… and home in the universe
I always loved “Home on the Range”—all the more because the original lyrics, oddly enough, are uncontaminated by superstition. So these lyrics I wrote should neither be taken as disparaging, nor as an improvement. They’re situated in a 21st century where humanity is still haunted by the nightmare of faith, where the freedom the original lyrics breathe still fails to materialize, where people are still deprived of their most basic rights by religious reigns of terror all over the globe and bigoted politicians right outside our door.
Home in Our World
Oh give me a home where religions don’t roam
And to faiths we bid fare-thee-well;
Where no prayer is heard nor some “incarnate” word
And the sky’s free from heaven or hell.
Home, home in our world
Where to faiths we bid fare-thee-well,
Where no prayer is heard nor some “incarnate” word
And the sky’s free from heaven or hell.
How often at night, when the stars shine so bright,
And the Milky Way lights up the sky
Have I stood there amazed, and asked as I gazed,
How far without chains we can fly.
Home, home in our world
Where to faiths we bid fare-thee-well,
Where no prayer is heard nor some “incarnate” word
And the sky’s free from heaven or hell.
Where our shackles are shed, and our minds at last freed,
Where the full light of knowledge did rise
That our home here on earth is so much more worth
Than any old false paradise.
Home, home in our world
Where to faiths we bid fare-thee-well,
Where no prayer is heard nor some “incarnate” word
And the sky’s free from heaven or hell.
Oh, I love wild ideas, and the chances we seize,
And the progress I love to hear scream
Toward living good lives without bigoted lies
And happiness not just a dream.
Home, home in our world
Where to faiths we bid fare-thee-well,
Where no prayer is heard nor some “incarnate” word
And the sky’s free from heaven or hell.
Home in Our World by J. Martin (06/2010) is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
As for the little ditty itself, here’s my favorite instrumental version:
“Buffalo Stomp Refrain” by Neil Young and the Wild Bill Band of Strings
From the Where the Buffalo Roam movie soundtrack
(vinyl out of print since ages, and never released on CD/digitally).
If you have something valuable to add or some interesting point to discuss, I’ll be looking forward to meeting you at Mastodon!