Out of Gas: A Browncoat Ballad

Out of Gas

A Browncoat Ballad

According to tradition

The captain goes down with the ship

But for this captain

It’s not a matter of tradition

It’s a matter of love

For what the ship is and can be

The ship can be a place

To live like real people

The ship can be freedom

The ship is a place to share

A meal,

Monastic humor,

And surprise birthday “cakes”

The ship

Like the rest of the crew

Is a fragile thing

With its life dependant on a working system of complicated parts

According to the job description

The pilot flies the ship

But for this husband

It’s not about the job

It’s a matter of passion

For his wife more so than taking flight

The ship can be a place

To love upon first sight

The ship can unite strangers when faced with mortal fear

The ship is a place to hope

For a way to keep going

Keep flying

And stay alive

The ship

Like the rest of the crew

Wants to live

To be at home among the stars

According to assumption

The mechanic is a man

But for this young lady

It’s not about disproving assumptions

It’s a matter of listening

To the ship she loves

The ship can speak

To keep it in repair

To keep the engine turning

The ship is a place

Artificial

Made real

By mechanical efforts

The ship

Like the rest of the crew

Provides

A life worth living

According to arrangement

The companion has business to conduct

But for this very graceful woman

It’s not simply about business

It’s a matter of introspection

A longing to find something more within and without

The ship can be a place

To stay until the very end

The ship can keep you from dying alone

The ship is a place to grow

A place to know

That you’ve become more

Than you once were

The ship

Like the rest of the crew

Wasn’t the finest member

At first

According to reason

The muscle is just muscle

But for this muscle…

Well, actually,

That’s all it’s about

And he likes it just like that

The ship can be a place

With a space of your own

To do your job and get paid for doing it

The ship is a place

To work out

Stuff your face

And sharpen your knives

The ship

Like the rest of the crew

Is a fighter

And will be till the very end

The ship

And its crew

Have been shot, stabbed, and roughed up

Something fierce

But with the push of a button,

A stubborn first mate,

And an undying spirit

This ship and its crew

Can be everything

Someone could ever want to wake up to