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Words and music by Dar Williams |
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Once upon a time there was a nuclear family, |
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And we lived in a family time, |
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And we'd unite in a family way. |
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And off the ancient mountain, |
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They were splitting every nucleus. |
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They said 'don't be alarmed, |
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Just don't try this at home.' |
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And they were the mystery that made the world run |
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And we had the power, 'cause they were the sun |
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And we called them our heroes, and the future had come. |
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They said,'look at the light we're giving you, |
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And the darkness we're saving you from.' |
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Soon they were bringing it into our showroom, |
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And they'd unveil it with it's title, |
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Bring your family, bring your family, |
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It's the Great Unknown. |
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You can look, but you can't fathom, |
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It's the Great Unknown. |
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I'm no ordinary princess, I was born in the cold war, |
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And my team is the Rockets. |
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Go team, it's a dangerous time. |
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And I dream of the moon and building lunar clone colonies. |
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And I build my peace with strength, that's the best weapon you've |
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got. |
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Oh, I am the brainchild, I am the mortar, |
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With a plastic trophy and an eating disorder, |
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And vision as big as a great big wall, |
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And they tell me that I'll move forward for the good of us all, |
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And the good of nuclear families all. |
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And they think I think I am important. |
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I know I never was, no I wasn't. |
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No I never, and how could I be? |
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It's the Great Unknown. |
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Now we've built it, now it's ticking, |
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It's the Great Unknown. |
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And I am your children, I am millions. |
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And I wanted to sell out, I wanted to try, |
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But you know the sky got too low, and the ocean got too high. |
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And I tried to take God into my own hands. |
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Am I too late? Is it over? |
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Have I sacrificed my family to the Great Unknown? |
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There's a war between my conscience and the Great Unknown. |
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So I walked out into the Gamma fields |
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Out in Mercury, Nevada. |
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Where I stood in circle and that circle started to pray. |
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And the wind at the nuclear test sights floats the data at the radiation. |
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From the underground testing, |
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Cross the line, you'll get arrested. |
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And we came from all over in a silent appeal |
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As the drill comes down like a presidential seal. |
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And we stand for the living, and we stand for the dead, |
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And we looked out to see your enemies, |
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And we see that you're looking all at us instead. |
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And you think I am being disruptive? |
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But no I'm running home, I'm running, |
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'Cause I'm trying to put the atom back together. |
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It's the Great Unknown. |
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I'm just trying to put the atom back together. |
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It's the Great Unknown. |
