Sci Fi Filk -- Carmen Miranda's Ghost

Carmen Miranda's Ghost

CARMEN MIRANDA'S GHOST 01
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5p8YhhaVlA

Carmen Miranda's ghost is haunting Space Station Three.
Half the staff has seen her, plus the Portmaster and me.
And if you think we've had too much of Cookie's homemade rum,
Just tell me where those basket-hats of fruit keep coming from.

Don't go down to the cargo-bay when there's no ship in dock.
You just might hear maracas clack and get a nasty shock
And if you hear a rumba-beat, don't pass the messroom door;
You just might see a tangerine come rolling down the floor.

We sometimes catch a glimpse of her, by station night or day,
But when we try to catch her, she just laughs and fades away.
The station's chief headshrinker takes his notes and drains his cup.
We get rotated often, but she still keeps showing up.

We don't know why we're haunted here, or why it's her that haunts.
We've got a betting-pool for all who wonder what she wants.
The best odds say she likes the rhythm of the station's drive;
They didn't have phase-generators while she was alive.

Carmen Miranda's ghost is haunting Space Station Three.
Not that we're complaining, since the fresh fruit all comes free.
But now and then we wonder what it means for the human race
That ghosts of generations past are taking off for space.

DAWSON'S CHRISTIAN 02
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w34fSnJNP-4

 Jayme Dawson was the Captain of the Christian and her crew,
And he flew and fought the Christian in the War of '82.
Now the Christian was the tightest ship 'tween here and Charlemagne,
And the crew of Jayme Dawson was the same.

On patrol in sector seven, keeping watch on Barber's sun,
They were jumped by three light cruisers though they wern't a match for one.
As they came to general quarters and they sent out the alarm,
Dawson's crew was sure they'd finally bought the farm.

No one living saw that battle though the fleet was quick to leave.
When they reached the site they found a scene no sane man could believe.
Dead in space lay three light cruisers, cut to ribbons all around,
But no sign of Dawson's Christian could be found.

    There are stories of the Dutchman, the Celeste and Barnham's Pride,
    There are stories of the Horseman and the Lady at his side,
    But the tale that chills my spirit, more because I know it's true,
    Is the tale of Jayme Dawson and his crew,
    Yes, the tale of Dawson's Christian and her crew.

(instrumental interlude)

I was second mate on Hera's Dream, a freighter of the line.
We were shipping precious metals to the colony on Nine.
It was on the second watch of that most uneventful flight,
When the pirate ships appeared out of the night.

Now to me there was no question, for they had us four to one,
And you can't fight dirty pirates when your freighter has no gun.
So we stood by to be boarded by a party yet unseen,
When another ship appeared upon our screen.

First we thought it just a pirate, but the vector was all wrong.
Then we thought it might be rescue, but the signal wasn't strong.
When she didn't answer hailing, we all felt an unknown dread,
For we saw her shields were up and glowing red.

Now the courage of that single ship is shown by very few,
But we never knew a ship could fly the way the stranger flew.
Never fearing guns or numbers, like a tiger to its meat,
The stranger then attacked the pirate fleet.

    And the strangers beams burned brighter than all beams I'd seen before.
    And the strangers shields were harder than the heart of any whore.
    As the battle rent the eather, while we watched and shook our heads,
    The pirate ships were cut to bloody shreds.
    The pirate ships were cut to bloody shreds.

Just as quickly as it started then the fighting was all done.
For the pirate fleet was shattered and the stranger's ship had won.
Though we tried to call and thank her, not an answer could we draw,
Then she dropped her shields and this is what we saw.

There were thirty holes clear through her and a gash along one side,
And we knew that when it happened, that no crew were left alive.
For the markings all said Christian, deep inside us each one knew,
'Twas the tomb of Jayme Dawson and his crew.

Now instead of flying off, the stranger then began to fade,
First the hull, and then the bulkheads as we cowered there afraid,
For as the Christian disappeared, the last to slip from view,
Were the bones of Jayme Dawson and his crew.
Yes, the bones of Jayme Dawson and his crew.

    There are stories of the Dutchman, the Celeste and Barnham's Pride,
    There are stories of the Horseman and the Lady at his side,
    But the tale that chills my spirit, and I swear to God it's true,
    Is the tale of Jayme Dawson and his crew,
    Yes, the tale of Dawson's Christian and her crew.

GOOD SHIP MANATEE 03
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJzPhRJRgFA

BOMBER 04

NEEDS REFINING
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlkH687M4YM

Sleek and clean, the death machines stand ready on the decks
Beside them men who fight in them run through their final checks
________, their lives are moved by hate
For those who fly make others die and never touch their fate

(chorus)
He just flies the bomber,
He never sees their eyes when the hell comes down
He just flies the bomber...

Inbound trip with outer slip, the shuttle drops them free
Set the track for their attack, the backup coms agree
Now trim the jet and don't forget to plot in the return
It's time to go, for down below's a planet that was burned

(chorus)

Now make the run so quick it's done, as death screams towards the ground
Moving fast, they're so far past, they never hear the sound
A final turn is from the stern, the watch the mushrooms grow
Fill the night with deadly light and kill the world below

(chorus)

Back aboard the shuttle, there'll be time enough to think what they have done
He'll fight their antiseptic war, won't leave them with a place that they can run
Nowhere to run!

And there's no deep untroubled sleep for one with such a debt
The guilt alone will not a atone, nor let a soul forget
Those cries and screams, they're not just dreams, imagination, lies
God damn the war, the BITCH you whore, you killers from the skies

(chorus)



SOME KIND OF HERO 05
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WDRxtd-2dQ

Will you do me a favor, piano man, please--
I want you to write me a song.
They call me the hero of Antelope's Run,
And I gotta show 'em they're wrong.

You see, it all started a week ago
In the bar down on Corridor Three.
There was nobody there but us regular bums:
Two losers, the barman, and me.

Floppin' up booze in the north corner booth
Was the old man they call Cap'n Jed.
Cause he owned a tramp freighter, the old Antelope--
A ship, that like him, was half-dead.

Now Molly, they say, was a crack pilot once,
A gal with a brilliant career.
But then she started dopin' on Regulos One
And finally washed out down here.

And me--well, I wanted the navy bad
But it seems that they didn't want me.
So I stopped chasing stars, started sweeping up bars
For bed and board and all my drinks free.

It was quiet that night with the docks closed down;
There was nothing due in for a week.
Not a ship was in port but the old Antelope
When the red alert started to shriek.

The whole station shook like a hurt living thing
Then the lights dimmed and faded away.
The the gravity went, and the air pumps cut out,
And the bartender started to pray.

"Ah, stow that bilch.  Head for the Antelope, now!"
Jed's voice cut the dark like a knife.
"The station reactor's gone critical low,
So run to the docks for your life."

When we got to the docks we found waiting out there
Every soul that had been left alive.
They begged with their eyes for poor old Captain Jed
To tell 'em all how to survive.

"Break out the suits," said the Captain to them,
"Cause it's dark and it's airless and cold.
But I swear I can get you all out of here safe,
Pack in to the Antelope's hold."

"Molly," he asked, "Can you navigate?" "Aye,"
She said, "who do we have for a crew?"
"The Antelope needs only three hands," he said,
"And I think our young friend here will do."

The confident look that he flashed at me then
Made my heart turn over with pride.
I never once thought about backin' away--
I think I would rather have died.

Two-hundred alive in the Antelope's hold
And the Captain and Molly and me;
We slammed the lock just as the station blew wide,
Jed hit the main jets to get free.

Now that kind of g-force is rough on the heart,
Too much for his ticker to take.
So when we came around and we saw how he lay
We knew Captain Jed wouldn't wake.

So I took the com and the engineer boards
And Molly took helm and the nav
With the manuals spread out all over the deck
And a mind for what they didn't have.

She worked like a comp at that crazy machine
While her hands shook like grass in the breeze.
But her skill was still sharp and she jumped us three times
Never minding the shakes and DT's.

Three jumps made clean--only one more was left!
When the ships alarm started to blast.
Her old worn-out seals had come loose in the stress;
We were losing our heat and air fast.

On the bridge, there was only one vacuum suit left--
Well, they say Lady Luck has gone blind.
"Heads or tails," was the question I started to ask,
When I felt myself hit from behind.

When I came to again I was sealed in the suit,
Molly belted down tight in her chair.
With her hands on the console, a smile on her lips,
And the ice on her face and her hair.

"Here's the instructions to get us all home,"
I saw she had left on the screen.
"If any old shipmates should ask after Moll,
Tell 'em--she finally died clean."

I made the last jump just like she told me too,
And I brought the ship in like she'd said.
They call me a hero, now, for what I did--
But they don't mention Molly and Jed.

So write me that song, now, piano man, please,
And sing it out often and loud.
So they all know the story of one kind of hero--
The kind that makes everyone proud.

But some kind of heroes are lunkheads like me
Who only do things that they're told.
And some kind of heroes are out for the glory--
They're heroes on purpose, and cold.

Some become heroes for bravery, sure,
And some because all hope is lost.
But a few are the heroes like Molly and Jed
Who give without asking the cost.

SPACEMAN'S DILEMMA 06
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RVTvwZUAyM

GUARDIANS 07
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqU7W8LdRd4

He wasn't quite sure what went wrong,
Just that the engine blew
And flung him hard against the wall
And him the only crew.
He felt like he'd been broke in half
He passed out twice from pain
And when he heard the voices
He was sure he'd gone insane.

Just two of them at first it was
And then a dozen more.
He blinked to see two women kneel
Beside him on the floor.
He thought they might be angels
But they weren't like angels much;
No wings, no robes, just plain grey spacer
Coveralls and such.

"You're not dead yet, my friend
And it's not quite your time to go,"
The first one said "Now look,
Your rescue beacon's down below
Ed says that there's another ship,
Not far away at all.
You still have two good arms my friend
So grit your teeth and crawl."

They winked out then, the pain clamped down
He thought he'd move no more.
Another one appeared
And sat beside him on the floor.
"Come on, tovarisch," this one urged
"You'll make it, I don't doubt.
Show me some of these Yankee guts
I've heard so much about."

It seemed to take eternity
To crawl from here to there
The pain at least a hundred times
Was more than he could bear
But every time he'd start to quit,
Lie down, give up and die
Another would appear beside him
Urging him to try.

He reached the beacon in a daze
Of fever, mist and pain.
He hit the activator
And he saw them once again
"Remember friend," the woman said
"When death is closing fast,
It's then you try your hardest
For the darkness will not last."

He passed out then, the rescue came
They brought him safely home,
And he forgot it all
Until he got to Luna dome.
And passed beneath the hologram
That stands above the door
And recognized those faces there
He'd seen them all before.

Gus and Ed and Roger
Made him hold to hope and try.
The Russians, Ronald, Christa too,
They wouldn't let him die.
He knew whose words had saved him
And he knew that in the end
He'd go to join their company
And greet them as a friend.

ONE LAST BATTLE 08
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgZWyntHj0c

NEW SINS FOR OLD 09
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWZ5qqN6pG0

Oh, what's the use of this looting and pillaging
Swinging my ray-gun through blood, guts, and gore?
Raping and robbing and boozing grow boring
The life of a pirate's no fun anymore
No fun anymore, no fun anymore
It's only a job, it's no fun anymore

Always the same: all the planning and ambushing
Pouncing, attacking, and hauling away
The whoring and boozing and passing out afterwards
It's getting monotonous, day after day
Day after day, day after day
It's boring as Hell, fighting day after day

I've bounced in more beds than there's hairs on my you-know-what
I've bred enough bastards to crew my own ship
I've never had time to stay home and raise one of 'em
So what will I have when I've emptied my clip?
Emptied my clip, emptied my clip
Who'll call me "Dad" when I've emptied my clip?

I've got an itch to go do something different
Get a good farm and a nice buxom bride
Raise some tall crops and a lot of fat babies
Complacency's one sin that I've never tried!
I've never tried, I've never tried
Playing Good Citizen I've never tried

SPACE HERO 10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNdMC6_eUGk

Do you wanna be a hero in the sky?
Do you wanna be a hero in the sky?
High adventure, higher pay
Join the space marines today
Yeah you're gonna be a hero in the sky.

Do you wanna wear a macho uniform?
Do you wanna wear a macho uniform?
-------
Pants that bag around the knees
Yeah we'll put you in a macho uniform.

Do you wanna rise as early as the birds?
Do you wanna rise as early as the birds?
Well on that you'll have no choice
When you hear the Sergent's voice
Yeah you're gonna rise as early as the birds.

Do you wanna eat exotic space cuisine?
Do you wanna eat exotic space cuisine?
Powdered eggs and wafer bars,
Nameless stew and burger char,
Yeah you'll always eat exotic space cuisine.

Do you wanna own the latest weaponry?
Do you wanna own the latest weaponry?
Guns that jam and spray like hell,
With their stock made by Patel,
Yeah you'll always own the latest weaponry.

Do you wanna take a body building course?
Do you wanna take a body building course?
Yeah our basic training tends
To put muscles at both ends
Yeah we'll put you through a body building course.

Do you wanna kiss some gorgeous foreign dames?
Do you wanna kiss some gorgeous foreign dames?
On a hundred worlds or more,
There's just one kind of whore.
Yeah that's what you'll see of gorgeous foreign dames.

Do you wanna test the latest weapons made?
Do you wanna test the latest weapons made?
On every other pass
One will get you in the ass,
Yeah that's how you'll test the latest weapons made.

Do you wanna further medical research?
Do you wanna further medical research?
Between modern weaponry
And the new kinds of VD
Yeah you'll surely further medical research.

Would you be young and handsome all your life?
Would you be young and handsome all your life?
Well the odds are good that you
Will be dead by 22
So you'll be young and handsome all your life.

Hero is a four-letter word.
Hero is a four-letter word!
Just another term for fool,
And you'll learn well in our school
That hero is a four-letter word.
That hero is a four-letter word.

SAM JONES 11
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mO7vkdkJhg

SPACER'S HOME 12
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAk5ane_9AQ

Will later update with more lyrics.