Lyrics to
Cygnus X-1, Book One: The Voyage

This version of Cygnus X-1, Book One: The Voyage was released by Rush in 1977.

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In the constellation of Cygnus, there lurks a mysterious, invisible force: the black hole
of Cygnus X-1…

Six Stars of the Northern Cross
In mourning for their sister’s loss
In a final flash of glory
Nevermore to grace the night…

Invisible to telescopic eye
Infinity, the star that would not die

All who dare to cross her course
Are swallowed by her fearsome force

Through the void
To be destroyed
Or is there something more?
Atomized…at the core?
Or through the Astral Door?
To soar…

I set a course just east of Lyra
And northwest of Pegasus
Flew into the light of Deneb
Sailed across the Milky Way
On my ship, the ‘Rocinante’
Wheeling through the galaxies
Headed for the heart of Cygnus
Headlong into mystery

The x-ray is her siren song
My ship cannot resist her long
Nearer to my deadly goal
Until the black hole
Gains control…

Spinning, whirling
Still descending
Like a spiral sea
Unending…

Sound and fury
Drown my heart
Every nerve
Is torn apart…

To be continued…

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Rush has released many songs over the years besides Cygnus X-1, Book One: The Voyage. Rush released songs from 1974 to 2007 spanning across albums like Rush, Fly By Night, Caress Of Steel, 2112, A Farewell To Kings, Hemispheres, Permanent Waves, Moving Pictures, Signals, Grace Under Pressure, Power Windows, Hold Your Fire, Presto, Roll The Bones, Counterparts, Test For Echo, Vapor Trails, Feedback, and Snakes & Arrows. Decade Lyrics has over lyrics & songs by Rush.

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About Lyrics and Cygnus X-1, Book One: The Voyage by Rush

The lyrics for Cygnus X-1, Book One: The Voyage are defined as the words making up the song released by Rush in 1977. It also includes the verses and words used by the background chorus in the song. Like many hit songs, the lyrics to Cygnus X-1, Book One: The Voyage have different meanings to different people. While it is clear in some of the lyrics what the artist is trying to really say, only Rush and those working with them know all of the meanings behind all of the lyrics to their songs.

Some folks are interested in word and phrase etymology. It is easy to understand the lyrics to Cygnus X-1, Book One: The Voyage by Rush if you think through it. The word "lyric" itself derives from the Latin word lyricus, with the actual English word lyrics applied to the definition "words set to music" listed in Stainer and Barrett's 1876 Dictionary of Musical Terms. Continuing the chain, the Latin word lyricus derives from the Greek word λυρικός or lyrikós. This somewhat means "poetry accompanied by the lyre" or "words set to music." You can easily see that by looking at the background of the word lyric, that the "lyrics to Cygnus X-1, Book One: The Voyage" means the words set to the music of Cygnus X-1, Book One: The Voyage, or poetry accompanied by the lyre played by Rush. The singular form "lyric" is still used to mean the complete words to a song. However, the singular form lyric is also commonly used to refer to a specific line (or phrase) within a song's lyrics. Hence, by this analysis of word structure, you could say that the lyric to Cygnus X-1, Book One: The Voyage and the lyrics to Cygnus X-1, Book One: The Voyage are both one and the same thing. None of this talk about the word Lyrics is really relevant to fans of Rush who came here looking just for the lyrics to Cygnus X-1, Book One: The Voyage, but we feel it is still fun to learn what's behind commonly used words and lyrics in songs.

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