In many incarnations the solstice was named after this song. Meddle with it at your peril.
Nevertheless, there are a lot of old variants out there. The Boston Solstices have maintained a fork that is highly distinct from the Bay/NYC variants for some time. The DC variation is a slightly simplified version of the main Bay/NYC variant; an example recording can be found here and chord sheet for it is available here.
This song is available for sale via bandcamp in all three albums.
There are several versions on youtube, most impressively the three solstice version, but also NYC2016 and Bayesian Choir Performance (link currently dead).
The 2020 version is here and 2020 version with everyone singing here (skip to time 4:57).
Countless winter nights ago,
A woman shivered in the cold.
Cursed the skies, and wondered why
The gods invented pain.
Aching angry flesh and bone,
Bitterly she struck the stone
Till she saw the sudden spark
Of light, and golden flame.
She showed the others, but they told her
She was not fit to control
The primal forces that the gods
Had cloaked in mystery
But she would not be satisfied,
And though she trembled, she defied them
Took her torch and raised it high
Set afire history.
Tomorrow can be brighter than to-day,
although the night is cold.
The stars may seem so very far a-way...
But courage, hope and reason burn,
In every mind, each lesson learned,
Shining light to guide our way
Make tomorrow brighter than to-day...
Oh... Brighter than to-day.
Ages long forgotten now,
We built the wheel and then the plough.
Tilled the earth and proved our worth,
Against the drought and snow.
Soon we had the time to fathom
Mountain peaks and tiny atoms,
Beating hearts electric sparks
So much more to know.
Tomorrow can be brighter than to-day,
although the night is cold.
The stars may seem so very far a-way...
But courage, hope and reason grow
With every passing season so we’ll
Drive the darkness far away
Make tomorrow brighter than to-day...
Oh... Brighter than to-day.
The universe may seem unfair.
The laws of nature may not care.
The storms and quakes, our own mistakes,
They nearly doused our flame.
But all these trials we’ve endured
The lessons learned, diseases cured
Against our herculean task
We’ve risen to proclaim.
Tomorrow can be brighter than to-day,
although the night is cold.
The stars may seem so very far a-way...
But courage, hope and reason bloom
Across the world and one day soon, we’ll
Rise up to the stars and say:
Make tomorrow brighter than today
