a425couple
2020-04-17 19:02:27 UTC
from the Heinlein facebook forum
Elizabeth Higdon The Green Hills of Earth
Let the sweet fresh breezes heal me
As they rove around the girth
Of our lovely mother planet
Of the cool, green hills of Earth.
We rot in the moulds of Venus,
We retch at her tainted breath.
Foul are her flooded jungles,
Crawling with unclean death.
We've tried each spinning space mote
And reckoned its true worth:
Take us back again to the homes of men
On the cool, green hills of Earth.
The arching sky is calling
Spacemen back to their trade.
ALL HANDS! STAND BY! FREE FALLING!
And the lights below us fade.
Out ride the sons of Terra,
Far drives the thundering jet,
Up leaps a race of Earthmen,
Out, far, and onward yet ---
We pray for one last landing
On the globe that gave us birth;
Let us rest our eyes on the fleecy skies
And the cool, green hills of Earth.
--Robert A Heinlein.
There are also many fragments that appear on other places, not all of
which made it into these six stanzas; Moore and Kuttner mention other
fragments in one of their works; filkers (NOT a typo!) have finished
fragments into verses.
Rhysling's 'Jet Song' is also available as a complete song. Only the
first verse and the chorus are Heinlein's, the other verses were written
by Dr. H. Paul Shuch (Former SETI director; the music is copy-righted by
Dr. Shuch, but gives Dr. Asimov credit as well (yes, THAT Dr. Asimov).
The Jet Song.
When the field is clear, the reports all seen,
When the lock sighs shut, when the lights wink green,
When the check-off's done, when it's time to pray,
When the Captain nods, when she blasts away --
Chorus:
Hear the jets!
Hear them snarl at your back
When you're stretched on the rack;
Feel your ribs clamp your chest,
Feel your neck grind its rest.
Feel the pain in your ship,
Feel her strain in their grip.
Feel her rise! Feel her dive!
Straining steel, come alive,
On her jets!
When the booster's spent, and you throttle back,
When it's time to float, and you leave your rack,
When the pain and pressure are left behind,
When your world turns weightless, within your mind
Chorus
When the arc is high and your speed is great,
When you know it's time to decelerate,
When your weight increases in fifteen gee,
When you've been where no man was meant to be --
Chorus
When the rockets cool and your journey's done,
When again you're warmed by your native sun,
When the days draw short and you'll fly no more,
When you stand there knocking on heaven's door --
Chorus
Elizabeth Higdon The Green Hills of Earth
Let the sweet fresh breezes heal me
As they rove around the girth
Of our lovely mother planet
Of the cool, green hills of Earth.
We rot in the moulds of Venus,
We retch at her tainted breath.
Foul are her flooded jungles,
Crawling with unclean death.
We've tried each spinning space mote
And reckoned its true worth:
Take us back again to the homes of men
On the cool, green hills of Earth.
The arching sky is calling
Spacemen back to their trade.
ALL HANDS! STAND BY! FREE FALLING!
And the lights below us fade.
Out ride the sons of Terra,
Far drives the thundering jet,
Up leaps a race of Earthmen,
Out, far, and onward yet ---
We pray for one last landing
On the globe that gave us birth;
Let us rest our eyes on the fleecy skies
And the cool, green hills of Earth.
--Robert A Heinlein.
There are also many fragments that appear on other places, not all of
which made it into these six stanzas; Moore and Kuttner mention other
fragments in one of their works; filkers (NOT a typo!) have finished
fragments into verses.
Rhysling's 'Jet Song' is also available as a complete song. Only the
first verse and the chorus are Heinlein's, the other verses were written
by Dr. H. Paul Shuch (Former SETI director; the music is copy-righted by
Dr. Shuch, but gives Dr. Asimov credit as well (yes, THAT Dr. Asimov).
The Jet Song.
When the field is clear, the reports all seen,
When the lock sighs shut, when the lights wink green,
When the check-off's done, when it's time to pray,
When the Captain nods, when she blasts away --
Chorus:
Hear the jets!
Hear them snarl at your back
When you're stretched on the rack;
Feel your ribs clamp your chest,
Feel your neck grind its rest.
Feel the pain in your ship,
Feel her strain in their grip.
Feel her rise! Feel her dive!
Straining steel, come alive,
On her jets!
When the booster's spent, and you throttle back,
When it's time to float, and you leave your rack,
When the pain and pressure are left behind,
When your world turns weightless, within your mind
Chorus
When the arc is high and your speed is great,
When you know it's time to decelerate,
When your weight increases in fifteen gee,
When you've been where no man was meant to be --
Chorus
When the rockets cool and your journey's done,
When again you're warmed by your native sun,
When the days draw short and you'll fly no more,
When you stand there knocking on heaven's door --
Chorus