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If You Gotta Go BANG!

from Star Stuff by Chris Harris

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Being a star involves a precarious balancing act between the energy created by nuclear fusion, which pushes the star apart, and gravity, which is trying to make the star collapse in on itself. Eventually, the nuclear fusion process runs out of fuel, and gravity wins. Gravity ALWAYS wins. A star like ours will first swell up into a monster called a red giant, and then end up as a tiny, cooling remnant called a white dwarf.

But when fusion runs out and you're big enough, you won't go quietly. Instead, you'll end in a spectacular explosion called a supernova.

And that last verse refers to a particular category of supernova called a type 1A supernova where you don't even have to be big enough to explode on your own if you can nick matter from the other star in your binary system...

lyrics

If you're burning bright, you're burning fast
It's good to be the King
But enjoy your reign, because it won't last
Fading out is not your thing
And one day, when you're old and vast,
alarm bells will start to ring

Not one to go quietly, even if you could
Folk are going to notice when you call it quits for good

If you've gotta go BANG
You've gotta go BANG
and show that you're a superstar
But the way you go BANG
if you've gotta go BANG
shows just what kind of star you are

When you can't get a reaction, you shrivel up inside
You're running out of road
The flames that once sustained you have all guttered out and died
Your bounce back is beginning to forebode
You scatter heavy elements galore to far and wide
as in a blaze of glory you explode

But maybe you're not big enough to go BANG on your own
You need not sit there feeling too depressed
Just find a helpful neighbour, don't just fade out all alone
A massive one that's close by is the best
Skim off their material until you find you've grown
big enough to blow up like the rest

credits

from Star Stuff, released July 3, 2022

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Chris Harris Bristol, UK

I'm still trying to get the music I record to sound like the version I can hear in my head. To do this I've ended up playing every instrument I can get my hands on. These days, I'm closer to "That Sound" than I used to be, but the journey continues.

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