Alan

This is about how one man's dream can be another man's nightmare. It takes the example of the celtic disapora to the Americas (among other places) as how the achievement of one aim can displace another. Many Scots left these shores out of desperation and found themselves successful in the new world - the archetype of the American Dream. But that dream had a sour edge for many of the peoples already living there. For me it also carries a little poke at what America now stands for in the world - That there's a maggot in the apple which they're not prepared to face up to.

Graeme

I sat down in my music room one evening as often happens when we are in writing mode, in an effort to create something for the new album. Some nights nothing worthwhile happens, but on this particular night within half an hour I had laid down the verse and chorus sections of this track,
sounds and all, and thats how it went down on the album. It felt very haunting and Celtic. It was a real buzz when the other guys heard the rough idea as everyone was excited about it. Niall and Ron put the mid 8 together as I recall within a half hour. I had the first three verses of lyric and the first chorus for sometime before thrashing out the last verse in collaboration with Alan. All in all this track came together very smoothly. The addition of Pauls violin playing simply took the atmospheric feel up another level in my book as did Nialls wonderful solo work.I have to say that I'm enormously proud of this song and cant help feeling that it could be a classic if it received enough exposure.

Niall

Graeme had written this haunting tune that was and still is one of my favourite tunes to date. I must confess that for me, it always conjured up the picture of Connan the barbarian, riding across a bleak and unspoilt landscape but as the story began to take shape this obviously changed. The middle guitar solo actually came from a tune called Slojazz that I had written several years earlier.

Colin

The secret behind this was to keep it simple and uncluttered to let it breathe whilst still providing a powerful drum part. Niall's 1st solo is fantastic and really inspired my part. I think it was my idea to lengthen the end a bit for more guitar solo. The drum sound it perfect for the song and really adds to the songs overall power. Oh yeah, the violin is great too.

Ronnie

Anyone analysing my contribution to the Pallas effort would probably be surprised to learn how much I love songs (not all Pallas compositions fit with my understanding of what constitutes a song). This magnificent song evolved from another of Graeme’s sketches. My involvement? I helped to ‘articulate’ some of the chords to make them slightly more palatable than they might otherwise have ended up being. Paul’s violin work is gorgeous, and is completely at home with the overall dynamic. I’m very proud of the way this has turned out

I wonder if Pallas fans would tolerate a whole album of songs sometime in the future? Please say yes!

Lyrics

The thin red line it was my life to fight for king and country
But Boney's gone, the job was done, old king George has no use for me
There were times we laughed and danced, life was good we loved our land
But now we starve in our back yard, the children die in their mothers' hand

We're sailing to America on a ship of dreams
Going to start a new life in the new world
We're sailing to America on a ship called "Destiny"
Gone to make our fortune where the land is free

This great land we fought across to build the mighty iron horse
The red man fought with bow and lance, he paid in blood for his savage arrogance

We're spreading 'cross America, build ourselves a dream
Come to make a new life in the new world
The vastness of America shapes our destiny
Here to make our fortune where the land is free

And skies will burn and hearts will break and tears will fall
For these dreams we make
And fires will rage and hopes will fade
Through the wars we wage till the end of days

In a fortress called America shadows haunt our dreams
Poisoning the new life in the new world
Our wayward son America betrayed our destiny
Threw away good fortune, chained a land that's free

The land was free

White man came here long ago
He stole our land killed our buffalo
He made us clowns in his wild west show
Ghostdancers sing he must go

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