Light
C. K. Williams Lyrics
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There must be something better in space
Or is just the time in which we live
That has nothing good to give
Let's grab a ship and blast away
Because I don't want to die here, I don't want to stay
When I see the stars above I know that I'm alive
We're leaving our past
At the speed of light
We'll be young when you are dead
The future lies ahead
At the speed of light
Our goal is to find a new home
There is a chance: we are not alone
But if there is nothing to be found
Plan B is to turn around
A year to us is a hundred to you
When we're back everything will be new
When I see the stars above I know that I'm alive
I don't care what happens to me, because I know I'll survive
We're going so fast
We're leaving our past
At the speed of light
We'll be young when you are dead
The future lies ahead
At the speed of light
The lyrics to C.K. Williams's song "Light" are a meditation on both the despair and the hope that human beings experience when contemplating the vastness and complexity of the universe. The opening lines are bleak: "Our world is a terrible place / There must be something better in space." The suggestion here is that the problems of humanity -- war, poverty, environmental destruction -- are so profound that there must be a better place for us out there, in the vastness of the cosmos. Williams doesn't offer easy answers, however: he wonders whether it is simply "the time in which we live / That has nothing good to give."
Despite this spiritual nausea, Williams remains hopeful throughout the song, suggesting that space travel offers a chance for renewal and possibility. "Let's grab a ship and blast away," he sings, "Because I don't want to die here, I don't want to stay." For Williams, the act of looking up at the stars is a potent reminder of our own vitality: "When I see the stars above I know that I'm alive / We're going so fast / We're leaving our past / At the speed of light." The chorus offers an exultant vision of the future: "We'll be young when you are dead / The future lies ahead / At the speed of light."
Ultimately, Williams refuses to offer any easy answers to the complex questions he's raising. "Our goal is to find a new home / There is a chance: we are not alone / But if there is nothing to be found / Plan B is to turn around," he sings. For Williams, the existential complications of being human are ones that cannot be solved with a simple spaceship ride.
Line by Line Meaning
Our world is a terrible place
The world we inhabit is ridden with problems and difficulties.
There must be something better in space
The singer believes that there must be a better place to live beyond Earth.
Or is just the time in which we live
The singer questions whether it is simply the current era that is responsible for the world's troubled state.
That has nothing good to give
The artist believes that the current world has nothing positive to offer.
Let's grab a ship and blast away
The artist suggests leaving Earth and going on a space journey for a better future.
Because I don't want to die here, I don't want to stay
The singer expresses a strong desire to leave Earth, as they do not want to live and die in such a troubled world.
When I see the stars above I know that I'm alive
The singer feels alive and motivated when they see the stars in the sky.
We're going so fast
The ship in which the artist is traveling is moving quickly through space.
We're leaving our past
The journey to a new place is a chance to leave behind past problems and difficulties.
At the speed of light
The ship is traveling at an incredibly fast speed.
We'll be young when you are dead
As the singer and their crew will experience time differently than those back on Earth, they will remain youthful while those on Earth age and die.
The future lies ahead
The artist is optimistic about the possibilities for the future.
Our goal is to find a new home
The singer's primary objective in their space journey is to discover a new place to live.
There is a chance: we are not alone
The singer believes that there may be other intelligent life forms out in space.
But if there is nothing to be found
If the quest for a new home proves fruitless, the crew will have to come up with a new plan.
Plan B is to turn around
The backup plan is to simply turn around and return to Earth if they cannot find a new home.
A year to us is a hundred to you
Due to the differences in time experienced on the ship versus Earth, one year for the crew will be a hundred years for those back on Earth.
When we're back everything will be new
The singer believes that upon their return to Earth, everything will be very different from how they left it.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Alexander Hofman, Valdi Solemo, Johan Malmgren
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Chikinstick
Absolutely incredible writing. He paints a very vivid picture in all of his poems that I can almost imagine myself living inside of them.
dorotwhy
"This Happened" no words can express the way this poem reach inside me and grabbed. Tears.
Ron Collins
a remarkable collection -- powerful, moving, engaging, inviting, memorable
samala51
Absolutely wonderful
oddsource
great poet... post modernism at its finest.
Black Metal Swan
This guy has great work- reminiscent of a young Wesley Willis
Chad Lester
Poetry? great work but talented that he has to be anyway, good job and great strength in getting message across artistically.
marrietta09
I do not think Williams is mediocre - I believe the point of writing is to create an experience for the reader, to communicate an emotional experience, not to be didactic and tell them how to think about something.
Gary Edwards
You have to give it your undivided attention, think about it and understand it to appreciate it.
Gregory Brilowski
Grace is a Wonderful Thing! As is Rocking Rhythms with Human Passion. Harlets shall stir Forever and so should it be. Amen. Release, Relief, Reproduction. And Love.