A World Gone Wrong

(Sung to the tune of Boy Named Sue)

I stand in my tent watching the dust swirl ’round

My now-lighter feet planted firmly on the ground

Glad to have been chosen as one of the strong

Where it once was bleak, the future seems bright

(Even though the sun puts out a lot less light)

Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye to a world gone wrong

Well it started out slowly enough

A few infections, but hey - we’re tough

We thought the bug just couldn’t last that long

But combined with the heat, and all of the trash

We as a species just couldn’t last

Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye to a world gone wrong

They announced they were looking for “volunteers”

So I showed up with some rusty kitchen shears

Prepared to fight for my place, I joined the throng

Well it turned out it was just an interview

I put on a smile, and sailed right on through

Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye to a world gone wrong

After 9 dull months we finally touched down

Got out of the ship, and looked around

A list of things to do a mile long

No time to walk, we just plain ran

To bend this new planet to the will of man

Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye to a world gone wrong

As I look at our “town” after a couple of days

I just can’t help but be amazed

What man can do when he meets a challenge head on

The engines of progress everywhere

On a landscape that was totally bare

Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye to a world gone wrong

But the strangest thing I ever did see

Is our old planet in the sky, still pretty as can be

They told us Earth’s demise couldn’t be prolonged

But as I look at Her through my magnifying glass

I swear, I see new trees and grass

And I have to wonder - if we weren't the plague all along

***

Well, we can’t go back, we must stay here

So I guess I have to swallow my fear

And acknowledge that we really got it wrong

Out here on Mars we have another chance

To participate in Mother Nature’s dance

And say “hello” to a better world, where we all belong