Following on Ken’s post below, I thought I’d highlight a lyric from Blows Against the Empire, the first album released by Paul Kantner, et al. as “Jefferson Starship” (as opposed to Jefferson Airplane; I like to pretend that the thing called “Starship” never existed), and it includes appearances by a wide range of folks, including Jerry Garcia, Mickey Hart, Graham Nash, and many others (more here). I was a wee infant when the album was released, but I remember some of the songs from the album-oriented rock stations I listened to as a tween and a middle school teacher who had a Jefferson Airplane obsession. (Remember when radio stations would play entire album sides uninterrupted? Remember actually listening to “albums”?)
Blows Against the Empire was a politically idealistic, counter-cultural, sci-fi concept album, but it also addressed some more mundane concerns. Several songs could well be about Grace Slick’s pregnancy, including (appropriately enough) “Child Is Coming,” co-written by Paul Kantner, Grace Slick and David Crosby (who also performs on the song), while also fitting in with the album’s broader narrative. The second verse sounds like something out of a Glenn Beck monologue (a thought that would likely give Kantner, et al. heartburn), but it’s still a good old song:
What are we gonna do when Uncle Samuel comes around
Askin’ for the young one’s name
And lookin’ for the print of his hand for the files in their numbers game
I don’t want his chances for freedom to ever be that slim
Let’s not tell ’em about him —
Here are the full lyrics and the song.