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Taking You Out to See the Stars

from Taking You Out to See the Stars by Gray Rinehart

/

about

This song includes a line from a conversation I had with my son when he was very young - specifically, that if we didn't have the darkness, we wouldn't be able to see the stars.

I wish I'd had the presence of mind (or maybe the foresight?) as my children were growing to do what I suggest in the song. That said, I've been pleased to hear that some friends have gone out and found specific stars and remembered what they were doing when that starlight first came this way.

As noted elsewhere, my wife, who died in 2019, suggested that this should be the title song for this album.

lyrics

Come outside with me, little one, hold my hand, let's take a walk
And look at wonders far beyond tiny this world of ours
Don't be afraid as we venture out, though the twilight's growing dark
'Cause if we didn't have the darkness we wouldn't be able to see the stars
We can follow the phases of the changing Moon: crescent, gibbous, full
See the wanderers like Jupiter, bright Venus, and red Mars
But on certain special nights let's look for certain, special lights
And ponder time and distance and our connections to the stars


Chorus
(I'm) Taking you out to see the stars
Taking you out to see the stars
Taking you out to see the universe's majesty
Taking you out to see the stars


When you're four years old, let's try to go on a trip far to the south
Where we'll find the glowing firmament forms a vastly different sky
And see Alpha Centauri, the closest neighbor to our sun
Whose light began its journey here when you first opened your eyes
And when you're twice as old, we'll mark the time by the "dog star" Sirius
And we can celebrate your "sweet sixteen" with old Altair from afar
And I hope you'll come to marvel at this wondrous universe
Because so much of what we are was made in the hearts of former stars

Chorus

So come outside with me, little one, let's survey the sky above
As the canopy of creation moves around our spinning home
Do you hear the stars and galaxies singing gently in the flowing breeze
Beckoning to humanity, and calling us to roam?
I wish I could unveil to you all the mysteries of the heavens
Filled with more stars than we can name or count or even see
And when I'm gone I hope you'll take the time to look up and imagine
That my love and dreams and hopes for you will shine as long as these

Chorus & Tag
___

100 Brightest Stars & Approximate Distances from Earth
Alpha Centauri (Rigil Kentaurus) / 1.35 parsecs / 4.4 light-years
Sirius / 2.64 parsecs / 8.6 light-years
Procyon / 3.5 parsecs / 11.4 light-years
Altair / 5.14 parsecs / 16.8 light-years
Fomalhaut / 7.69 parsecs / 25 light-years
Vega / 7.76 parsecs / 25.3 light-years
Pollux / 10.34 parsecs / 33.7 light-years
Denebola 11.09 parsecs / 36.2 light-years
Arcturus / 11.25 parsecs / 37 light-years
Capella / 12.94 parsecs / 42.2 light-years
Castor / 15.81 parsecs / > 50 light-years
Aldebaran / 19.96 parsecs
Regulus / 23.76 parsecs
Canopus / 95.88 parsecs
Betelgeuse / 131.06 parsecs
Antares / 185.19 parsecs
Rigel / 236.97 parsecs
Deneb / 990.1 parsecs

credits

from Taking You Out to See the Stars, released June 23, 2022
Words and music by Gray Rinehart

Vocals by Gray Rinehart
Instrumentation by Mark Minervino, except
Mandolin by David Jacquet

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Gray Rinehart North Carolina

Gray Rinehart writes science fiction, fantasy, assorted nonfiction, and the odd song. Or odd songs.

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