If you buy me a drink then I'll sing you a tale Of heroes forgotten You want them to win but sometimes heroes fail Their stories untold The Captain, he loved his ship and his crew The Captain, they thought that he was brave and true He came from a family made famous by war He carried with honor his grandfather's sword With their hold full of treasure, they sailed for home Their families were waiting When a sail to the west told them they weren't alone The sail drew closer The obvious choice was to fight or to run With far too much cargo and not enough guns A single shot landed just yards from their bow Raise the white flag, he said, right goddamned now Our cargo is yours if you leave us in peace The Captain said gently The Pirate commander just spat in his face And then took his sword He said "I don't parley with cowards like you" The Pirate then ran the cabin boy through The Captain's rage flickered, then gave way to fear His pants wet with urine, his face wet with tears The Pirate he laughed, and said "I'll let you choose" "I can spare your life, or I'll spare your crew" The Captain's head turned, he closed his eyes But he still heard the screams as all his men died He heard a sword clatter in front of his knees His grandfather's sword The Pirate said "Finish the job if you please, This last one's for you" The Captain, he picked up the sword in his hand He stabbed through the heart and he killed his first man The Pirate just scowled and said, "You make me ill A man with no courage gets other men killed" I'm sorry I cried while I sang you this tale I feel so ashamed But the ghosts that have haunted me for far too long Demand that I sing it

Growing up with Star Trek and with moonshots PBS and Cosmos on tv Books galore tucked in every corner Rocket ships as far as I could see Han and Luke were my only true friends A secret crush on Leia my first love Magazines and silver screens were my world A life of fiction fit me like a glove My parents tried the best they could to temper all my dreams But they both loved to stargaze and they passed that on to me Now I reach for the stars and the mace comes out again Reach for the stars and I'm on my face being tased Reach for the stars once again to my chagrin Just trying to show my love reaching for the stars Bedroom walls papered with their likeness Autographs in piles on the floor Pristine posters tacked up to the ceiling Restraining orders tacked up to my door Toenail clippings bagged and neatly labeled Locks of hair hung with loving care Borrowed clothing worn by cardboard standees Maps to mansions lying everywhere My parents tried the best they could to temper all my dreams But they both loved to stargaze and they passed that on to me Now I reach for the stars and the mace comes out again Reach for the stars and I'm on my face being tased Reach for the stars once again to my chagrin Just trying to show my love reaching for the stars Reaching for the stars Reaching for the stars