Clearly Andy had forgotten about the ancient Chinese curse "Be careful what you wish for" when he asked me 3-4 months ago to write a prog-rock 3-song cycle.
I hadn't a clue what I was going to write about, but after watching the 1972 cult sci-fi movie "Silent Running", I felt inspired. The lyrics in Parts 1 & 2A,B are based on the film's storyline, but with Part 3 I took pure poetic license.
Then Billy - who's plainly as mad as Andy and me - joined us in this
mammoth production.
And just when we were twiddling our thumbs, wondering what to do about percussion, John ambled by the thread and threw in some wonderful drumming. David deserves special mention as well. His vocals are superb.
Sit down, put your feet up, pour a favourite beverage, and join us on the long journey into
deeeeeeep,
deeeeeeep space...
Andy Gupta: music, guitars, organ, keyboards, bass
Billy Playle : music, acoustic and electric guitars, piano, keyboards, SFX, arrangements, mix/master
John Wooten: Drums
David Saylor: vocals
Nathan Knight: Narration (Part 2A)
Donna Devine: Lyrics & Narration (Part 1)
A Green Leaf In Its HandPart 1 ("Freeman Lowell")
Intro (NARRATED)
In the folly wrought by Progress
Earth's plant life had been destroyed
And to save what flora still remained
Orbiting greenhouses were deployed
Each managed by a four-man crew
Aided by robot drones
Aboard the eight huge freighters
That bore six domes where forests grew
Later to be returned to earth
And planted there anew
(v1)
Of the Valley Forge rangers
Freeman, Andy, Marty, John
Only Freeman loved his work
While the others dreamed of home
And though they often teased him
About his vegetables and flowers
He continued undeterred
Tending to the task at hand
Went on planting by the hour
(v2)
He'd dive into the deep blue lake
[And] swim there undisturbed
He was well known to the fauna
All the animals and birds
At night he'd play cards with his friends
Try to share [some of] his dreams
They'd simply laugh, said he was mad
[With] his head up in the clouds
Always going to extremes
Insert (NARRATED - robotic voice)
"Attention. Earth to Greenhouse Fleet.
You are ordered to abandon domes.
Jettison and destroy them with nuclear charges.
The freighters have been reassigned for commercial service.
You will return home"
Pre-chorus
To one, the news was tragic
The other three rejoiced
They raced to set the charges
Freeman had to make a choice
Chorus
Freeman Lowell was a loner
Had no family of his own
Loved the forests with a passion
Watched them closely till they'd grown
He'd spent eight years
In star-filled space
A stranger now to land
His only dream was that one day
A child might know the simple joy
Of holding a green leaf in its hand
--------------------------------------
Part 2A ("Panic")
(v1)
Four domes already gone
Lowell is in a panic
In a struggle he kills John
His thinking now is manic
He traps the two in number 5
Then jettisons and bombs it
He's the only man alive
On a fateful course, can't stop it
(v2)
Huey, Dewey, and Louie
He names the service drones
Reprogrammes them to help him
Save the final forest dome
He redirects the Valley Forge
Escapes the freighter fleet
Takes a perilous route past Saturn
His rebellion is complete
Bridge 1 (NARRATED)
The freighter surfs down Saturn's rings
Through rainbow-tinted terrors
Careless Louie is swept away
Little room for errors
At last the craft emerges
Relatively unscathed
Lowell and two robots
Flee into deep space
Instrumental
(v3)
Huey and Dewey learn
To plant new trees, to cheat at cards
But then the trees begin to die
[And] this hits Lowell hard
In a mishap, Huey's damaged
And making matters worse
A rescue mission sister ship
Is soon about to berth
(v4)
Distraught he realises
What the forest needs is sun
He and Dewey set up lamps
Before the freighter comes
Knowing the crew will learn the truth
When it boards the rebel ship
Lowell quickly makes a plan
To give them all the slip
Bridge 2 (NARRATED)
He carefully instructs the drone
To tend to the forest's care
Before he jettisons the dome
To safety far from there
Then he detonates a nuclear charge
Destroying himself and Huey
And the freighter Valley Forge
Part 2B ("Reprise")
Pre-chorus
Not a man of violence
His heart had been torn in two
At night he'd grieved in silence
But he'd done what he had to do
Chorus
Freeman Lowell was a loner
Had no family of his own
Loved the forests with a passion
Watched them closely till they'd grown
He'd spent eight years
In star-filled space
A stranger now to land
His only dream was that one day
A child might know the simple joy
Of holding a green leaf in its hand
-----------------------------------
Part 3 ("A Green Leaf In Its Hand")
(v1)
Light years hence, where life began
Past the rings of Saturn that only one man
Alone with his treasure had plummeted through
The Book of Creation is closing fast
The bone-tired Earth is breathing its last
(v2)
But far in the reaches of deep, deep space
Where the essence of lonely is given a face
The orphaned geodome still whirls
Like a giant net dotted with fireflies
With its precious cargo of Paradise
(v3)
The forest is lush and green and tall
It scarcely needs any care at all
And its keeper is old and corroded
Yet the faithful android perseveres
Its circuits hold a memory of tears
Bridge
Now in the lake where Lowell swam
A pale amoeba forming from
A brew of biosynthesis
Makes its way from the pristine depths
Where, still eyeless though well begun
It drags itself to the golden sand
Twisting toward a surrogate sun
At the feet of a rusted, benevolent god
Who holds a battered watering can
Pre-chorus
Some call Freeman evil
Others claim insane
He killed three men
For a forest
But he'd do it all again
Chorus
Lowell was a loner
Had no family of his own
Loved the forests with a passion
Watched them closely till they'd grown
He'd spent eight years
In star-filled space
A stranger now to land
His only dream was that one day
A child might know the simple joy
Of holding a green leaf in its hand
� 2010 Donna Devine
