Lyrics Per Errationes Ad Astra - Ian Anderson

Per Errationes Ad Astra

We thought it over for a century or two
Considered all in light of such short history
Would you let them loose upon the
Stars?
Bring their dark and murky
Waters to lap on pristine shores?
Fine in their own place and with
Their own destiny to follow
But — breeding like rabbits on other
Worlds and with other calmer spirits?
Per errationes ad astra?
Then dream, dream
On.
The dream is all.
All good sense gone
Neil, Buzz, and Michael, they made a
Team.
The right stuff in a can of spam
The brave adventure came to nought
Cruel economics had their say
A tiny bubble of pure white light from mighty
Engines roared on Pad 39A in the night
Orbiters and Soyuz towered on
Stacks of Lox and hydrogen
But what a little squib, a little
Firework in the cosmic crash of fiery
Fusion as far galaxies collide:
Drowned in the vastness of all we see
And, still, can only just imagine
Let’s not worry about the wandering
Man.
He’ll wander hither if he can
But his time may have already come.
And gone