Pushing the Speed of Light

Now the big ships fly to a hundred suns By pushing the speed of light And they want good men for the deep space runs Pushing the speed of light And the pay is good, and you're young and strong And you tell yourself that it won't be long So you sign on board, hear the drive's deep song Pushing the speed of light Pushing the speed of light And you've left behind you the world of men With no way in space to go home again When you're pushing the speed of light Pushing the speed of light Now it's two months out and it's two months back When you're pushing the speed of light Twenty years on your homeworld's track Pushing the speed of light And your friends are gone and your lovers too And there's damn-all left that you can do And you try to lie, but you know it's true Pushing the speed of light Pushing the speed of light So you sign back on for another run Of pushing the speed of light And you swear to God that your pushing's done Pushing the speed of light But that one run turns into four or five And your heart beats time to the humming drive And there's nothing left keeps you alive But pushing the speed of light Pushing the speed of light Now you've spread your seed with the star drive's flame By pushing the speed of light Left sons behind you to carry your name Pushing the speed of light And you watch them age, and you watch them die As you race the light-wind across the sky And the gods are silent when you ask them, Why? Pushing the speed of light Pushing the speed of light Now, the speed of c is a wall, they say When you're pushing the speed of light That cuts you off from yesterday Pushing the speed of light But you know someday you're gonna win that race And fly back the years to your starting space And you'll stay awhile 'fore you're back in space Pushing the speed of light Pushing the speed of light And you've left behind you the world of men With no way in Hell to go home again When you're pushing the speed of light Pushing the speed of light