The Road Not Taken may refer to:
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"The Road Not Taken" is a short story by Harry Turtledove, set in 2039, in which he presents a fictitious account of a first encounter between humanity and an alien race, the Roxolani.
The story is told through limited third person point of view, with most of the story concerning a single Roxolani captain. During a routine journey of conquest, they happen upon Earth. The Roxolani anticipate a simple and rewarding campaign, as they can detect no use of gravity manipulation, the cornerstone of their civilization. Humanity is awed by the invaders, as the maneuverability granted by that technology suggests the rest of their civilization is equally impressive. But as they begin their assault, things take a turn for the absurd—the Roxolani attack with matchlock weapons and black powder explosives. Humans retaliate with automatic weapons and missiles. The battle is short, and most of the invaders are killed. A few are captured alive.
When they are interrogated, the truth becomes evident. The Roxolani's method of manipulating gravity is absurdly simple, and they were thus able to begin utilizing aircraft, spacecraft, and even faster than light travel during their Age of Sail. This enabled them to engage in wars of conquest not only on a planetary but a galactic scale. However, gravity technology by itself had no application other than transportation, and was such a bizarre discovery that their scientific theorems couldn't accommodate it. As a result, the scientific method was abandoned and their technological development ground to a halt. They have never achieved, for example, their equivalent of the Industrial Revolution, much less the Information Revolution. Most civilizations experience this at an even earlier stage of development, and the Roxolani found conquest a simple and productive endeavor.
The Road Not Taken was the second album released by country music group Shenandoah and their most successful album to date. Of the six singles released from 1988 to 1990, all charted within the top ten and three of those, "The Church on Cumberland Road", "Sunday in the South", and "Two Dozen Roses" were number 1 songs on both the U.S. and Canadian country charts.
This is my chance to cry
This is my chance to bleed
Do you remember me?
I am the ghost of long ago
Another last embrace
Time for a last goodbye
I’m sick and so, so tired
This time I won’t let you go
I’ve never been so lost, so worn
I travel the road not taken
I’ve never seen this tragedy
To make things right for you and me
I walk the road I once swore
I would have never crossed
Again to mend my world
Another path to let you go
Another alibi
Time for a broken hope
You’re sick and destroyed
Nothing is sacred this time
I’ve never been so lost, so worn
I travel the road not taken
I’ve never seen this tragedy
To make things right for you and me
Swallow your pride, we’re goin' home
We travel the road not taken
You know this night will teach to fall
We'll make things right for you and all
Show me your hands
Show me your face
Swear that you are
Coming from beyond
Nothing is lost
All that we are is drowned