All Died Out
(The Song of the Passenger Pigeon)

The most amazing thing about the extinct Passenger Pigeon is that, not all that long ago, they were the most common birds in the whole world. There were literally billions of them living in North East America… until, that is, the arrival of men, especially men with guns.

The Rockford’s Rock Opera song, “All Died Out” tells the story of the Passenger Pigeon – in the hope that it’s sad tale will be an important lesson learned for all of us.

Passenger Pigeons were sleek, speedy birds.
In the 1800’s, the vast flocks of Passenger Pigeons were legendary, the birds flew in such millions and millions that they blacken out the sky and their droppings fell like snow. At this time for many poor Americans their whole diet consisted of Passenger Pigeon!

However, such was the scale of their numbers that Passenger Pigeons were hunted mercilessly. (In one hunting competition the winner notched up a tally of 30,000 dead birds (that’s right 30,000…). However, by the late 1800’s numbers were dwindling and the last wild flock was wiped out in a single day in 1893.

It seems that, once depleted, Passenger Pigeons were simply not able to recover their numbers. The last wild bird was shot by a little boy in 1900 and the last few specimens lived on in American zoos until they finally all died out on
1st September 1914.


(If you’d like to know more about the Passenger Pigeon and many other wonderful extinct animals, we recommend ‘A Gap in Nature’ by Tim Flannery and Peter Schouten (Heinemann) – a wonderful, beautifully illustrated book that has been a great inspiration to us in the creation of Rockford’s Rock Opera.)



Way back in the fall of ‘93
We took to the skies my folks an’me
A prettier sight you could not see
‘Till high in the air
They poured a sea of fire!

All died out
Another lesson learned
But now the lesson’s learned
I may be free
But they won’t see me!

Anymore…

No picking the corn way out on the plain
No filling the skies, no dance in the rain
No passenger left
All washed down the drain
Ain’t nothing that’s left
Untouched by this reign of fire!

All died out
Another lesson learned
But now the lesson’s learned
I may be free
But they won’t see me!

All died out
Another lesson learned
But now the lesson’s learned
I may be free
But they won’t see me!

Repeat Chorus

Yer, we’re all died out
Yer, we’re all cried out…

The Story behind the Song

A Dream too Far
(The Song of the Great Auk)

The Great Auk was a tall, handsome flightless bird a bit like a penguin. It lived in the North Atlantic and was once found in huge numbers in the icy volcanic islands and waters around Iceland and Greenland… until the arrival man.

The lyrics of the Rockford’s Rock Opera song
‘A Dream too Far’ tell the true story of the very last Great Auk.

Like several seabirds, Great Auks were believed to have mated for life which, to me, made the story of the very last Great Auk, left pining alone forever, uniquely touching.

Humans and Great Auks it seems, never got on. At first huge numbers of Great Auks were slaughtered by fisherman for food and later, as numbers dwindled some simple people believed the birds to be witches and killed them.

But it was the story of the very last Great Auks that inspired this song.

On 3rd June 1844 two sailors landed on the rocky island of Eldey, off Iceland. The birds chose the rocky outcrop as they would lay their eggs directly on to rock for protection from ice. The men spotted the pair of Great Auks standing on their own, tending their eggs.

The birds made a desperate attempt to reach the safety of the water. One was caught in the rocks and the last one watched while the men destroyed her eggs.

Of course this is a terribly sad story and one which we can only hope would never happen today.

(If you’d like to know more about the Great Auk and many other wonderful extinct animals, we recommend ‘A Gap in Nature’ by Tim Flannery and Peter Schouten (Heinemann) – a wonderful, beautifully illustrated book that has been a great inspiration to us in the creation of Rockford’s Rock Opera.)



Down near the frozen waters
On starry nights we dreamed and played
As we lay on rocky altars
We kept love warm and named the day

We planned of other places
We dreamed of sunsets yet to come
But they came with empty faces
I looked around and you were gone
All gone!

And it seems
In the stars
That I dreamed too far
In my mind
I still hold you
But those wings are now washed out to sea

Down where the fires bleed through
That day my heart was thrown away
As rocks crashed I felt your leaving
This gentle witch gave you away
That day

And it seems
In the stars
That I dreamed too far
In my mind
I still hold you
But those wings are now washed out to sea

And it’s a heartfelt lonely heart
And a dream we dreamed too far
Too far…

No hopes of other places
No dreams on stars high up above
Though you’re gone
I’ll never leave you
I never said goodbye my love
My love!

And it seems
In the stars
That I dreamed too far
In my mind
I still hold you
But those wings are now washed out to sea

Can you be
In the stars
Where we dreamed too far?
In my mind
I will hold you
Till the ending of hours I’ll believe