Carry On

Carry On Cover

What Wondrous Love Is This (2:12)
Picks and Lasers (8:45)
Lady with the Lamp (4:08)
Joe's Blues (3:30)
Hold on to Each Other (6:04)
Stolen Heart Blues (4:02)
Trilogy (9:25)
Going Home (2:54)
Carry on (4:56)
My Last Song (5:19)

What Wondrous Love Is This

What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this, that knows no prejudice,
But seeks an earthly bliss for all souls, for all souls,
Yet seeks an earthly bliss for all souls.

Tho' bigots may assail, O my soul, O my soul!
Tho' bigots may assail, O my soul!
Tho' bigots may assail, 'twill be to no avail,
But truth will yet prevail in my soul, in my soul,
The truth will yet prevail in my soul.

When I am sinking down, sinking down, sinking down,
When I am sinking down, sinking down.
When I am sinking down, I'll not in silence drown,
Yet speak tho' tyrants frown, for my soul, for my soul,
Yet speak tho' tyrants frown, for my soul!

When ev'ry one is free, we'll sing on, we'll sing on,
When ev'ry one is free, we'll sing on.
When ev'ry one is free, we'll rise and joyful be,
And through eternity, we'll sing on, we'll sing on,
And through eternity, we'll sing on!

Picks and Lasers

This next song is called "Picks and Lasers", it's a science fiction war song about a guy some time in the future who's mining ore on Mars and hears about an intergalactic war. He goes up and he enlists in the Federation and fights, he enlists for a, er, for a tour of eighteen years, and-a, he goes off to fight in outer space and, er, gets kind of bummed out and wants to go back home. And that's about the size of it. The story is all this time and-er, this is called "Picks and Lasers", so here we go, kind of a long involved thing but I think you'll enjoy it.

Well, the first time that I heard the sound I thought it was the humming
Of Weather-Drones orbiting above the frozen sea.
The next time that I heard the sound I also heard the voices
In a hundred different languages calling out to me:
"Come put away your laser-pick and soar the galaxy."

And working on my K-jet in the heat of martian summer
I felt a strange vibration coming from the distant stars.
Old Charlie only laughed at me, he said it was 'space fever'
He thought that I had lost my mind when I told him that I saw
The War-Ships of a thousand worlds slicing through the stars.

Then from the sky came Saturn Sal with contrail streams behind her
And the word she said was 'war' again, so what was I to do ?
Oh, the 'droids' all started chirpin' and Old Charlie's mouth fell open
As I tossed my picks and lasers in the little Turbo-Two.
I could hear them cryin', "no, don't go!" as the red dust blocked the view.

Hey, picks and lasers; bits and phasers in another time.
Here's a story of blood and glory and life upon the line.
Picks and lasers; bits and phasers in another time.
Here's a story of blood and glory and digging in the mines,
In the martian mines.

Oh, the 'Cruiter' said I'd broke down and surely I must know it
For I'd been diggin' martian ore for thirty years or more.
I must have made a fortune and I'd probably live to spend it
If only I would change my mind but I insisted, "no!"
So I filled out all the proper forms ... that was eighteen years ago.

I joined the Federation and they placed me and my unit
In the rainbow rings of Saturn two thousand years away
And the squadron doing night watch are all Kriptees from Artura
And the day watch is all human clones from the U. S. A.
Poor souls, they vaporized them all the other day.

But no one tells me nothin', I never ask no questions
My vision's 20-20 and my health is A-OK.
I'm a Z rank photon sniper and they work me like a slave 'droid'
And laugh to see me vaporize a ship a week away.
Oh, I hold the highest kill rate in this galaxy, they say, hey!

And at night, they beg me please to tell them of my memories
Of diggin' in the red dirt beside the frozen sea.
Where the daylight lasts forever and a man can make a fortune
And they sit like little children, just as quiet as can be,
Things of every size and color how they hearken unto me.

And I tell them of the ore mines scarring up the desert,
Of tunnels going farther than the human mind can go.
I tell them of explosions vibrating on forever
And us down with our laser picks a hundred miles below,
While above us on the surface atomic stockpiles glow.

And I tell of crystal caverns with walls of coal and copper,
Of tunnels packed with veins of ore, but never hint of life.
And craters packed with sensor beams and mine shafts filled with darkness,
I tell them of my eco-dome at the Recon-Testing-Site
And I find myself thinking, "hey, that sure was the life."

So I talk of copper mining while the death-rays are exploding
And the soldroids at the firing place are homing on the foe.
And I yarn of ore refining while the Star Fleets are destroying
And they listen to my stories, seven hu-droids in a row,
Seven sleek and shiny hu-droids with their circuits all aglow.

And I tell them when it's over how I'll return to my planet,
Those seven shiny hu-droids are crazy to go, too.
And I'll get myself the laser drill that I had always wanted
And ask the price of crude ore, and the depth of martian blue,
And I'll get my gear in order and I'll start to work anew.

For I've had my fill of fighting — I've seen a world divided,
Space all filled with slaughter and the heavens red with gore
An a galaxy a-smolder and as if it really mattered
For the red dirt is calling me to my dome upon the shore.
And the 'droids' are chirpin' madly ... Old Charlie's singing gladly
And I'll rest upon my planet and I'll leave it never more,
And leave it never more.

Lady With The Lamp

I don't mind, please don't misunderstand —
I know the score of war.
A soldiers' life is give and give
And then they ask for more.
Walking on the picket line
Where my comrades fell,
Holding up the thin-red-line
In the shot and shell.

The lady with the lamp,
You know she understands.
The lady with the lamp,
She's the soldiers' friend.

I don't mind the blistering heat,
I think I can endure.
It's freezing cold and I can't feel my feet —
Well, that's the hell of war.
I never thought about the big red wound
When I saw my comrades fall.
Now I'm in this cold and lonely room
Wondering if I'll live at all.

The lady with the lamp,
You know she understands.
The lady with the lamp,
She's the soldiers' friend.

First they use us
And then they throw us away.
Only this nightingale
Knows the price that we pay,
The lady with the tramp.

Excuse me please, a cup of tea,
I've such a terrible thirst.
Would you please come and sit with me,
I feel it's come to the worst.
Write my mother that I love her so,
I can't seem to hold the pen.
Take this keep-sake and send it home,
To those I'll never see again.

The lady with the lamp,
You know she understands.
The lady with the lamp,
She's the soldiers' friend.

She will hold his hand,
Stay with him to the end.
You know she understands,
She's the soldier's friend.

Joe's Blues

Mm mm mm mm mm ...
Mm mm ...

Woke up this morning,
Feelin' 'round my bed;
Lookin' for my baby,
I found the blues instead.
Oh yeah — feelin' around my bed.
Oh yeah — ooh, I's feelin' 'round my bed.
Lookin' for my baby,
Great God! I've found the blues instead.

Ain't it sad
When good love goes wrong;
Ain't it lonesome
When you find yourself alone.
Ah yeah — hey-hey-hey, when love goes wrong.
Ah yeah — ooh, when love goes wrong.
Ain't it lonesome
When you find yourself all alone.

What's that sound I hear in the wind ?
Sounds like my baby
She's comin' back home again.
Oh yeah — hey, whistling in the wind.
Oh yeah — ooh, whistling in the wind.
I certainly do hope
My darlin' comes back home again —
Oh, yeah.

Hold on to Each Other

We are all just little children
Walking through a wicked land.
We are all just little children
Walking through a very, very wicked land.
We are all just little children
Walking through a very wicked land.
We've got to hold on to each other,
Well we gotta hold on, gotta hold on.

Hold on to each other,
Hold on, sister and brother.
Hold on to each other,
Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on.

Yeah, we're all just little children
Walking through a very wicked land.
We've got to hold on to each other,
Gotta hold on, gotta hold on.

Well, we're all bound to meet our maker
In the great bye and bye.
We're all bound to meet our maker
In the great bye and bye and bye.
We are all bound to meet our maker
In the great bye and bye.
We've got to hold on to each other,
Hey, gotta hold on, gotta hold on.

Hold on to each other,
Hold on, sister and brother.
Hold on to each other,
Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on.

Yeah, we're all bound to meet our maker
In the great bye and bye.
We've got to hold on to each other,
Gotta hold on, gotta hold on.
Hold on now!

We are all just little children
Walking through a wicked land.
We are all just little children
Walking through a very, very, very wicked land.
We are all just little children
Walking through a wicked land.
We've got to hold on to each other,
We gotta hold on, hey, gotta hold on.

Hold on to each other
Hold on, sister and brother.
Hold on to each other,
Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on.

Yeah, we're all bound to meet our maker
In the great bye and bye.
We've got to hold on to each other,
Gotta hold on, gotta hold on.
We've got to hold on to each other,
Yeah, we've gotta hold on, gotta hold on.

Stolen Heart Blues

My friends tried to tell me, I wouldn't believe,
Better guard your emotions, that woman's a thief,

She'll steal away your heart,
She'll steal away your heart.
When you're not looking,
She'll steal away your heart.

I asked her sister, her sister said yes,
She's got that kind of lovin' you won't never forget.

She'll steal away your heart,
She'll steal away your heart.
When you're not looking,
She'll steal away your heart.

My friends tried to tell me, I couldn't see
They say love is blind — well it sure blinded me.

She stole away my heart,
She stole away my heart.
When I wasn't looking,
She stole away my heart.

Church bells are ringing, I'm walkin' on air,
Somethin's burnin' in the kitchen, the smell of diapers everywhere.

She stole away my heart,
She stole away my heart.
When I wasn't looking,
She stole away my heart.

Some day grandchildren will climb up on my knee,
I'll tell them the stories 'bout their grandma and me,

How she stole away my heart,
She stole away my heart.
When I wasn't looking,
She stole away my heart.