The Prime Directive (Back In the Day)
Music & Lyrics by David Greathouse
© 2011, Sourdough Music, ASCAP

Here's a song for the intrepid few
And the ship they sailed before most of you were born
It's a little long but it's intended to sorta set the scene
And get you all in the mood to have some fun

Well you know what they say, it was "back in the day"
Before Boomers had a name when the "Big Three" ruled the airwaves
They told us stories and they sold us soap
It made us worry but it helped us cope
And our dreams were fueled by a common hope for peace
Because Vietnam was crying bloody tears
And humanity had been dying to un-divide itself for years

So when they launched that ship back in sixty-six in the TV Guide
When the peacock lit up the pilot switch on the Enterprise
We opted in to Roddenberry's vision. And we tuned it in with analog precision
And it lured us into tiny televisions and we ate our dinners on trays

And we'd huddle in the soft glowing haze of a cathode ray tube
Hypnotized by the light and the sights that it drew our gaze to
And it changed our habits and it changed our ways
If it said we had to have it, you know we had to have it right away
Oh, back in the day

Well it was back in the day and you know what they say
About Star Fleet's mission and conditions they were sworn to obey
To fate and chance, leave worlds alone. Their circumstance is theirs to hone
Leave races to decide which course to run
But they changed us and they changed our world for good
In that mirrored glance we must have seen a chance and understood

So we'd take that trip every chance we'd get through the channel dial
On Star Fleet's flagship and network magnet to advertise
And we loved that view, warping through the heavens
And Kirk's pursuit of multi-colored women
It was clear and true with rabbit ear antennas
And we popped popcorn on the stove

And we'd huddle in the soft glowing haze of a cathode ray tube
Hypnotized by the light and the sights that it drew our gaze to
And it changed our hearts and it changed our minds
Made us all just a little bit color-blind and that's OK
Oh, back in the day

So, we're gonna give you Star Trek
Gonna get all hands on deck
Gonna take you just a few years back
And we're gonna have some fun
We're awful sorry 'bout the red shirts
It's kinda mean but it seems to work
'Cause if we're gonna have a show
We can't go killing off Kirk
Got our phasers set to funny
And we hope next month
That you're really gonna want to come back
Welcome to STAR TREK