"We pray for one last landing. On the globe that gave us birth. Let us rest our eyes on the fleecy skies. And the cool, green hills of Earth."
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Story behind the song
Music by Michael Duran - March 2016
Piano and vocals played on AKAI MPK261 using 'The Giant' piano and 'Vocalise' choral by Kontakt.
"We pray for one last landing.
On the globe that gave us birth.
Let us rest our eyes on the fleecy skies.
And the cool, green hills of Earth."
Excerpt from "The Past Through Tomorrow" by Robert Heinlein - 1947.
"The Green Hills of Earth" is a science fiction short story by Robert A. Heinlein, and also the title of a song, "The Green Hills of Earth", mentioned in several of his novels.
"This is the story of Rhysling, the Blind Singer of the Spaceways - But not the official version."
You see, Rhysling's reputation was protected by a careful literary executor, and by the happy chance that he was never interviewed.
"Songs of the Spaceways" appeared the week he heroicly died, when it promptly became a best seller.
The publicity stories about him were pieced together from what people remembered about him plus the highly colored handouts from his publishers.
The resulting traditional picture of Rhysling is about as authentic as George Washington's hatchet or King Alfred's cakes.
In truth you would not have wanted him in your parlor, he was not socially acceptable.
He had a permanent case of radiation itch, which he scratched continually, adding nothing to his negligible beauty.
Van der Voort's portrait of him, for the Harriman Centennial edition of his works, shows a figure of high tragedy, a solemn mouth, sightless eyes concealed by a black silk bandage.
Laughable! He was never solemn!
His mouth was always open, singing, grinning, drinking, or eating.
The bandage was any old rag, usually dirty.
After he lost his sight he became less and less neat about his person.
