The Leaving of Terra

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The Leaving of Terra
lyrics © 2000 by Dr. H. Paul Shuch
sung to the tune of "The Leaving of Liverpool" (traditional)

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In the Twenty-First Century we started for space
With our first brief sojourns to Mars.
Now a hundred years later we will claim mankind's place:
It is time to expand to the stars.

Chorus:

So fare thee well, my own home world.
There's no telling what wonders we may find.
It's not the leaving of Terra that distresses me,
But ten billion brothers left behind.

Terra is the cradle of humanity,
And we'll always hold her dear.
Yet, though others may dispute our sanity,
For the distant stars we steer.

Chorus

We have built a mighty generation craft
To depart that cradle at last.
Time and space enable us to finally grasp
Both our future and our past.

Chorus

Our slow boat's passage to the nearest sun
Will require a hundred years.
Who can say how swift the sands of time shall run
Ere a friendly world appears?

Chorus

And we know that science and technology
Are destined to expand.
The descendants of the Terrans left today
Well may greet us when we land.

Chorus

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