Spacefaring Stranger

[Rich Brown]

I blame Eric Coleman for this. Eric selected "Wayfaring Stranger" to
play on Filkcast, and that led directly to ...


Spacefaring Stranger

I am a poor spacefaring stranger,
The seas of space do not suit me.
But my home planet fell to danger:
A change in climate boiled the sea.

The genes I bear are my forefathers’,
A thousand years, I’ve flown through space.
Fly from my dead world to another,
I am the last one of my race.

I fly to buy my kind’s survival,
My treasured coat safe in the hold.
That which I’ll wear upon arrival,
Just as I wore in days of old.

I’m going there to be a father,
And once I’m there, I’ll sail no more.
‘Til then, I journey ever farther,
To a new home on a new shore.

The star called Sol — my destination,
There I will land on planet three.
A place ideal for procreation,
One-quarter land, three-quarters sea.

I’m going there to find a mother,
But humans don’t live centuries.
As each one dies, I’ll wed another,
My children all will be selkies —
Our children all will be selkies.

lyrics 2022, Rich Brown

[Mark Mandel]

This one grabbed me as soon as I saw the title, and gripped me even harder as I read, then sang, through it. "Wayfaring Stranger" is one of many folk songs I absorbed as a kid.

Your first verse, of course, seems to be in the voice of a human, especially its fourth line, "A change in climate boiled the sea". But each verse after that pulls further away from that interpretation
2 a thousand years
3 my treasured coat
4 to be a father (but "last one of my race"?)
5 Sol 3; ideal for procreation: 1/4 land, 3/4 sea
6 humans don’t live centuries
till the final revelation in the last lines. (No spoiler here!)

And the close echo of the original's "to see my father". Thank you, Rich. This one's an absolute keeper.

Mark Mandel
"The Filker with No Nickname"

On Wednesday, May 18, 2022 at 12:27:46 AM UTC-4, Rich Brown wrote:
> I blame Eric Coleman for this. Eric selected "Wayfaring Stranger" to
> play on Filkcast, and that led directly to ...
>
>
> Spacefaring Stranger

> ...

[Rich Brown]

Cool! I was hoping the effect would be “human … uh no …”
Is your take that the stranger is a hero (to his kind) or a typical male jerk?

[Tim Merrigan]

On 19 May 2022 13:49:54 -0500, Rich Brown <rab...@freemars.org> wrote:

>Cool! I was hoping the effect would be “human … uh no …”
>Is your take that the stranger is a hero (to his kind) or a typical male jerk?

I'm currently watching the Showtime sequel to The Man Who Fell to
Earth, and the plot of your song kinda reminded me of that, though
it's not quite an exact match. (I just realized that it might match
Mars Needs Women a little closser.)
--

Qualified immunity = virtual impunity.

Tim Merrigan

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