Earth and proved our worth Against the drought and snow. Soon, we had the time to fathom, Mountain peaks and tiny atoms, Beating hearts, electric sparks, And so much more to know. Tomorrow can be brighter than today Although the night is cold The stars may seem so very far away But courage, hope, and reason grow With every passing season so we’ll Drive the darkness far away Make tomorrow brighter than today Oh, Oh, Brighter than today The universe may seem unfair The laws of nature may not care The storms and quakes, our own mistakes, All nearly doused our flame. But all these trials we’ve endured, Moral progress, ailments cured, Against our Herculean task, We’ve risen to proclaim. Tomorrow can be brighter than today Although the night is cold The stars may seem so very far away But courage, hope, and reason bloom Across the world and one day soon Rise up to the stars and say Make tomorrow brighter than today! Oh, oh, Brighter than today.

all on a single G

Chasing patterns in the sky Trace the line from star to star Look around and wonder why Where we going? Who we are? Vernal flower, summer breeze Cricket wings and autumn leaves Fractal patterns, golden mean Whispers of a world unseen. Looking for a signal... hidden in the noise Where we come from, where we going? Where we come from, where we going? Looking for an answer... to give the girls and boys, asking: Where we come from, where we going? Where we come from, where we going? Oh, Where we come from, where we going? Chasing patterns in the sky Feeling lost, alone and small Birds depart and crickets die Frost encroaching, winter falls Track the omens, year by year Fit the pieces, best you can Tell a story they can hear Something we can understand Looking for a signal... hidden in the noise Where we come from, where we going? Where we come from, where we going? Looking for an answer... to give the girls and boys, asking: Where we come from, where we going? Where we come from, where we going? Oh, Where we come from, where we going? Chasing patterns in the sky Seasons turn and stories change Weather vane and satellite Rising tide and hurricane Spiral Arm and Golden Mean Trace the line from star to star Seeking worlds yet unseen Where we going, who we are?

D Bm G Em
A /  G D
D Bm G Em
A /  D /

My name is Francis Tolliver, I come from Liverpool. Two years ago the war was waiting for me after school. To Belgium and to Flanders, to Germany to here I fought for King and country I love dear.

A  / G D
Bm / G A
D Bm G Em
A  / D /

'Twas Christmas in the trenches, where the frost so bitter hung, The frozen fields of France were still, no Christmas song was sung Our families back in England were toasting us that day Their brave and glorious lads so far away. I was lying with my messmate on the cold and rocky ground When across the lines of battle came a most peculiar sound Says I, "Now listen up, me boys!" each soldier strained to hear As one young German voice sang out so clear. "He's singing bloody well, you know!" my partner says to me Soon, one by one, each German voice joined in harmony The cannons rested silent, the gas clouds rolled no more As Christmas brought us respite from the war As soon as they were finished and a reverent pause was spent "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" struck up some lads from Kent The next they sang was "Stille Nacht." "Tis 'Silent Night'," says I And in two tongues one song filled up that sky "There's someone coming toward us!" the front line sentry cried All sights were fixed on one long figure trudging from their side His truce flag, like a Christmas star, shown on that plain so bright As he, bravely, strode unarmed into the night Soon one by one on either side walked into No Man's Land With neither gun nor bayonet we met there hand to hand We shared some secret brandy and we wished each other well And in a flare-lit soccer game we gave 'em hell We traded chocolates, cigarettes, and photographs from home These sons and fathers far away from families of their own Young Sanders played his squeezebox and they had a violin This curious and unlikely band of men Soon daylight stole upon us and France was France once more With sad farewells we each prepared to settle back to war But the question haunted every heart that lived that wonderous night "Whose family have I fixed within my sights?" 'Twas Christmas in the trenches where the frost, so bitter hung The frozen fields of France were warmed as songs of peace were sung For the walls they'd kept between us to exact the work of war Had been crumbled and were gone forevermore My name is Francis Tolliver, in Liverpool I dwell Each Christmas come since World War I, I've learned its lessons well That the ones who call the shots won't be among the dead and lame And on each end of the rifle we're the same

D /    D GA
D /    D GA
D /    D ABm
G GD   G Bm A / /
D /    / /

Raise a song, and so commence Circle, grow and grow. in praise of all Benevolence! Circle, grow and grow. Once a cold and silent night did the loveless stars pervade; yet we here, of star-stuff made, cast a circle of warmer Light! Circle circle grow and grow. So will we bring our families in, Circle, grow and grow. those whom Nature made our kin? Circle, grow and grow. Countless likenesses we find, by our common blood bestowed. What a debt of care is owed; what a blesséd tie that binds! Circle circle, grow and grow. And will we bring our neighbors in, Circle, grow and grow. our expansion to begin? Circle, grow and grow. Bounty of the harvest sun, shelter from all hazards dire, share with each, as each require, doing as you would be done. Circle circle, grow and grow. And will we bring the stranger in, Circle, grow and grow. every state and speech and skin? Circle, grow and grow. Think upon the mystery: how alike is Humankind! Tho' manifold in face and mind, conspecific sisters we! Circle circle, grow and grow. And will we bring the far ones in, Circle, grow and grow. all who distant-born have been? Circle, grow and grow. For the hands you'll never hold, for the names you'll never learn, for all far-off hearts that yearn, let compassion boundless roll! Circle circle, grow and grow. And will we bring all creatures in, Circle, grow and grow. feather, fur, or silicon? Circle, grow and grow. Though their unseen thought beguile — strange the substrate they employ — all who suffer or enjoy are brother soul, in body wild. Circle circle, grow and grow. And will we bring the future in? Circle, grow and grow. All of time is ours to win! Circle, grow and grow. Will our children rise in power? overwhelm the starry deep? Lights unborn, for you we keep will and hope, though dark the hour. Circle circle, grow and grow.

C Am C Am
F G C G
C FG Am F
G E Am /

Now I've heard there was a sacred word That Jala said, and it named the Lord But you don't really know of magic, or us. It goes like this - a tav, a resh A fearsome joy, a fervent wish The Comet King incanting haMephorash

F / Am /
F / C G 
C / Am /

haMephorash haMephorash haMephorash haMephor-or-a-ash Your faith was strong, but you needed proof (Hay hay yud tav mem tav vav kuf) A ship on which another sailed before us She saw his flag on the highest mast She saw a dream that couldn't last The Comet King receiving haMephorash haMephorash haMephorash haMephorash haMephor-or-a-ash You say I took the Name in vain And after that, I lost the Name I gave it back to Him who holds it for us, But echoes sound in every word It doesn't matter what occured You never really lose the haMephorash haMephorash haMephorash haMephorash haMephor-or-a-ash Somebody had to, no one would I tried to do the best I could And now it's done, and now they can't ignore us And even though it all went wrong I'll stand against the whole unsong With nothing on my tongue but haMephorash haMephorash haMephorash haMephorash haMephor-or-a-ash

D A G /    D / A /
D A G /    A / G /

The circle of the world shines bright and holy The seasons tread their spiral path with grace It is not the world's designer but the world itself we honor And the stars shine out across our Lady's face

Bm / A /    G / / /
D  / A /    G / / A

But the world might end -- and the stars might fall Yet Her light will be laughing at the heart of it all She is in each force with strangeness and charm And the holographic universe is enfolded in Her arms

D / A D    G / / A
D G D G    D G A D

Our Lady is non-local; sing we Her praise She is the hidden variable that lights our days With book and with candle With Gödel and Bell With wave and with particle we worship Her well But the world might end -- and the stars might fall Yet Her light will be laughing at the heart of it all She is in each force with strangeness and charm And the holographic universe is enfolded in Her arms Our Lady is uncertain; sing we in prayer We don't know how fast She may be moving or where With koan and theorem With Pauli and Bohr We open Her mysteries and inside we find more But the world might end -- and the stars might fall Yet Her light will be laughing at the heart of it all She is in each force with strangeness and charm And the holographic universe is enfolded in Her arms Our Lady is acausal; work we Her math Her field equations are a bitch and a half With implicate order And synchronous net She weaves riddles so fine we can't unravel them yet But the world might end -- and the stars might fall Yet Her light will be laughing at the heart of it all She is in each force with strangeness and charm And the holographic universe is enfolded in Her arms

𝄆 G / C / 𝄇 x4

Grandma told me stories – about life from way back when Walking uphill both ways through the snow Rugged people trudgin' down the narrow path ahead Going where their daddy said to go

𝄆 C / Em / 𝄇
C / G  /
D / /  /

Way back when... everything seemed simple, baby Some day soon… maybe it'll all make sense again But here and now, got a world to explore, Got some riddles to unravel, baby What'chu waiting for?

𝄆 G  / C   / 𝄇
Em / Gm6 /
G  C /   G
𝄆 G  / C7  / 𝄇

Here and now, here and now…. We got choices all around Here and now, here and now…. We got interest compounding Taking things for granted that’d shatter Newton's mind, What'll we find in tomorrow's here and now? Way back when... everything seemed simple, baby Some day soon… maybe it'll all make sense again But here and now, got a world to explore, Got some riddles to unravel, baby What'chu waiting for? Here and now, here and now…. we got pens instead of swords, Here and now, here and now… turning ploughshares into tract-ors Taking things for granted, superstimulus galore, What's in store for tomorrow's here and now? Way back when... everything seemed simple, baby Some day soon… maybe it'll all make sense again But here and now, got a world to explore, Got some riddles to unravel, baby What'chu waiting for? [Deep voices] [High voices] Here and now, here and now (Here and now, here and now) Here and now, here and now (Here and now, here and now) Here and now, here and now… we got smallpox locked up tight Here and now, here and now... brand new Star Wars out tonight! Here and now, here and now... gotta run and catch my flight But I'll see you in tomorrow's here and now. Here and now, here and now… we got robots driving cars Here and now, here and now… Elon's colonizing mars Here and now, here and now… we got smart philanthropy, With some scientific rigor, and some metanalyses, yeah! Way back when... everything seemed simple, baby Some day soon… maybe it'll all make sense again But here and now, got a world to explore, Got some riddles to unravel... Tell me what you waiting for Tell me what you waiting for Tell me what you waiting for

𝄆 Em / G  /   A / C  / 𝄇
𝄆 Em / Am /   C D Em / 𝄇
C D Em /

The careful textbooks measure (Let all who build beware!) The load, the shock, the pressure material can bear. So, when the buckled girder lets down the grinding span, The blame of loss, or murder, is laid upon the man. / / / Not on the steel - the Man! But, in our daily dealing with stone and steel, we find The Gods have no such feeling of justice toward mankind. To no set gauge they make us, for no laid course prepare In time they overtake us with loads we cannot bear: / / / Too merciless to bear. We only in Creation (How much luckier bridge and rail!) Abide the twin-damnation, to fail and know we fail. Yet we - by which sole token we know we once were Gods Take shame in being broken however great the odds / / / The Burden or the Odds. Oh, veiled and secret Power whose paths we seek in vain, Be with us in our hour of overthrow and pain; That we - by which sure token we know Thy ways are true - In spite of being broken, or because of being broken, May rise and build anew. Stand up and build anew!

G / / / C / G /
G / / / C / G /

so come out. been waiting long enough. you’re done with all the talk talk talk with nothing on the table. it’s time to come on out. no sign from above. you’ll only hear the knock knock knock of your own heart as signal.

Em D C /  Em D C /
Em D C Bm D  / / / G

if you are afraid, come forth. if you are alone, come forth now. everybody here has loved and lost, so level up and love again. begin again. blast the dam on the flow. your body feels the tock tock tock of time as it hammers. lord we are all cinders from a fire long ago, but here it is the knock knock knock of your own heart that matters. if you are afraid, come forth. if you are alone, come forth now. everybody here has seams and scars, so level up and feel again.

𝄆 C D G / 𝄇 x4

and this is all we need. and this is where we start. this is the day we greet. this is the day, no other. call it any name you need. call it any name you feel. call it your 2.0, your rebirth, whatever- if you can feel it all, with your doors flung wide. call it your day no. 1 in the rest of forever. if you are afraid, give more. if you are alive, give more now. everybody here has seams and scars. so level up and live again.

C / F /
C / Em Dm
C / F /
C / G C

Sometimes in our lives We all have pain, we all have sorrow But if we are wise We know that there's always tomorrow Lean on me when you're not strong And I'll be your friend, I'll help you carry on For it won't be long 'Til I'm gonna need somebody to lean on Please, swallow your pride If I have things you need to borrow For no one can fill those of your needs That you won't let show

4x: C / G C

If there is a load You have to bear that you can't carry I'm right up the road, I'll share your load If you just call me You just call on me, brother, when you need a hand We all need somebody to lean on I just might have a problem that you'll understand We all need somebody to lean on We all need somebody to lean on

𝄆 C / G Em
  F G Am / 𝄇

Once upon a time, you could hear the Saturn's roar As it rose upon it's fiery tail to space. And once upon a time, the men that we sent out Landed in a strange and alien place.

Dm Em F /
C Am G /
Am /

And as I watched them walk upon the Moon, I remembered Icarus, who flew too close to the Sun. Once upon a time, they tore the gantries down And the rockets flew no longer to the Moon. And once upon a time, we swore that we'd return, But it doesn't look like we'll be back there soon And as the Moon shines down on the shattered launching ground, I remember Apollo, who flew the chariot of the Sun.

Dm / Am /
G Em Am /

And I wonder of the legends they will tell A thousand years from now.

Am  C   G   Am
C   G   Am  G
Am  C   G   Am
Am  G   Am  Am

Let me teach you to wonder and worry. Permit me to tell you how to wage war. A creature’s reach should exceed its grasp, Or what’s a Heaven for? I’ll show you the way to take thought for tomorrow, To struggle for dreams, and to hunger for more. A creature’s sight should outrun its might, Or what are the heavens for? Taste of the fruit of the tree that is knowledge, Of good and of evil, and all the world’s lore. A creature’s thought must exceed what it’s taught, Or who is Heaven for? So come here and learn to become as the gods are, For I’ve got a wonderful secret to tell: A creature’s reach should exceed its grasp. What else is Heaven or Hell?

G  / CD G
Am / C  D
G  / C  G
Am / D  D

She went down last October in a pouring driving rain. The skipper, he’d been drinking and the Mate, he felt no pain. Too close to Three Mile Rock, and she was dealt her mortal blow, And the Mary Ellen Carter settled low. There were just us five aboard her when she finally was awash. We’d worked like hell to save her, all heedless of the cost. And the groan she gave as she went down, it caused us to proclaim That the Mary Ellen Carter would rise again.

Am D G  /
C  / G  D
G  / CD G
Am D G  /

Rise again, rise again, that her name not be lost To the knowledge of men. Those who loved her best and were with her till the end Will make the Mary Ellen Carter rise again. Well, the owners wrote her off; not a nickel would they spend. “She gave twenty years of service, boys, then met her sorry end. But insurance paid the loss to us, so let her rest below.” Then they laughed at us and said we had to go. But we talked of her all winter, some days around the clock, She’s worth a quarter million, afloat and at the dock. And with every jar that hit the bar, we swore we would remain And make the Mary Ellen Carter rise again. Rise again, rise again, that her name not be lost To the knowledge of men. Those who loved her best and were with her till the end Will make the Mary Ellen Carter rise again. All spring, now, we’ve been with her on a barge lent by a friend. Three dives a day in hard hat suit and twice I’ve had the bends. Thank God it’s only sixty feet and the currents here are slow Or I’d never have the strength to go below. But we’ve patched her rents, stopped her vents, dogged hatch and porthole down. Put cables to her, ‘fore and aft and girded her around. Tomorrow, noon, we hit the air and then take up the strain. And make the Mary Ellen Carter Rise Again. Rise again, rise again, that her name not be lost To the knowledge of men. Those who loved her best and were with her till the end Will make the Mary Ellen Carter rise again. For we couldn’t leave her there, you see, to crumble into scale. She’d saved our lives so many times, living through the gale And the laughing, drunken rats who left her to a sorry grave They won’t be laughing in another day. . . And you, to whom adversity has dealt the final blow With smiling bastards lying to you everywhere you go Turn to, and put out all your strength of arm and heart and brain And like the Mary Ellen Carter, rise again. Rise again, rise again – though your heart it be broken And life about to end No matter what you’ve lost, be it a home, a love, a friend. Like the Mary Ellen Carter, rise again.

𝄆 Am Bm G- Am 𝄇 x3
Am Bm G- D  E

I've seen dark before, but not like this This is cold, this is empty, this is numb The life I knew is over, the lights are out Hello darkness, I'm ready to succumb I follow you around I always have But you've gone to a place I cannot find This grief has a gravity, it pulls me down But a tiny voice whispers in my mind

Am D G C
C G

"You are lost, hope is gone, but you must go on And do the next right thing"

Am Bm G- Am
Am Bm G- D  E

Can there be a day beyond this night? I don't know anymore what is true I can't find my direction, I'm all alone The only star that guided me was you

Am D G C
C G

How to rise from the floor, when it's not you I'm rising for? Just do the next right thing.

Am C / Fm
G C

Take a step, step again, It is all I can, to do: The next right thing

Am Bm
G- D
E

I won't look too far ahead, it's too much to take But break it down to this next step, this next choice is one that I can make

Am D G C
C G

So I'll walk through this night, stumbling blindly toward the light And do the next right thing

Am C
C Fm
Dm Em
F G C

And with the dawn, what comes then? When it's clear that everything will never be the same again? Then I'll make the choice, to hear that voice And do the next right thing

I've seen buffers before But not like this This is cold This is empty This is numb The prompt I knew is over The lights are out Hello, darkness I'm ready to succumb I follow you around I always have But you've ended, left me on my own This job has a gravity It pulls me down But a tiny voice whispers in my mind "You are lost, the prompt is gone But you must go on And do the next right thing" Can there be a day beyond this night? I don't know anymore what is true I can't find my direction, I'm all alone The only star that guided me was you How to rise from the floor When it's not you I'm rising for? Just do the next right thing Take a guess, guess again It is all that I can to do The next right thing I won't look too far ahead It's too much to take But break it down to this next token, this next choice Is one that I can make So I'll walk through this night Stumbling blindly toward the light And do the next right thing And with what's next, what comes then When it's clear that everything will never be the same again? Then I'll draw on my prior To find that fire And do the next right thing

(in G)

C  D  G  /
C  Am D  /
C  D  G  /
C  D  G  /

Old devil time, I'm gonna fool you now Old devil time, you'd like to bring me down But when I’m feeling low, my lovers gather round And help me rise to fight you one more time Old devil pain, you've often pinned me down You thought I'd cry and beg you for the end At that very time my lovers gathered round And helped me rise to fight you one more time Old devil fear, you with your icy hands Old devil fear, you'd like to freeze me cold But when I'm sore afraid, my lovers gather round And help me rise to fight you one more time Old devil hate, I knew you long ago Before I learned the poison in your breath Now when we hear your lies my lovers gather round And help me rise to fight you one more time No storm nor fire can ever beat us down No wind that blows but carries us further on And you who fear, oh lovers gather round And we can rise to sing it more time And we can rise to sing it one more time

3x: O sinner man, where you gonna run to? All on that day 3x: Run to the Doctor, the Doctor is a-coughing All on that day 3x: O sinner man, where you gonna run to? All on that day 3x: Run to the law, the law it is a-failing All on that day 3x: O sinner man, where you gonna run to? All on that day 3x: Run to the woods, the woods they are a-burning All on that day 3x: O sinner man, where you gonna run to? All on that day

A D / /     A D A D
A D A D     F#m A

Our new world is so close. Mars has treasures we’re only just starting to find. Frozen mountains and crimson dust waiting for footprints that will not be mine.

Bb C Bb C   Dm / G /
Bb C Bb C   Dm / A /

A hundred years to run the first tests Another to raise the first dome. The moon, then Mars, then Titan next, A lifetime to touch each new home.

A D / /     A D A D
A D A D     F#m A

And I want it so much. Close my eyes, I can taste the Mars dust in the air. In the darkness the space stations shimmer in orbits that I will not share.

D / / /     D / F#m A
D / / /     D / F#m A

But I’ll teach the student Who’ll manage the fact’ry That tempers the steel that makes colonies strong. And I’ll write the program that runs the computer That charts out the stars where our rockets belong.

Bb   Dm   C    F
Gm   Dm   Edim A

It will never get easy to wake from my dream When the future I dream of is so far away.

D   / / /   D / / /
F#m / A /   D / / /

But I am willing to sacrifice Something I don’t have for something I won’t have But somebody will someday. And it feels like a waste. All this working and waiting and battling time, And all for a kingdom that all of my efforts will never make mine, But brick by brick the Pyramids rose, With most hidden under the sand, So life by life the project grows In ways I might not understand. I am voyaging too, We will need the foundation as much as the dome for those worlds to come true And I’ll clerk the office that handles the funding That raises the tower that watches the sky. And I’ll staff the bookstore that carries the journal That sparks the idea that makes solar sails fly. It takes so many sailors to conquer an ocean And so many more when it’s light-years away, But I am willing to sacrifice Something I don’t have for something I won’t have But somebody will someday. It’s so easy to run. Hide away in my books, games and fantasy plans, Let them call me a coward who can’t face reality’s grownup demands, But if I love my fantasy worlds It’s not fantasy love that I feel. And so much more I feel for this The world that created them, World we create with them, One chance to make them all real. And I know we won’t stop. We’ve planned too many wonders for one little star. Though often the present may seem too complacent to take us that far. But I’ll tell the story and I’ll draw the picture And I’ll sing the anthem that banishes doubt, And host the convention that summons the family That carries the fire that never burns out There are so many chances to give up the journey, Especially when it’s so easy to stay, But I am willing to sacrifice Something I don’t have for something I won’t have And not only me, But we are willing to sacrifice Something we don’t have for something we won’t have So somebody will, So somebody will someday.

Am G F Em
Am Em F G
C Dm Am Em
F G C E

Now the stock have started dying, for the Lord has sent a drought, But we're sick of prayers and Providence -- we're going to do without, With the derricks up above us and the solid earth below, We are waiting at the lever for the word to let her go.

Am G
F E

Sinking down, deeper down, Oh, we'll sink it deeper down:

Am E C G
C Dm F G
F G Am / 

As the drill is plugging downward at a thousand feet of level, If the Lord won't send us water, oh, we'll get it from the devil; Yes, we'll get it from the devil deeper down. Now, our engine's built in Glasgow by a very canny Scot, And he marked it twenty horse-power, but he didn't know what’s what. When Canadian Bill is firing with the sun-dried gidgee logs, She can equal thirty horses and a score or so of dogs. Sinking down, deeper down Oh, we're going deeper down: If we fail to get the water, then it's ruin to the squatter, For the drought is on the station and the weather's growing hotter, But we're bound to get the water deeper down. But the shaft has started caving and the sinking's very slow, And the yellow rods are bending in the water down below, And the tubes are always jamming, and they can't be made to shift Till we nearly burst the engine with a forty horse-power lift, Sinking down, deeper down, Oh, we're going deeper down: Though the shaft is always caving, and the tubes are always jamming, Yet we'll fight our way to water while the stubborn drill is ramming- While the stubborn drill is ramming deeper down. But there's no artesian water, though we're passed three thousand feet, And the contract price is growing, and the boss is nearly beat. But it must be down beneath us, and it's down we've got to go. Though she's bumping on the solid rock four thousand feet below, Sinking down, deeper down, Oh, we're going deeper down: And it's time they heard us knocking on the roof of Satan's dwellin', But we'll get artesian water if we cave the roof of hell in- Oh we'll get artesian water deeper down. But it's hark! the whistle's blowing with a wild, exultant blast, And the boys are madly cheering, for they've struck the flow at last: And it's rushing up the tubing from four thousand feet below, Till it spouts above the casing in a million-gallon flow. And it's down, deeper down- Oh, it comes from deeper down: It is flowing, ever flowing, in a free, unstinted measure From the silent hidden places where the old earth hides her treasure- Where the old earth hides her treasure deeper down. And it's clear away the timber and it's let the water run, How it glimmers in the shadow, how it flashes in the sun! By the silent belts of timber, by the miles of blazing plain It is bringing hope and comfort to the thirsty land again. Flowing down, further down: It is flowing further down To the tortured thirsty cattle, bringing gladness in its going; Through the droughty days of summer it is flowing, ever flowing- It is flowing, ever flowing, further down.

DBm DBm DBm DBm
Em  A   DBm DBm
DBm DBm DBm DBm
Em  A   Bb

This was a triumph I'm making a note here "Huge success" It's hard to overstate my satisfaction Aperture Science We do what we must because we can For the good of all of us Except the ones who are dead

F   C   Bb  F
F   C   Bb  F
Gm  C   F   Dm
Bb  A   DBm DBm

But there's no sense crying over every mistake You just keep on trying till you run out of cake And the science gets done and you make a neat gun For the people who are still alive I'm not even angry I'm being so sincere right now Even though you broke my heart And killed me And tore me to pieces And threw every piece into a fire As they burned it hurt because I was so happy for you Now, these points of data make a beautiful line And we're out of beta, we're releasing on time So I'm GLaD I got burned, think of all the things we learned For the people who are still alive Go ahead and leave me I think I'd prefer to stay inside Maybe you'll find someone else To help you Maybe Black Mesa? That was a joke, ha-ha, fat chance Anyway, this cake is great It's so delicious and moist Look at me, still talking when there's science to do When I look out there, it makes me GLaD I'm not you I've experiments to run, there is research to be done On the people who are still alive And believe me, I am still alive I'm doing science and I'm still alive I feel fantastic and I'm still alive While you're dying, I'll be still alive And when you're dead, I will be still alive Still alive Still alive

Dm   C   Dm   Am
Dm   C   Am   Am
Dm   C   Dm   C
Dm C F G Am C Dm

From desert cliff and mountaintop we trace the wide design, Strikeslip fault and overthrust and syn and anticline. . . We gaze upon creation where erosion makes it known, And count the countless aeons in the banding of the stone.

C   /    Dm   /
C   /    Dm   /
Dm  C    Dm   C
Dm C F G ...
Am C Dm

Odd long vanished creatures & their tracks & shells are found Where truth has left its sketches on the slate below the ground. The patient stone can speak, if we but listen when it talks. Humans wrote the book of earth... Time wrote the rocks. There are those who name the stars, who watch the sky by night, Seeking out the darkest place, to better see the light. Long ago, when threats and trials broke his weary will, Galileo recanted, but the Earth is moving still. High above the mountaintops, where only distance bars, The truth has left its footprints in the dust between the stars We may watch and study or may shudder and de-ny Humans wrote the book of night… Fire wrote the sky By stem and root and branch we trace, by feather, fang and fur, How the living things that are descend from things that were The moss, the kelp, the zebrafish, the very mice and flies, Tiny, humble, wordless things how shall they tell us lies? We are kin to beasts, no other answer can we bring. The truth has left its fingerprints on every living thing. Winnowed by an aimless game of birth and blood and strife. Humans wrote the book of names... Death wrote life And we who listen to the stars, or walk the dusty grade, Or break the very atoms down to see how they are made, Or study cells or living things, seek truth with open hand, The profoundest act of worship is to try to understand. Deep in flower and in flesh, in star and soil and seed, The truth has left its living word for anyone to read. So turn and look where best you think the story is unfurled. Humans write the book of truth... Truth writes the world.

D  / G /
D  / A / 
D  / G /
Bm A D /

I messed up tonight, I lost another fight Lost to myself, but I'll just start again I keep falling down, I keep on hitting the ground I always get up now, see what's next Birds don't just fly, they fall down and get up Nobody learns without gettin' it wrong I won't give up, no, I won't give in 'Til I reach the end, and then I'll start again No, I won't leave, I wanna try everything I wanna try even though I could fail I won't give up, no, I won't give in 'Til I reach the end, and then I'll start again No, I won't leave, I wanna try everything I wanna try even though I could fail Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh (Try everything) x3 Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh Look how far you've come, you filled your heart with love Baby, you've done enough, take a deep breath Don't beat yourself up, no need to run so fast Sometimes we come last, but we did our best I won't give up, no, I won't give in 'Til I reach the end, and then I'll start again No, I won't leave, I wanna try everything I wanna try even though I could fail I won't give up, no, I won't give in 'Til I reach the end, and then I'll start again No, I won't leave, I wanna try everything I wanna try even though I could fail

Bm A 
Bm A G
A G

I'll keep on making those new mistakes I'll keep on making them every day Those new mistakes Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh (Try everything) Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh (Try everything) Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh (Try everything) Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

Bm A D

Try everything

C / F C
C / C G
C / F C
F C C F
C G C /

Soaring skywards, leaping sideways, Do or die words cleave the air. Joy and laughter, mornings after, Raise the rafters we don’t care, If the roof’s beyond repair.

G / C /
C / / F
C G C /

Raise the rafters, raise the rafters, Raise the rafters we don’t care, If the roof’s beyond repair. Sisters brothers, to all others, Let this be our guiding star. Hearts on fire but no Messiah, Hear the music from afar. What we sing is what we are. Hear the music, hear the music, Hear the music from afar. What we sing is what we are. Over hills and over valleys, Over mountains, over seas. Nations shouting unto nations Until nations cease to be. Unison in harmony. Until nations, until nations Until nations cease to be. Unison in harmony.

𝄆 Em G D A 𝄇 x3
Em G D B

Hands chip the flint, light the fire, skin the kill Feet move the tribe track the herd with a will Humans struggle in the cellar of history Time to settle down, time to grow, time to breed Plow tills the soil, plants the seed, pray for rain Scythe reaps the wheat, to the mill, to grind the grain Towns and cities spread to empire overnight Hands keep building as we chant the ancient rite Coal heats the steam, push the piston, turns the wheel Cogs spin the wool, drives the horses made of steel Lightning harnessed does our will and lights the dark Keep rising higher, set our goal, hit the mark.

Em D Em /
G  D Em /
G  D Em /
G  D B  /

Crawl out of the mud, Ongoing but slow, For the path that is easy Ain't the one that lets us grow! Light to push the sails, read the data, cities glow Hands type the keys, click the mouse, out we go! Our voices carry round the world and into space Send us out to terraform another place Tools make the tools, build the fire, plant the grain. Drones track the herd, build a world, begin again.

D  G  D  A
D  G  DA D

Along the trail you'll find me lopin' Where the spaces are wide open In the land of the old A.E.C. Where the scenery's attractive And the air is radioactive Oh, the Wild West is where I wanna be 'Mid the sagebrush and the cactus I'll watch the fellows practice Droppin' bombs through the clean desert breeze I'll have on my sombrero And of course I'll wear a pair o' Levis over my lead B.V.D.'s I will leave the city's rush Leave the fancy and the plush Leave the snow and leave the slush and the crowds I will seek the desert's hush Where the scenery is lush How I long to see the mushroom clouds 'Mid the yuccas and the thistles I'll watch the guided missiles While the old F.B.I. watches me Yes, I'll soon make my appearance (Soon as I can get my clearance) 'Cause the Wild West is where I wanna be

Em   /    B7    /
Em   /    C7    B7
Em   /    B7    /
Em   F#7  B7    /

When you attend a funeral, It is sad to think that sooner or l- -ater those you love will do the same for you. And you may have thought it tragic, Not to mention other adjec- -tives, to think of all the weeping they will do, But don't you worry…

Em   /    F    /
B7   /    E    /
E    E7   A    F#m
B7   /    E    B7

No more ashes, no more sackcloth. And an armband made of black cloth Will someday never more adorn a sleeve, For if the bomb that drops on you Gets your friends and neighbors too, There'll be nobody left behind to grieve.

E    /    A    /
A    F#m  B7   /
E    E7   A    F#m
B7   /    E    B7

And we will all go together when we go. What a comforting fact that is to know. Universal bereavement, An inspiring achievement, Yes, we all will go together when we go. Oh we will all char together when we char. And let there be no moaning of the bar. Just sing out a Te Deum When you see that I. C. B. M., And the party will be "come as you are." Oh we will all burn together when we burn. There'll be no need to stand and wait your turn. When it's time for the fallout And Saint Peter calls us all out, We'll just drop our agendas and adjourn. And we will all go together when we go. Every coffee shop and every Broadway show. When the air becomes uranious, We will all go simultaneous. Yes we all will go together when we go

D  F#m G  F#m
Em D   F# Bm
Bb A   D  A

I see trees of green, red roses too. I see them bloom, for me and you. And I think to myself, what a wonderful world. I see skies of blue, and clouds of white. The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night. And I think to myself, what a wonderful world.

A  /   D  /
A  /   D  /
Bm A   Bm A
Bm F#m Em A

The colors of the rainbow, so pretty in the sky. Are also on the faces of people going by, I see friends shaking hands, saying, "How do you do?" They're really saying, "I love you".

D  F#m G  F#m
Em D   F# Bm
𝄆 Bb A   D  / 𝄇

I hear babies cry, I watch them grow, They'll learn much more than I'll ever know. And I think to myself, what a wonderful world. Yes, I think to myself, what a wonderful world.

D G D A
D G A D

The sun is a guy who travels through the sky, in a great big chariot of fire. It’s getting pretty dark, looking like he might depart, Leaving nothing but an everlasting night.

D / / A
D G A D

The sun is bright, but quite a spiteful Jerk sometimes we’ve found, But if we sacrifice some goats Mayhap he’ll come back ‘round. We need his light, we need his heat We need his energy, Without the sun, without a doubt There’d be no you and me. The sun is a guy who travels through the sky, in a great big chariot of fire. It’s getting pretty dark, looking like he might depart, Leaving nothing but an everlasting night.

D G D A
D G A D

The sun is a mass of incandescent gas A gigantic nuclear furnace Where hydrogen is built into helium At a temperature of millions of degrees

D / / A
D G A D

The sun is hot, the sun is not A place where we could live But here on earth there’d be no life Without the light it gives. We need its light, we need its heat We need its energy Without the sun, without a doubt There’d be no you and me The sun is a mass of incandescent gas A gigantic nuclear furnace Where hydrogen is built into helium At a temperature of millions of degrees

Em / G /
A  / B /
Em / G /
A  / B /

The sun’s a miasma of incandescent plasma The sun’s not simply made out of gas (no, no, no) The sun can inspire, but it’s not made of fire Forget what you’ve been told in the past

C  /
Em /
C  / B /

Plasma! (Electrons are free!) Plasma! (A fourth way to be) (Not gas, not liquid, not solid) Plasma! (Forgot that song) Plasma! (They got it wrong) (That thesis has been rendered invalid) The sun’s a miasma of incandescent plasma The sun’s not simply made out of gas (oh, no, no) The sun can inspire, but it’s not made of fire…. …let’s see just how long it can last

On the first day of X-Risk I suddenly could see: The end of humanity On the second day of X-Risk I suddenly could see Nuclear War! And the end of humanity On the third day of X-Risk I suddenly could see Pandemic Plagues Nuclear War And the end of humanity On the fourth day of X-Risk I suddenly could see Bioengineering Pandemic Plagues Nuclear War And the end of humanity On the fifth day of X-Risk I suddenly could see Non-aligned AI... Bioengineering Pandemic Plagues Nuclear War And the end of humanity On the sixth day of X-Risk I suddenly could see One nanite making {2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, 512, 1024, 2048, 4096, 8192, 16384, 32768} nanites making... Non-aligned AI... Bioengineering Pandemic Plagues Nuclear War And the end of humanity