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On The Way To Barnard's Star (2300 A​.​D​.​)

from Evolution by Tommy Smith

/

lyrics

On The Way To Barnard's Star (2300 A.D.)

I heard of a stramash in Ophiuchus.
The constellation, the spreadeagled hero
clutching his serpent, was pulsing and blushing
like a giant squid. What was going on?
I will tell you what was going on.
Worlds were being lost, were being born.
I tingled at news of an expedition.

We were a band bound for Barnard's Star,
the smouldering ruby, second nearest to earth,
cool, slow-burning, oh it will be around
long after this sun has run of helium.
It had, or was about to have, a planet.
(Who can say what time is at such distances?)
We travelled not far off the speed of light -
six years in our lusty photon-rider
would take us to the coasts of the red one.
What did we talk of? What did we not?
Destiny and will, great darkness and great light,
the fiery train of knowledge, the pearl of hope.
Meteors swept past us like battle-shot.
Clouds of gas were almost forms - almost -
but there were no gods, and we had good
blood in our veins, in our good brains,
and in black places too, in memory,
it stiffened there, where there was no grace,
blood, spilt, never to be effaced.
We drank to the dead. We blessed the unborn.
The computer blew its extraordinary horn
to tell us we were arriving, had arrived,
in bursts, were slowing, were slewing
past the dull red glow of Barnard's Star
down to its planet, slowly, in blurts,
landing at last on waves of grass.

Like glass
the green blades never waved, a river
in the distance shone but never ran,
laburnum - it was not laburnum -
dropped hard gold. The powerless stillness
was waiting. Help it. 'Open the hatch,' I said.

Edwin Morgan

credits

from Evolution, released February 25, 2021
Tommy Smith - Tenor Saxophone
Joe Lovano - Tenor Saxophone
John Scofield - Guitar
John Taylor - Piano
John Patitucci - Acoustic Bass
Bill Stewart - Drums

Music by Tommy Smith published by Smythe Music, PRS
Poetry by Edwin Morgan commissioned by Tommy Smith
Recorded April 2003 Avatar Studios, New York City
Engineer: James Farber
Mastering from Analogue Tape: Ben Turner, Fine Splice
Photography: Paul Thorburn
Cover photo of Smith: Robert Burns

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Tommy Smith Edinburgh, UK

Born in 1967, Edinburgh. In 1983 Chick Corea recommended Tommy Smith to Gary Burton; he joined his group. Recording over 30 solo albums for Blue Note, Linn, ECM, Spartacus Records, touring 50+ countries, performing with Arild Andersen, Edwin Morgan, John Scofield, Jaco Pastorius, Trilok Gurtu, Dizzy Gillespie. In 2019, he was awarded an OBE for services to jazz from HRH Queen Elizabeth II. ... more

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