To New Stars or Bust

We were sparks in the dark of a wild, breathing forest Hands in the soil, every river knew our name Built our fires where the night sang its chorus Counting the seasons, living low within the flame But we struck stone against the iron vein Turned the waterwheels into roaring trains Every sunrise came with taller smoke Till the sky wore a crown of choking hope Now the engines cry, and the oceans rust We have burned our ties, turned the trees to dust We have crossed that line, there is no way back Every step we take rides a fractured track So it’s new stars or bust, on this turning crust We have broken trust with the earth we loved We are bound to fly from this poisoned dust To new stars or bust, to new stars or bust We raised towers where the tall pines were standing Glass in the clouds, casting shadows on the ground Fed the furnaces with forests never-ending Gilded our cities while the wild was drowned We cut veins through the mountains’ bones Bled the oil from the ancient stones Lit the midnight bright as broken day While the silent fields slowly slipped away Now the engines cry, and the oceans rust We have burned our ties, turned the trees to dust We have crossed that line, there is no way back Every step we take rides a fractured track So it’s new stars or bust, on this turning crust We have broken trust with the earth we loved We are bound to fly from this poisoned dust To new stars or bust, to new stars or bust Mother, we carved your rivers straight Drew our borders on your skin Named your thunder, called it fate Closed our doors against your wind Mother, your fever starts to rise Storms are learning how to speak In your ashes, in your skies Saying goobye is the only way to apologize