[Intro — receiver, spoken low over the sequencer] Meridian Station. Twin domes. Day one after the count. Half of us didn't sleep. The other half won. Signal on the long band. Old carrier. Old voice. Decoding. [Verse 1] Friends and fellow-citizens A rising nation, spread over a wide and fruitful land Advancing rapidly to destinies beyond the reach of mortal eye I shrink from the contemplation And humble myself before the magnitude of the undertaking [Verse 2] During the contest of opinion through which we have passed The animation of discussions has sometimes worn an aspect Which might impose on strangers unused to think freely But this being now decided by the voice of the nation All will arrange themselves under the will of the law And unite in common efforts for the common good [Chorus] Let us, then, fellow-citizens, unite with one heart and one mind Let us restore to social intercourse that harmony and affection Without which liberty, and even life itself Are but dreary things [Verse 3] Every difference of opinion is not a difference of principle We have called by different names brethren of the same principle We are all Republicans We are all Federalists If there be any among us who would wish to dissolve this Union Let them stand undisturbed as monuments of the safety With which error of opinion may be tolerated Where reason is left free to combat it [Bridge — receiver, spoken] Dome B is listening. Dome A is listening. Nobody has spoken across the tunnel in nine days. Keep decoding. [Verse 4] Sometimes it is said that man cannot be trusted With the government of himself Can he, then, be trusted with the government of others? Or have we found angels in the forms of kings to govern him? Let history answer this question [Litany — choir enters] Equal and exact justice to all men Peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations Entangling alliances with none The will of the majority in all cases to prevail That will, to be rightful, must be reasonable The minority possess their equal rights Which equal law must protect And to violate would be oppression [Verse 5] A wise and frugal government Which shall restrain men from injuring one another Shall leave them otherwise free To regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement And shall not take from the mouth of labor The bread it has earned [Final Chorus — full choir] Let us, then, fellow-citizens, unite with one heart and one mind We are all Republicans, we are all Federalists Without which liberty, and even life itself Are but dreary things [Outro — sung, then receiver] I shall often go wrong through defect of judgment When right, I shall often be thought wrong — End of transmission. The tunnel door opened on its own tonight. Someone from B brought bread.
