Intelligent Life Form
The heavens are telling of the glory of God;
And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.
Psalm 19:1

Credits Mission Log Notes

LYRICS

They say it all sprang
from one big bang
but I’m not so sure
it all came to pass
a brainstorm of chance
but I’m not so sure

I’ve flown every star system
known to the charts
but something keeps cutting
me down to the heart
they say “keep superstition
and science apart”
it’s getting so hard

An Intelligent Life Form
has been here before
every point on my sensors
amazes me more
every cluster I’ve been through
every nova I’ve seen
An Intelligent Life Form
has willed it to be

A start with no ending
the structure of light
I’m groping for reason
and I’m losing the fight

The wisdom of men
has no reason or rhyme
when the doors have been opened
to the chambers of time
and my heart pounds with fear
though I’ve committed no crime
something tells me He’s kind

An Intelligent Life Form
is drawing me near
my scanners are singing
the music of the spheres
I have reason for terror
and nothing to fear
An Intelligent Life Form
is here

CREDITS

Music and Lyrics: Mark Jeghers
Mix: Bruce Leavitt, Mark Jeghers

MISSION LOG

Mission Log: Patrol diary
Date: 500 years in the future
Location: deep space
Setting: lone space traveller on a patrol mission
Nearest other person: no one for light-years
Nothing to report, again. My patrol has been uneventful as usual. Nothing exciting ever happens out here, this place is so far away from everyone and everything. There's just utter silence, except for the low noises of my cockpit, and I've learned to ignore those.

A lot of the other flyers find this kind of patrol route boring, but, personally, I kind of like it. It's quiet, it's peaceful, and it just goes on and on. This region of space is so empty, well, not really empty, what I mean is it's uncluttered by the colonization that I'm so used to. This must be what it was like for the first explorers, so big ... so massive ... it's beautiful, in a lonely sort of way. Sometimes I can just stare at this starscape for hours at a time ... I'm simply mesmerized by the stark beauty of it all. You'd think it would get tiring, but not for me.

There are some nebulas that look like a giant hand reached out and swirled them around just for fun. I always look forward to the part of my patrol that passes by them. They're kind of like enormous, blazing, pulsating works of art ... and not just because of their beauty. It's more than that. It's ... it's just the fact that they are.

I mean, these are massive systems, with incredible complexity and intricate details. They're so delicate and yet so powerful. The laws of science that govern their very structure and design are like some sort of ingenious clockwork! How all this could have just happened is beyond me. Those so-called geniuses in the cosmology lab say that it all came from nothing. They think they know exactly how this big old universe got here ... well, I don't think any of them were actually around to watch it happen, now, were they? So how do they know? As far as I'm concerned, they don't have a clue.

All my life I've been told that this universe, that existence itself, is just a big lucky cosmic accident.

But I'm not so sure ...

NOTES

This is another one of those songs that was inspired, literally, by the way something sounded. I had found a cool setting on my guitar flanger that gave the guitar a warbly sound. It was so spacey, so ethereal; the inspiration for the whole song came in an instant.

The song was basically my futuristic equivalent to "How great thou art". It's the premise that a magnificent system of clockwork demands a magnificent clockmaker. That ingenius feats of cosmological engineering demand a cosmic engineering genius. Having a life-long love for astronomy, I cannot see how any modern cosmologist can be an atheist. At least, not with his eyes open...

But I digress. Later on, I shared the song with the guys in the "Destination" band. They liked it and adopted it. They contributed great ideas to the arrangement, like the 2nd guitar's counter-melody, the "space flutes" in the background, and the bass tuned down to a lower key. We even performed it once, much to my delight.

I brought all these great ideas with me when I went to Bruce's house and spent the entire day recording it on Bruce's 4-track. I added some new ideas, too, like the strings and "space radio static" at the beginning.

The end result: well, I was very pleased. There are things that could be improved, to be sure. I might even like to re-record it someday with better equipment. But of all the recordings I've made, I am still most happy with this one. And I've never forgotten that Bruce's generous help made it possible. Thanks, Bruce. Oh, and you too, God. Thanks for all the beautiful stuff out there.