Ramses
by @rocketgrrrl
Liner Notes
#folk #space #science #ukulele #girlwithukulele #singalong
At the European Space Agency, there is a new mission: A rendezvous with asteroid Apophis. It's called Ramses, and I am so glad to get to be a part of it.
Launch is in 2028; we'll arrive there in 2029. And when Ramses arrives, it will fly alongside the asteroid as it passes close to the Earth - within its magnetosphere, in fact - and the images and data from its instruments will provide humanity with vital information it needs to understand near Earth asteroids, and help to predict any threat from them in the future.
Lyrics
Ramses Jemma Kline
The stars that guide me are so very far away. You called me Ramses, and then sent me off one day. And though my sails may flutter in the solar wind, I know I’ll reach my destination in the end, And there I’ll see:
Wonders, made of iron, sand and stone; Beauty, looking back upon our home. I will be the one that keeps you safe, you know. You called me Ramses.
My sensors warn me of electrons in my path. They tell me stories of our solar systems past. I will circle round the sun and catch your dream, And as Apophis tumbles past you’ll ride with me. And there we’ll see:
Wonders, made of iron, sand and stone; Beauty, looking back upon our home. I will be the one that keeps you safe, you know. You called me Ramses.
I’ll spot your skies below protected by an atmospheric shield; Catch the solar spray deflected by the Earth’s magnetic field. When Farinella’s radar echos back the secrets deep within, With Don Quixote feeling gravity reshape the rocky skin, We all will see:
Wonders, made of iron, sand and stone; Beauty, looking back upon our home. I will be the one that keeps you safe, you know. You called me Ramses.
Comments
![[pic]](https://fawm-avatars.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/fawm2023/7539.png){kind=avatar}
The lyrics are so inspiring, and the delicate grace of the ukulele and your vocals is so calming and reassuring. In these bizarre, anti-science times, it is so wonderful to hear this heartfelt, genuine ode to the beauty of science and learning.
![[pic]](https://fawm-avatars.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/fawm2026/f00d08a8-2a5d-4866-ab8c-0dccfb13945a.png){kind=avatar}
I adore this song and the perspective you write from. I used to read about space rovers/satellites ravenously as a teenager and I always love it when I find works of art that romanticize or anthropomorphize these little critters. Also, this has one of the best bridges I've heard all year, and I neeeeed to hear a live version where a whole crowd sings with you after you say "sing with me!"
![[pic]](https://fawm-avatars.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/fawm2025/0555b764-3602-44f9-be18-8032d1d9dae8.png){kind=avatar}
Love the lyrical dexterity of this. It's complimented by a nice tuneful melody. I was singing along at the end. honest! Sounds like a very exciting project to be involved with. lucky you. :-)
![[pic]](https://fawm-avatars.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/fawm2025/ef63a54f-e704-42c9-8cff-5cc5e74c89d3.png){kind=avatar}
How cool that you get to be a part of the mission! I particularly like the chorus here, that Ramses knows the importance of what it has to do and that it's ready for the task ahead. Very much a singalong.
![[FAWM]](/static/img/demoduck.svg)
That's a cool thing to sing about! From the title alone my Dutch-brain thought it would be about the Dutch music-star Ramses Shaffy 😂 But the satelite is probably named after a pharaoh...