'39 - Live In Sheffield / 2005

Okay, you don't expect comedy from me, do you? (Yes, yeah)

You won't get it, okay, um, you know I have to say something

I get a very strange feeling about time

Coming out here and sitting amongst all of you here

It's a priv-, very privilege position to be sitting where I am, um

I can hardly believe it, it- it's, it's like you have to keep pinchin' yourself

It was almost 19 years ago when Queen last trod the boards up here in Sheffield

And ah, in some ways it seems like yesterday

In some ways, it's a very long time and I look around I see a lot of wonderful friendly faces

Thank you all for being here

And the amazing thing is, the amazing thing is some of you I do know

And some of you guys, I look, and you kind of look familiar, but actually you know

You're probably not, or, or even just born when, ah, when this last happened, welcome to you all, we love ya

Which brings me to the theme of this song, which I'd like to sing for you

And I'd like you to sing with me if you're up for it, you wanna sing? (Yeah)

Okay, I'm just gonna tell you this song is about time as well, it's about a

It's about a man who goes off in a silver spaceship to, ah, discover new lands

Which he manages to do but when he comes back he, ah, he feels like he's only a year older

But to the people back on earth, his planet is a hundred years older

And, ah, you wanna sing? (Yeah) it goes like this

In the year of '39, assembled here the volunteers

In the days when the lands were few

And the ship sailed out into the blue and sunny morn

The sweetest sight ever seen

And the night followed day

And the storytellers say

That the score brave souls inside

For many a lonely day sailed across the milky seas

Ne'er looked back, never feared, never cried

Don't you (hear my call, though you're many years away?)

Don't you hear me calling you?

Write your letters in the sand

For the day I'll take your hand

In the land that our grandchildren knew

In the year of '39 came a ship in from the blue

The volunteers came home that day

And they bring good news of a world so newly born

Though their hearts so heavily weigh

For the earth is old and gray, little darling we'll away

But, my love, this cannot be

For so many years have gone though I'm older but a year

Your mother's eyes, from your eyes, cry to me

Don't you hear my call, though you're many years away?

(Don't you hear me calling you?)

Write your letters in the sand

For the day I'll take your hand

In the land that our grandchildren knew

Don't you hear my call, though you're many years away?

Don't you hear me calling you?

All your letters in the sand cannot heal me like your hand

For my life

Still ahead

God bless all of you

Whoa, thank you