Empire of the Clouds [part II]

To ride the storm to an empire of the clouds

To ride the storm, we climb aboard that silver ghost

To ride the storm to a kingdom that will come

To ride the storm and damn the rest oblivion

Royalty and dignitaries, brandy and cigars

Grey lady, giant of the skies, you hold them in your arms

The millionth chance they'll have to take down His Majesty's craft

To win the odd, he say, magic carpet floored the way

An October faithful day

Mists in the trees, storm swept with the dew

The morning sunrise, red before the blue

Hanging at the mast, waiting for command

His Majesty's airship, the R101

She's the biggest vessel built by man, a giant of the skies

For all you unbelievers, the Titanic fits inside

To rumble tight her canvas skin, silver in the sun

Never tested with the fury, with a beating yet to come

Oh, the fury yet to come

In the gathering calm, the storm rising in the west

The coxswain stared into the plunging water glass

"We must go now, we must take our chance with fate

We must go now, for a politician it can't be late"

Eight decent airship crew awake, for thirty hours at full stretch

But the ship is in their backbone, every sinew, every inch

She never flew at full speed, a trial never done

How fragile are the copper, her Achilles would become

Oh, an Achilles yet to come

Sailors of the sky, our heart and brain

Oh, to the king and an airship queen

An engine sound, the telegraph sounds

Release the cards that bind us to the ground

Said the coxswain, "Sir, she's to be, she'll never make this flight"

Said the captain, "Damn the cargo, we'll be on our way tonight"

Crew lay thin in wonder as she backed up from the mast

Baptizing down her weather from the ballast foreign airs

Now she slips into our grasp