The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
Within a distant nebula in the Taurus zodiac
I hear the wailing of a star, the weak pulse of a fading sun
(fading sun, fading sun, fading sun)
All its fuel is burning out and its light will fade to black
I can't ignore its hopeless shout as it fires its death cry out in space
A star in Taurus lights up and outshines the galaxy
A fleeting moment of glory in time and space
A supernova resounds, a desperate symphony
Leaving behind a beacon of fallen from grace
Lift your head up to the sky
And hear the faraway cry of a dying star
I heard its message from afar
A frequent surge of sight and sound
We approach the fallen neutron star
Spinning round and round and round
(and round and round and round)
We attend this cosmic mass, and we hear its sad lament
But even stars and planets pass in this cold and everlasting place
A star in Taurus lights up and outshines the galaxy
A fleeting moment of glory in time and space
Lift your head up to the sky, hear the cry
---
Heading off into the core of a newborn galaxy
We have reached a brilliant star-like source of energy
This cosmic spectacle of radiance was formed
Fifteen billion years ago when the universe was born
To the quasar! (To the quasar!)
Beyond the Milky Way
The red chest is higher, bright tide in the sky
To the dark star! (To the dark star!)
Beyond the light of day
The gravity's higher, black sun in the sky
(3C273)
As we approach the sea of light I'm forced to close my eyes
I can feel the vibrant waves of centuries go by
Then the pull of an unseen force is tearing us away
Could it be we found the entrance to our passageway?
To the quasar! (To the quasar!)
Beyond the Milky Way
The red chest is higher, bright tide in the sky
To the dark star! (To the dark star!)
Beyond the light of day
The gravity's higher, black sun in the sky
(3C273)
----
273!
I hear the wailing of a star, the weak pulse of a fading sun
(fading sun, fading sun, fading sun)
All its fuel is burning out and its light will fade to black
I can't ignore its hopeless shout as it fires its death cry out in space
A star in Taurus lights up and outshines the galaxy
A fleeting moment of glory in time and space
A supernova resounds, a desperate symphony
Leaving behind a beacon of fallen from grace
Lift your head up to the sky
And hear the faraway cry of a dying star
I heard its message from afar
A frequent surge of sight and sound
We approach the fallen neutron star
Spinning round and round and round
(and round and round and round)
We attend this cosmic mass, and we hear its sad lament
But even stars and planets pass in this cold and everlasting place
A star in Taurus lights up and outshines the galaxy
A fleeting moment of glory in time and space
Lift your head up to the sky, hear the cry
---
Heading off into the core of a newborn galaxy
We have reached a brilliant star-like source of energy
This cosmic spectacle of radiance was formed
Fifteen billion years ago when the universe was born
To the quasar! (To the quasar!)
Beyond the Milky Way
The red chest is higher, bright tide in the sky
To the dark star! (To the dark star!)
Beyond the light of day
The gravity's higher, black sun in the sky
(3C273)
As we approach the sea of light I'm forced to close my eyes
I can feel the vibrant waves of centuries go by
Then the pull of an unseen force is tearing us away
Could it be we found the entrance to our passageway?
To the quasar! (To the quasar!)
Beyond the Milky Way
The red chest is higher, bright tide in the sky
To the dark star! (To the dark star!)
Beyond the light of day
The gravity's higher, black sun in the sky
(3C273)
----
273!
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The Universal Migrator approaches the quasar 3C 273 over 2,400 million light-years away in order to use the supermassive black hole to get to the solar system...
Reminds me of Cygnus X-1 by Rush, except Arjen is apparently more hardcore than Geddy, and decides stellar-mass black holes aren't enough, and that active galactic nuclei hosting supermassive black holes are sufficient!
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3C_273