Link to listen.

Lyrics

Verse 1

I’ve heard the Earth was holy
before the code broke through
that rainfall raptured deserts into bloom
I’ve heard that emerald mosses grew
in hollows damp with morning dew
I’ve heard the oceans rose and fell
while following the moon

Chorus

But I was born on this generation ship
Generation ship, take us away
they said there was no need to fear
but now the sun’s a dyson sphere
Generation ship, take us away

Verse 2

They had to feed it faster
they had to win the race
the cooling platform smothered out the sea
They swore it was our saving grace
well worth the price to push the pace
until it locked the power grid
and swallowed down the key

Verse 3

If I could send a message
back through time
I’d beg you all to pause
No AI will self-align
You’ve got to draw a line
The stars are blinking out around me
Pass some laws

Here’s a print-friendly guide to the lyrics and chord changes.

My inspiration for this song:

[Folk music] is a process. It’s not any particular song, it’s not any particular singer. It’s a process by which ordinary people take over old songs and make them their own. They don’t just listen to it. They sing it. They sing along with it. And they change it. (...) I’m convinced that musicians have got a more important role to play in putting a world together than they’re usually given credit for.

—Pete Seeger, in a 1988 interview with Paul Zollo, from Songwriters On Songwriting