The Iceberg
Echoes of Ignorance: The Iceberg's Warning
Lyrics
There was once a time when humans ruled the world
Describes a past era where humans dominated the world.
See, here’s a display of their remains
Shows remnants of human existence, possibly indicating a decline.
Business and technology were going strong
Highlights prosperity in business and technology during that time.
But consumption couldn’t be sustained
Suggests that excessive consumption was unsustainable.
Hard to imagine how many of them there were
Reflects on the large human population in the past.
Billions of them living out their lives
Emphasizes the billions of humans living their lives.
And here in our history book of planet earth
Refers to a historical account of Earth's history.
Is the story of their own demise
Details the story of human demise present in history books.
Just the tip of the iceberg
Metaphorically likens the situation to the tip of an iceberg.
A slow walk off a plank
Suggests a slow progression toward a catastrophic event.
A little drop in the ocean until society sank
Describes a minor event in the grand scheme of societal collapse.
We ignored all the warnings and focused on other things
Addresses the neglect of warnings and diversion of attention.
We didn’t hear the sound it made when we finally felled the last tree
Reflects on the obliviousness to environmental destruction.
We would’ve got around to it eventually
Suggests a delayed acknowledgment of ecological concerns.
But we were kind of busy
Explains the delay due to being preoccupied with other matters.
Now class what can we all learn from what we’ve seen?
Poses questions to a class about learning from past mistakes.
How can we avoid the same mistakes?
Asks how to avoid repeating the errors of the past.
If we as a species are short-sighted like they were
Expresses concern about the possibility of a similar fate for the current species.
Could we end up like the human race?
Draws a parallel between current actions and the downfall of the human race.
With an industrial strength ignorance
Critiques a shortsighted perspective shared with the past humans.
They left their carbon footprints everywhere
Mentions the widespread impact of human activities on the environment.
Here is a recording of their final words
Refers to a recording containing the final words of the human race.
With the reasons why they weren’t prepared
Lists reasons why humans were unprepared for their demise.
Just the tip of the iceberg
Reiterates the metaphor of the iceberg's tip, suggesting a surface-level understanding.
One final walk in the park
Describes a leisurely activity juxtaposed with global chaos.
While the whole world was burning
Highlights the unawareness of imminent disaster while the world is in turmoil.
We were still in the dark
Describes societal distraction with trivial activities during a crisis.
‘Cause we were checking our email and going shopping online
Lists activities like checking emails and online shopping as distractions.
And running in the rat race ‘til we finally ran out of time
Describes participation in a competitive and futile pursuit of success.
We thought we only needed money to keep us alive
Highlights the misplaced belief in the power of money for survival.
But couldn’t eat it, couldn’t drink it, couldn’t breathe it to survive
Points out the inability to fulfill basic needs with money alone.
Didn’t bother taking action ‘til it was too late
Expresses regret for not taking action until it was too late.
We sealed our own fate
Concludes with the acknowledgment of sealing one's fate through inaction.
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