Bill Roper, DI HoF

Bill Roper discovered filk at his first science-fiction convention, the 1976 Worldcon in Kansas City, and started writing his own filk shortly thereafter. Since then, he's written over 200 songs, most of them serious, but also including a lot of funny duets with his wife, Gretchen, who is the best writing (and everything else) partner that he could hope for.

You can find the lyrics for Bill's songs at www.filker.com. He has six albums available on CD, the most recent being "Amy & Me", a live album with Amy McNally. You can find those at billroper.bandcamp.com as well as on all of the major streaming services. (Ed. Bill's albums can also be found at most fine filk huckster establishments at your favorite local filk con...)

Recently (involuntarily) retired from his job writing software, Bill needs to spend more time in the studio working on more projects, because that's the sort of thing that retirement is for.

Well, that and taking care of the kids, but they are older and more independent now, so he is running out of excuses for being slow at getting projects out.

Website: www.filker.com
Bandcamp:billroper.bandcamp.com

Representative Work for the 2026 Pegasus Awards

Electric Skies (mp3)

Copyright ©2013 by Bill Roper- All rights Reserved
Used by Permission

I know I must be dreaming
That I'm lying safe in bed,
But I hear a distant screaming
That's an echo in my head.
The voice is so familiar
As I strain to recognize
And I know this storm's a killer
As the wind begins to rise.

(Chorus)
I thought I heard you calling
And I thought I heard your voice.
It said that you were falling
And you didn't have a choice.
Underneath electric skies,
I'm listening to hear your cries
And the wind is shrieking, telling lies,
And it's a long, long way until the morning,
And it's a long, long time until the day.

I know what I am hearing,
That you're lost and can't be found
And your voice is disappearing
As I'm trapped here on the ground.
Somewhere you are falling free,
A prisoner of the sky.
Somewhere you are calling me
And I need to learn to fly.

(Bridge)
I stand upon the precipice
And I've got to take the dive.
I've got to fly, 'cause if I miss,
We won't leave here alive.
In the lightning and the thunder,
I am left to look within
With one last chance to wonder
If I have a chance to win.

For a moment, I am falling,
But I'm learning how to steer.
Far off, your voice is calling
And it's all that I can hear.
I see you and I catch you
And I hold you in my arms.
The wind still tries to snatch you,
But tonight you're safe from harm.

(Bridge)
And I do not question why we're here
In the middle of the night,
Or why my arms should draw you near,
Or why I dream of flight.
And as the rain is streaming
In my eyes to make me blind,
I wonder what you're dreaming
On the far side of your mind.

(Chorus twice)
And it's a long, long way until the morning,
And it's a long, long time until the day.