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In 1873, Dr. Xander Gerrymander ascended the heavens in his marvelous red balloon.
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There, to ponder the cosmic verities, sail above the blue, and see the stars.
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With him he took his sweetheart Nell, and together they danced buoyantly above the blue.
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Until one sad day she was lost to him. And so he's still there today, searching, seeking…
In his marvelous red balloon
[Intro]
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[Verse]
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The other night I had a dream, you came to me or so seemed
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On a vessel of hot air gleaming red
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An impetus upon the wing, you offered me a golden ring
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And so I left my dreams within the bed
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I jumped aboard nightcap on, the moon was up, the curtains drawn
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We rose into the silver dusty glow
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The whistle spoke above the cloak of factories that billowed smoke
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Over the city of Bordeaux
[Pre-Chorus]
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Oh, the captain and the ballast boy played a waltz on clocks and toys
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We set our sights for glory and the sea
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We fired the gas and soon we passed painted ships all made of brass
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Who sailed in orbit astrologically
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You promised me a lullaby, and we built castles in the sky
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Fashioned from the flowers that we grew
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And then the wind's song was strange and we both knew that things would change
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And so you left me floating in the blue
[Chorus]
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Oh winds, carry me, carry me, far away
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Until another day, until another June
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I'll be floating in the dark, whispering like a lark
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On this gadabout balloon
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Carry me, carry me, far away
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Until another day, until another June
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I'll be floating in the dark, whispering like a lark
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On this gadabout balloon
[Instrumental]
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[NARRATION, ad libbed]
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Man the capstan!
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Six degree, port, steady as she goes!
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80 knots, Mark Twain(?)
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Mind the main sail, Get in there, lads!
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Giant aboard(?), Ken, berlie(?)
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Full speed ahead!
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[Bridge]
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Two lovers, floating in the atmosphere
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And I will always be your faithful cavalier
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Oh, and just like tales of d'Arlandes and Rozier
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Oh may we float among the stars, I your valiant gondolier
[Instrumental]
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[Verse]
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The other night I had a dream, you came to me or so it seemed
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On a zeppelin made of crystal, made of glass
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Upon a steam calliope you sat and played a song for me
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A shanti from a vagrant midnight mass
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Oh we puffed a pipe of turkish moss and set course for the albatross
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A sea of silver prophets on the wing
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And through the captain's telescope, you gazed and blew a ring of smoke
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And then we bade farewell unto the spring
[Pre-Chorus]
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Oh, you were like a dusty rose, an arrow shot from heaven's bow
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A chanson, ever haunting to my ear
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Oh and for better or for worse, we knew this was the final verse
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An ode to times soon to disappear
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Oh, the anchor man was ill-content and sang a song, a sweet lament
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While I flipped pennies to the sky
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And bade farewell to you my love, this stormy romance up above
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A tale sure to electrify
[Chorus]
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Oh winds, carry me, carry me, far away
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Until another day, until another June
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I'll be floating in the dark, whispering like a lark
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On this gadabout balloon
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Carry me, carry me, far away
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Until another day, until another June
DDb
I'll be floating in the dark, whispering like a lark
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On this gadabout balloon
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Carry me, carry me, far away
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Until another day, until another June
DDb
I'll be floating in the dark, whispering like a lark
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On this gadabout balloon
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Carry me, carry me, far away
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Until another day, until another June
DDb
I'll be floating in the dark, whispering like a lark
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On this gadabout balloon
[ENDING]
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