Planet Earth, 1835

**Planet Earth, 1835** is the first song from The Great Moon Hoax sung by the full company . It is the first track on the soundtrack album and was written by Matt Dahan.

## Lyrics

**Narrator:**

Planet Earth, eighteen-thirty-five

Samuel Stratford sits behind a desk

A reporter for the New York Sun

A new newspaper trying to compete

But they're going down and everyone knows it

Young man with a pencil

Immigrant son with a heart made of gold

Young man with potential

Imagination, twenty-seven years old

**Samuel:**

Planet Earth needs something different

**Chorus:**

Samuel Stratford's flipping through a notebook

**Narrator:**

Earnest, full of passion

Samuel wants to show his boss

**Benjamin:**

He's gonna hate it, everyone knows it

**Narrator:**

Samuel's best friend Benjamin knows it

**Samuel:**

Benjamin, you need to see this

Rose and I have written something awesome

**Benjamin:**

Every time you have that notebook

I know you are gonna cause a problem

**Chorus:**

Benjamin, the editor

Keys to the press and keys to the door

**Narrator:**

Best friend, the editor

He's had this conversation before

**Samuel:**

There are fifteen hundred newspapers

In New York City

**Benjamin:**

No there aren't.

**Samuel:**

I'm just saying

The one that pays us to produce

Is one of many

Even if there's minor variations

In the way the story's told

The news is just the news

And the news is getting old

**Chorus:**

In eighteen-thirty-five

The news of the world has passed us by

**Samuel:**

Now it will take a miracle

To keep our printing press alive

**Chorus:**

When you look up eighteen-thirty-five

Honestly, we would not be surprised

If there was not a single word

About our ultimate demise

**Benjamin:**

But the Sun revolves 'round Planet Earth

And nothing's gonna change that

**Samuel, spoken:**

The sun doesn't revolve around the Earth.

**Benjamin, spoken:**

The one from New York does.

**Samuel:**

Why not add a little bit of fiction?

Why not add a little bit of style?

Why not add a little bit of swagger?

Why not add adventure to the pile?

A featured story, it could be anything

Science, horror, myth, or magic

Future lands and future glories

**Benjamin:**

I suppose you'd write the stories

**Samuel, spoken:**

Well, you know that we have a few ideas...

**Benjamin, spoken:**

We? You and Rose?

**Samuel:**

My sister is incredible

Her imagination's just as big as mine

**Benjamin:**

Your sister *is* incredible

But I'm telling you that this is not the time

**Samuel:**

I promised Rose

**Benjamin:**

It's for the best

**Samuel:**

But this is good

**Benjamin:**

Give it a rest

I am doing you a favor

**Chorus:**

Our paper writes the news

**Benjamin:**

Save your fantasies later

**Narrator:**

Chester Thomas

Owner of the New York Sun

Opens his door

And stares at everyone

Standing tall as he projects

Power as he puffs his chest

But he's nervous as the rest

Imagination's been destroyed

In his mind, there is a void

Failure's made him paranoid

He can feel he's losing grip

Captain of a sinking ship

Still, he's sneering as he quips

**Thomas:**

The New York Sentinel

**Thomas**, **Chorus:**

Our rival

**Thomas:**

Have given us our daily pounding

Every day is a fight for

**Thomas**, **Chorus:**

Survival

**Thomas:**

I know that isn't news

But how often we lose

Is really quite astounding

Benjamin

**Benjamin, spoken:**

Yes?

**Thomas:**

Our deadline has arrived

Do you have our articles together?

**Benjamin:**

Almost ready, I'm just helping

Samuel fix his story on the weather

**Samuel, spoken:**

The weather?

**Benjamin, spoken:**

The weather.

**Samuel, spoken:**

But

**Benjamin, spoken:**

Not now.

**Narrator:**

Chester Thomas squints his eyes

He can tell that Samuel lies

**Thomas:**

This is not a trick, is it?

Not another trick, Samuel

Let me see your notebook

**Samuel:**

... No.

**Thomas:**

What?

Let me see your notebook

**Benjamin:**

Please, sir, don't

**Thomas:**

I've lost track of all the times

You come to me with grand designs

My orders always undermined

In the name of fiction

Tell me, do you think

That will save us from the brink?

That trash isn't worth the ink

**Samuel, spoken:**

You're wrong!

**Chorus, spoken:**

**(gasps)**

**Samuel:**

It is eighteen-thirty-five

Sir, you've got to open your eyes

Simply being good is not enough, we must be wise

That readers in eighteen-thirty-five

Don't just wanna live, they wanna feel alive

**Thomas:**

The only one not good enough is you, I've realized

Samuel, let me see your notebook

**Chorus:**

Let him see your notebook

**Thomas:**

Let me see your notebook

**Chorus:**

Let him see your notebook

Let him see your notebook

Let him see your notebook

Now

**Thomas, spoken:**

"Great Astronomical Discoveries..."

**Narrator:**

Thomas tears the notebook in half

He shows Samuel to the door and laughs

**Thomas:**

You're fired.

**Chorus:**

The Sun revolves 'round Planet Earth

And nothing's gonna change that

**Thomas, spoken:**

Everybody, back to work.

**Benjamin, spoken:**

Samuel... I'm sorry.

**Narrator:**

When the working day is through

Samuel walks the avenue

His footsteps heavy as they hit the cobblestones

Manhattan is a gorgeous sight

Broadway lit by candlelight

In the only city he's ever known

He wonders if his boss is right

If this is all a losing fight

There is one person who might change his mind

## External Links

* Planet Earth, 1835 on iTunes
* Planet Earth, 1835 on Spotify