Let Me Lead You Astray by Mike Van Horn

Part of a my sci fi novel My Spaceship Calls Out to Me. The main character is a singer, and I wrote verses for the songs she sings in the story. We’ve put several of these to music. Links in each title to the song in Soundcloud.

Sung to a group of astronomers on Mauna Kea in Hawaii

We all want to fly to the stars

not just stay here in sittin’ on our arse

There’s a blue green world

near a small yellow star

not too far away. Can we get that far?

You serious scientists, let me lead you astray

Get up! Get out there! Fly into the void.

Or should we just sit here whiling away

waiting to get whacked by some asteroid?

There are worlds out there with weird alien races

Will we find connection in their eyes, in their faces?

Starships, you tell us, just can’t be done

If you heed the news, you heard I had one!

I’m the ditzy chick

with the star-jumping ship.

They told you it was gone

Fell into the Atlantic pond.

But what if they got it wrong?

What if they got it wrong? I say

Would you go, would you go someday

to where your glass can barely see?

Then turn around and wave

to your stay-at-home company?

Send a postcard back from Kepler 8

to loved ones back at home.

“The weather here, it ain’t so great

I can’t wait to get home.”

I can’t wait to get home, you say

But you can’t come back, till you’ve gone away.

You’ll see how much you really miss

our sweet Earth back at home.

So let’s soon be on our way.

Credits: This music is all-Marin. Mike Van Horn in San Rafael wrote the lyrics; Troy Lush, the composer, is in Nicasio; Mari Mack, a blues singer in Mill Valley, does the vocals; and Christopher Krotky in Fairfax produced them.