For some reason this type of old filk music just resonates with me and has a comforting aura around it. Thank you for acquiring and publishing these relics.
I believe that theres a book called "The Forever War" which deals with this exact problem, except its a man that is drafted to the military. I read it, and its pretty interesting, if a bit saddening
A bit worse. In the risk of giving subtle spoilers, the trips back and forth are short enough he can see his mother growing older and the world changing maddeningly fast that he understands what's happening but not slowly enough that he can adapt and not become "anachronisms from another place and time". Great book, really.
(Chorus) Space is dark, and space is deep, And the price we've paid is far too steep. Though we've gained a hero's name, We're all cripples, just the same. And the scars we bear will testify To the pain we found beyond the sky. We set out in our starship in twenty forty-nine. Sent to ply the galaxy, another earth to find. They put us in our coffins, and gently closed the lid. If I`d known then what I know now, I'd have wished I'd wake up dead. And so we flew a thousand years through interstellar space. Light years separated us from the human race. Then at last we slowed as we approached our target star, And now we'd find the reason that we'd traveled so far. (Chorus) Space is dark, and space is deep, And the price we've paid is far too steep. Though we've gained a hero's name, We're all cripples, just the same. And the scars we bear will testify To the pain we found beyond the sky. When we awoke from frozen sleep, we each knew what to do. We'd scan the sky about the star for a planet shining blue. We'd pull into an orbit and check her atmosphere. And run a half a hundred tests to see if she proved fair. We'd monitor the radio, so that we could see If there were any aliens who'd come there before we. Then from our receiver, a tiny voice we heard. It spoke to us in English and we understood each word. (Chorus) Space is dark, and space is deep, And the price we've paid is far too steep. Though we've gained a hero's name, We're all cripples, just the same. And the scars we bear will testify To the pain we found beyond the sky. Ten years we had been on our way, when they found the hyperdrive. And man spread to a thousand stars while we were half-alive. But still they could not stop our ship to save us from our fate, And so we have arrived here, but nine hundred years too late. They told us we were heroes, pinned medals to our chests, And they gave us a fine pension and sent us off to rest. For we're anachronisms from another place and time, And so they have retired us though we're all still in our prime. (Chorus) Space is dark, and space is deep, And the price we've paid is far too steep. Though we've gained a hero's name, We're all cripples, just the same. And the scars we bear will testify To the pain we found beyond the sky. And of the ten men of our crew, but two of us remain, For trapped here in the future, we all have gone insane. We knew when we set out that we'd be gone a thousand years, But we never thought we'd end up as unwanted pensioneers. And soon we two will follow where the other eight have gone. And then our long sad journey will finally be done. In the next room waiting is my time-lost lonely wife, And I'll see her one last time as we take each other's life. (Chorus) Space is dark, and space is deep, And the price we've paid is far too steep. Though we've gained a hero's name, We're all cripples, just the same. And the scars we bear will testify To the pain we found beyond the sky.
To the people who wonder why they didn't join the Imperial Fleet or whatever, imagine how a person 900 years ago would feel being pulled into the modern day. They'd have almost no cultural point of reference to relate to us, and nothing familiar would remain. Could you live in a world where you didn't get the language, ethics, music, art, clothing, laws, dangers, jokes, romantic standards, literature, politics, etc.?
I believe if they weren't put into pension they would have been able to be resocialized within a year since they already understood the language. Well, at least once they've overcame culture shock.
And he's already got a wife, so he doesn't need to learn romantic standards. This seems to be based on the idea of people going insane from the sense of "I'm so WORTHLESS!!!" Lots of worthless people get by just fine, so hey.
I mean this is the entire plot of The Forever War, the only vaguely familiar thing to a soldier is the army and the war. it's why they all re-enlist after the time dilation.
Not to mention it sounds like they're not being given a choice. It's like the government is trying to shove them aside. They just FORCED them into retirement, after all. They didn't even ask what THEY wanted to do.
I knew this song existed. I heard this song awhile ago but could not remember what it was called. I spent oper 3 days listening to every fill song I could find looking for it but gave up. But now it has shown up randomly. Thank youtubes random generator.
The government is probably embarrassed about the crew even existing. They've discovered faster than light travel, but they couldn't figure out how to stop a near light speed automated ship. So they push them out of the public's view onto some retirement planet. At least that's my interpretation.
These were people who were willing to risk everything to be pioneers on the cutting edge of human knowledge and exploration, now the best they can hope for is to be museum exhibits and historical curiosities.
The best they could do is provide a primary source on how things were before they left. Anything else would be irrelevant. Valuable, sure, but not that important to anyone but the most nerdy of history nerds.
MSKproductions123456 It's a classic theme. I don't believe it would have to end so badly, though. It ought to be possible to find a place for themselves in the future, just as they expected to find a place for themselves in some alien wilderness. I haven't heard this song in a very, very long time. Ca't say I like this rendition much -- too peppy for such an ose* song. *Ose, ose and morose....
@@johnburt7935 depends how much society had changed. Did you ever read "return from the stars?" Everyone around might be "Those fellows ride in metal cans through space at subluminal speeds. Crazy. Noone does that, too dangerous."
Personally, I would ask for a hyperdrive for my old ship instead of a retirement plan. I'd take my crew and head straight back out into space, beyond the edge of the new human empire. Then I could live the colonizing and exploration life i expected to.
Seems logical. Just install a piece of technology 1000 years ahead of time witch we neighter know how to operate, nor to fix or even how we can take care of maintenance and we are on our way...
This comment thread actually really makes me feel good for humanity (or at least the subculture of it that is listening to this song). We all intrinsically know that the song is unrealistic, and that's great. We should really feel proud that the song's premise is unbelievable: anyone who becomes an astronaut is someone who will thrive, no matter what situation they're put into. None of our astronauts will give up while there is potential energy in the universe.
Oddly enough, I read a story with this as a premise recently... I don't remember exactly what the name of it was, but it was in an anthology called 'Federations'.
I don't get it. Even if hyperdrive would not have been invented they would have left all they knew behind, and in addition to that they have been alone on that planet, never see other humans again. So what did they actually lost because of hyperdrive alone ?
They sacrificed everything, and gained nothing. Ironically, theres more glory in what happened to them, but you dont go on a journey like that for glory
Ok so in warhmmer 40k something like this happens but it a line scientist and his A.I controlled ship so like during humanity golden age of technology which is like they year 5,000 to early 20,000 he does a warp jump which is basically interstellar travel but you don’t know when or where you’ll pop out sometimes so guy gets shot out to the 41st millennium and oh boy is it a big culture shock poor guy is killed and branded as a techno heretic cause of his A.I ship (A.I illegal in 40k look up age of strife for more info) and because he has no idea what the imperium is and doesn’t know what the God emperor is considered atheism was the religion of the golden age and so the just flat out kill him instead of trying to teach him since it would waste people time.
I once read a short story, where they weren't leapfrogged by a hyperdrive but a ship that went closer to c. It ended with the crew deciding to take one of the fancy new ship as thanks and as an apology from the world's government, moved their colonist to it and headed to Andromeda, with one of the locals who wanted to see more of the universe.
I can certainly understand the tragedy of the story told in this song, yes. But I personally don't see it as all bad. Unless human lifespans have been vastly improved on, allowing people to live many hundreds of years (and that wasn't even hinted at in this one) then the crew of arriving 900 years behind the hyperdrive ship actually has a unique and wonderful opportunity and one that no other humans from the own time will come close to getting - a chance to see first hand where their work has taken them. Sure they're obsolete now - so much time has passed that humans from both eras could likely not even relate to each other as people anymore, at least at first. But this could be a learning and teaching opportunity for both sides.
Playing Elite dangerous and turning in star charts having no clue of the people before SSD traveling before me while i cash in a two minute travel for 800 credits.
Why not just join their Starfleet, or whatever they call their space navy? Sure, they would have some catching up to do, but by that time, the learning should all be empirical. The human brain is capable of amazing things when it wants something bad enough.
Why can't we just stop a nuclear flash from expanding once it starts? Just because the technology exists to start something doesn't mean we can stop it.
@@LoydAvenheart Here to remind you of this song, and they were likely going at 99.87 C or faster, and the Hyperdrive would probably be similar to the Alliance-Union Universe Hyperdrive, where they go from grav well to grab well, But even if it was an FTL system like that in Stargate, or Star Trek, it would take an extraordinary effort to catch up and save the ship, likely sending the crew of the rescue ship 20 or so years in the future, at least, due to time dilation.
Now there are a few ways to fix this problem, catching up and saving the crew would be damn near impossible, but depending on how many ships they sent out, and how far they are, they could just leave the system alone, If that isn't an option, just shoot down their craft after they decelerate and start to thaw the crew, and save them from that hell. Also, why is there only ten people on the ship, Isn't it a Colony Ship?
I'm always open for good filk. I do think it's far too grim, though. If you're famous, and you never have to work another day of your life, and you have the status of heroes, then why all the angst and insanity and suicide pacts and stuff? I mean damn, lighten up.
Well statues are great and all but just imagine this: You are not fit for any job at all since you don't understand anything from the future You have no cultural point of view. Everything will probably seem either weird or boring. You sit at home doing literally nothing all day while outside you can see thousands of people doing stuff you don't even understand one bit. Just imagine someone from 900 years ago having the same experience. If he was a fisherman back then he sure couldn't be a fisherman today. Same goes for any other profession. Culture will seem weird for him since he doesn't understand the slightest bit of technology etc etc.
@@cogwheel6076 You've got a whole community of people just like you. You can sit around talking about the good old days, you can reintroduce the lost art of disco, you can just basically bask in the heroic status. You have a pension, so basically you're independently wealthy. Linguists contact you all the time because there's some obscure metaphor in archaic English that you might understand.
You can tell the Americans in the audience by how horrible they find the idea of not having a job. The idea that your worth as a human is measured sorely by your contribution to a corporation's bottom line is as american as apple pie. Using the free time to study modern culture or practice a hobby or make friends or find a reenactment society to really freak out or play video games etc feels empty to them because they've been taught that self-actualization is laziness. As for language, there are three possibilities: 1) language stopped evolving once videos stored on the internet became a thing, meaning English is frozen at circa 2005. 2) Machine translation software is good enough that being 900 years out of date is of no consequence. 3) Our heroes would have to learn a new language, something that isn't particularly difficult, and every immigrant on the planet has managed for thousands of years. For culture, remember that these were astronauts hand picked for humanity's first interstellar mission. Welcomed as heroes to the world they'd been sent to colonize. Imagine meeting Leif Erikson or one of his crew in New York. They'd have book deals, requests to serve as historical advisors in film productions, go on talk shows to marvel at how much more a human life is worth, etc.
For some reason this type of old filk music just resonates with me and has a comforting aura around it. Thank you for acquiring and publishing these relics.
I believe that theres a book called "The Forever War" which deals with this exact problem, except its a man that is drafted to the military. I read it, and its pretty interesting, if a bit saddening
A bit worse. In the risk of giving subtle spoilers, the trips back and forth are short enough he can see his mother growing older and the world changing maddeningly fast that he understands what's happening but not slowly enough that he can adapt and not become "anachronisms from another place and time". Great book, really.
@@CaptainUnreal Forever Free is a sequel that addresses just this problem.
@@mkb7001 interesting, thank you!
One of my all time favourite books. Even have managed to get my copy signed by Haldeman. Saw him at Worldcon few years back.
(Chorus)
Space is dark, and space is deep,
And the price we've paid is far too steep.
Though we've gained a hero's name,
We're all cripples, just the same.
And the scars we bear will testify
To the pain we found beyond the sky.
We set out in our starship in twenty forty-nine.
Sent to ply the galaxy, another earth to find.
They put us in our coffins, and gently closed the lid.
If I`d known then what I know now, I'd have wished I'd wake up dead.
And so we flew a thousand years through interstellar space.
Light years separated us from the human race.
Then at last we slowed as we approached our target star,
And now we'd find the reason that we'd traveled so far.
(Chorus)
Space is dark, and space is deep,
And the price we've paid is far too steep.
Though we've gained a hero's name,
We're all cripples, just the same.
And the scars we bear will testify
To the pain we found beyond the sky.
When we awoke from frozen sleep, we each knew what to do.
We'd scan the sky about the star for a planet shining blue.
We'd pull into an orbit and check her atmosphere.
And run a half a hundred tests to see if she proved fair.
We'd monitor the radio, so that we could see
If there were any aliens who'd come there before we.
Then from our receiver, a tiny voice we heard.
It spoke to us in English and we understood each word.
(Chorus)
Space is dark, and space is deep,
And the price we've paid is far too steep.
Though we've gained a hero's name,
We're all cripples, just the same.
And the scars we bear will testify
To the pain we found beyond the sky.
Ten years we had been on our way, when they found the hyperdrive.
And man spread to a thousand stars while we were half-alive.
But still they could not stop our ship to save us from our fate,
And so we have arrived here, but nine hundred years too late.
They told us we were heroes, pinned medals to our chests,
And they gave us a fine pension and sent us off to rest.
For we're anachronisms from another place and time,
And so they have retired us though we're all still in our prime.
(Chorus)
Space is dark, and space is deep,
And the price we've paid is far too steep.
Though we've gained a hero's name,
We're all cripples, just the same.
And the scars we bear will testify
To the pain we found beyond the sky.
And of the ten men of our crew, but two of us remain,
For trapped here in the future, we all have gone insane.
We knew when we set out that we'd be gone a thousand years,
But we never thought we'd end up as unwanted pensioneers.
And soon we two will follow where the other eight have gone.
And then our long sad journey will finally be done.
In the next room waiting is my time-lost lonely wife,
And I'll see her one last time as we take each other's life.
(Chorus)
Space is dark, and space is deep,
And the price we've paid is far too steep.
Though we've gained a hero's name,
We're all cripples, just the same.
And the scars we bear will testify
To the pain we found beyond the sky.
To the people who wonder why they didn't join the Imperial Fleet or whatever, imagine how a person 900 years ago would feel being pulled into the modern day. They'd have almost no cultural point of reference to relate to us, and nothing familiar would remain. Could you live in a world where you didn't get the language, ethics, music, art, clothing, laws, dangers, jokes, romantic standards, literature, politics, etc.?
I believe if they weren't put into pension they would have been able to be resocialized within a year since they already understood the language.
Well, at least once they've overcame culture shock.
And he's already got a wife, so he doesn't need to learn romantic standards.
This seems to be based on the idea of people going insane from the sense of "I'm so WORTHLESS!!!"
Lots of worthless people get by just fine, so hey.
I mean this is the entire plot of The Forever War, the only vaguely familiar thing to a soldier is the army and the war. it's why they all re-enlist after the time dilation.
Not to mention it sounds like they're not being given a choice. It's like the government is trying to shove them aside. They just FORCED them into retirement, after all. They didn't even ask what THEY wanted to do.
@@PrimordialNightmare remember Scotty in TNG?
There are number of those catalogued at the TV Tropes website under the "Lightspeed Leapfrog" entry.
I knew this song existed. I heard this song awhile ago but could not remember what it was called. I spent oper 3 days listening to every fill song I could find looking for it but gave up. But now it has shown up randomly. Thank youtubes random generator.
Maybe advanced education technology has made teachers obsolete, but if not, they would be uniquely qualified to teach Early Space Age history.
The government is probably embarrassed about the crew even existing. They've discovered faster than light travel, but they couldn't figure out how to stop a near light speed automated ship. So they push them out of the public's view onto some retirement planet. At least that's my interpretation.
These were people who were willing to risk everything to be pioneers on the cutting edge of human knowledge and exploration, now the best they can hope for is to be museum exhibits and historical curiosities.
The best they could do is provide a primary source on how things were before they left. Anything else would be irrelevant. Valuable, sure, but not that important to anyone but the most nerdy of history nerds.
Wow. This matches almost perfectly to the webcomic that I'm writing, this is literally exactly what happens.
MSKproductions123456 It's a classic theme.
I don't believe it would have to end so badly, though. It ought to be possible to find a place for themselves in the future, just as they expected to find a place for themselves in some alien wilderness.
I haven't heard this song in a very, very long time. Ca't say I like this rendition much -- too peppy for such an ose* song.
*Ose, ose and morose....
Is the webcomic finished?
Have you read Joe Haldeman's "The Forever War"?
@@johnburt7935 In fairness they would be fantastic historical accuracy aides, or history teachers.
@@johnburt7935 depends how much society had changed. Did you ever read "return from the stars?" Everyone around might be "Those fellows ride in metal cans through space at subluminal speeds. Crazy. Noone does that, too dangerous."
This is actually the topic of a song called Space is Dark by Bill Roper. It's a sad thought yet extremely intriguing.
>_>
Personally, I would ask for a hyperdrive for my old ship instead of a retirement plan. I'd take my crew and head straight back out into space, beyond the edge of the new human empire. Then I could live the colonizing and exploration life i expected to.
and a upgrade for the old ship.
You think The Government is just handing those out? No.
@@DrMFoster7 as if they could hold knowlege of how they work for 2 minutes after its used.
Seems logical. Just install a piece of technology 1000 years ahead of time witch we neighter know how to operate, nor to fix or even how we can take care of maintenance and we are on our way...
@@christianholzschuh6853 Discovery. 3rd season.
This should play in ED whenever you get close to a generation ship.
Space is dark. Bring a flashlight.
This comment thread actually really makes me feel good for humanity (or at least the subculture of it that is listening to this song). We all intrinsically know that the song is unrealistic, and that's great. We should really feel proud that the song's premise is unbelievable: anyone who becomes an astronaut is someone who will thrive, no matter what situation they're put into. None of our astronauts will give up while there is potential energy in the universe.
Well said
But these are not astronauts. They are cargo of an automated ship.
As a merchant mariner this song speaks to me.
Oddly enough, I read a story with this as a premise recently... I don't remember exactly what the name of it was, but it was in an anthology called 'Federations'.
Thanks for posting this gem
I recommend the scifi story "Return from the Stars" which deals with a very similar, but not identical, theme.
This would be my luck start out a heroes and end up a joke
I don't get it. Even if hyperdrive would not have been invented they would have left all they knew behind, and in addition to that they have been alone on that planet, never see other humans again. So what did they actually lost because of hyperdrive alone ?
They realized that their entire journey and the sacrifice they made was completely pointless.
They sacrificed everything, and gained nothing. Ironically, theres more glory in what happened to them, but you dont go on a journey like that for glory
This is so Traveler RPG. Far-future music with a retro sound.
This is my jam.
Ok so in warhmmer 40k something like this happens but it a line scientist and his A.I controlled ship so like during humanity golden age of technology which is like they year 5,000 to early 20,000 he does a warp jump which is basically interstellar travel but you don’t know when or where you’ll pop out sometimes so guy gets shot out to the 41st millennium and oh boy is it a big culture shock poor guy is killed and branded as a techno heretic cause of his A.I ship (A.I illegal in 40k look up age of strife for more info) and because he has no idea what the imperium is and doesn’t know what the God emperor is considered atheism was the religion of the golden age and so the just flat out kill him instead of trying to teach him since it would waste people time.
Culture shock is one son of a bitch. Everything you trained for, everything you lived for, doesn't matter because you left a few years too early.
This song is reminiscent of Arthur C. Clarke's excellent 3001: Final Odyssey.
I once read a short story, where they weren't leapfrogged by a hyperdrive but a ship that went closer to c. It ended with the crew deciding to take one of the fancy new ship as thanks and as an apology from the world's government, moved their colonist to it and headed to Andromeda, with one of the locals who wanted to see more of the universe.
The Armstrong's crew having a bad time.
Super fly fishing in your mega yacht for turbo sharks just isn't the same as storming the enemy freighter with your pirate boys.
Don't mess with the sublight colonisation ships.
I can certainly understand the tragedy of the story told in this song, yes. But I personally don't see it as all bad. Unless human lifespans have been vastly improved on, allowing people to live many hundreds of years (and that wasn't even hinted at in this one) then the crew of arriving 900 years behind the hyperdrive ship actually has a unique and wonderful opportunity and one that no other humans from the own time will come close to getting - a chance to see first hand where their work has taken them. Sure they're obsolete now - so much time has passed that humans from both eras could likely not even relate to each other as people anymore, at least at first. But this could be a learning and teaching opportunity for both sides.
Loosely based on "Far Centaurus" by AE Van Vogt, from the 1940s.
Good Vanu Sovereignty song
this was awesome!
Playing Elite dangerous and turning in star charts having no clue of the people before SSD traveling before me while i cash in a two minute travel for 800 credits.
Looks like some people didn't account for the effects of time dialation... tsk tsk tsk.
Why not just join their Starfleet, or whatever they call their space navy? Sure, they would have some catching up to do, but by that time, the learning should all be empirical. The human brain is capable of amazing things when it wants something bad enough.
They aren't being given a choice by the government.
It is hard to teach a old dog new tricks, it is much easer and hence cheaper to start over with some young.
Dark indeed.
Why couldn't they stop the ship though?
Why can't we just stop a nuclear flash from expanding once it starts? Just because the technology exists to start something doesn't mean we can stop it.
@@xeonespydonum4995 You have a point, also thanks for bringing me back to this song.
@@LoydAvenheart Here to remind you of this song, and they were likely going at 99.87 C or faster, and the Hyperdrive would probably be similar to the Alliance-Union Universe Hyperdrive, where they go from grav well to grab well,
But even if it was an FTL system like that in Stargate, or Star Trek, it would take an extraordinary effort to catch up and save the ship, likely sending the crew of the rescue ship 20 or so years in the future, at least, due to time dilation.
Now there are a few ways to fix this problem, catching up and saving the crew would be damn near impossible, but depending on how many ships they sent out, and how far they are, they could just leave the system alone,
If that isn't an option, just shoot down their craft after they decelerate and start to thaw the crew, and save them from that hell.
Also, why is there only ten people on the ship, Isn't it a Colony Ship?
😅😊Jj
I'm always open for good filk.
I do think it's far too grim, though. If you're famous, and you never have to work another day of your life, and you have the status of heroes, then why all the angst and insanity and suicide pacts and stuff? I mean damn, lighten up.
Well statues are great and all but just imagine this:
You are not fit for any job at all since you don't understand anything from the future
You have no cultural point of view. Everything will probably seem either weird or boring.
You sit at home doing literally nothing all day while outside you can see thousands of people doing stuff you don't even understand one bit.
Just imagine someone from 900 years ago having the same experience. If he was a fisherman back then he sure couldn't be a fisherman today. Same goes for any other profession. Culture will seem weird for him since he doesn't understand the slightest bit of technology etc etc.
Honestly,
What would you do?
How would you adapt?
Sure, the person who contacted you spoke English, but how common is that archaic language?
@@GrimReaper-bq8cm
You don't need to be a fisherman, or any other job. You have a pension. You can be "idle rich."
@@cogwheel6076
You've got a whole community of people just like you. You can sit around talking about the good old days, you can reintroduce the lost art of disco, you can just basically bask in the heroic status. You have a pension, so basically you're independently wealthy. Linguists contact you all the time because there's some obscure metaphor in archaic English that you might understand.
You can tell the Americans in the audience by how horrible they find the idea of not having a job. The idea that your worth as a human is measured sorely by your contribution to a corporation's bottom line is as american as apple pie. Using the free time to study modern culture or practice a hobby or make friends or find a reenactment society to really freak out or
play video games etc feels empty to them because they've been taught that self-actualization is laziness.
As for language, there are three possibilities: 1) language stopped evolving once videos stored on the internet became a thing, meaning English is frozen at circa 2005. 2) Machine translation software is good enough that being 900 years out of date is of no consequence. 3) Our heroes would have to learn a new language, something that isn't particularly difficult, and every immigrant on the planet has managed for thousands of years.
For culture, remember that these were astronauts hand picked for humanity's first interstellar mission. Welcomed as heroes to the world they'd been sent to colonize. Imagine meeting Leif Erikson or one of his crew in New York. They'd have book deals, requests to serve as historical advisors in film productions, go on talk shows to marvel at how much more a human life is worth, etc.