Red Soil Home

Family photos in my pack Earth's blue marble fading black Children's birthdays I won't see The price of history Everything I've ever known Shrinking on the viewing screen Trading one world for unknown To chase this dream No return ticket on this ride No coming back one day But pioneers must pay the price Of being light years away The first ones planting roots in red The last to see Earth's dawn The price of touching Martian ground Is leaving Earth behind Mission control is growing dim As signals take their time My grandson's wedding message sent Takes twenty minutes to find But when we build these crimson domes And plants break through this sand Someone's children will call Mars Their native land No return ticket on this ride No coming back one day But pioneers must pay the price Of being light years away The first ones planting roots in red The last to see Earth's dawn The price of touching Martian ground Is leaving Earth behind (With ethereal backing vocals) Some nights I stand beneath these stars That no one's seen before Knowing that the world we build Is worth what we gave up (With softening dynamics) No return ticket on this ride No coming back one day But when they write this chapter They'll remember why we came First footprints in the red soil home Last looks at Earth's blue dawn The price of building brand new worlds Is leaving one behind