Going-Up-I.mp3
Going-Up-I.mp4
Going-Up-Unplugged-Underground-XVIII.mp3
Going-Up-Unplugged-Underground-XVIII.mp4
Going-Up-intro.mp3
[Intro]
Hold on! (This lift is going up)
Is that right? (Yup, going up)
To the top (might never stop)
[Verse 1]
1 point 1
(And we’re not done)
I’ll see you
(at 1 point 2)
[Bridge]
Hold on! (This lift is going up)
To the top (might never stop)
Is that right? (Yup, going up)
Hold tight!!
[Chorus]
You can depend
On the demand
Of man
He’ll come to know
How far to go
Below
[Verse 2]
Pushed right through
(1 point 2)
Didn’t pause to see
(1 point 3)
[Bridge]
Hold on! (This lift is going up)
We’re rollin’ on by (headed high)
(Is that right?) Yup, going up
(Hold tight!)
[Verse 3]
1 point 4
(No, no more)
Past 1 point 5
(Can no longer thrive)
[Bridge]
Hold on! (This lift is going up)
To the top (might never stop)
(Is that right?) Yup, going up
(Hold tight!)
[Chorus]
You can depend
On the demand
Of man
He’ll come to know
How far to go
(…. so)
[Outro]
Hold on! (This lift is going up)
(Is that right?) Yup, going up
(Hold tight!)
To the top (might never stop)
ABOUT THE SONG
The song “Going Up” uses the metaphor of an unstoppable elevator ride to capture the terrifying escalation of global temperatures due to human-driven climate change. It’s a stark, cleverly minimalist narrative about humanity’s relentless pursuit of growth and consumption—even as the climate “lift” speeds toward collapse.
Verse 1:
1 point 1 / (And we’re not done) / I’ll see you / (at 1 point 2)
This introduces global temperature rise in degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. At 1.1°C, we’ve already seen devastating effects—but the line “we’re not done” underscores our inertia. “I’ll see you at 1.2” suggests we’re on track to go higher, almost passively.
Bridge:
Hold on! (This lift is going up) / To the top (might never stop)
The lift represents the climate trajectory—an industrial, mechanical metaphor for a world getting hotter. The repeated “might never stop” is ominous: we are on an upward trajectory that, without drastic intervention, could spiral out of control.
Chorus:
You can depend / On the demand / Of man / He’ll come to know / How far to go / Below
This is a powerful indictment of human consumption and economic systems. The “demand of man” is driving climate change, and while “you can depend” on this relentless drive, it will ultimately bring humanity “below”—suggesting collapse, death, or moral and ecological ruin. It plays on the irony that “going up” in temperature means “going down” in survivability.
Verse 2:
Pushed right through / (1 point 2) / Didn’t pause to see / (1 point 3)
Here, the temperature climb continues—we skip past thresholds without heeding their warning signs. The lines emphasize recklessness and acceleration—we don’t stop to reflect or redirect.
Verse 3:
1 point 4 / (No, no more) / Past 1 point 5 / (Can no longer thrive)
This is the heart of the warning. 1.5°C is the widely accepted upper limit to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. Going beyond it risks triggering irreversible tipping points—melting ice sheets, dying coral reefs, mass displacement. “Can no longer thrive” implies the breakdown of ecological and social systems.
Outro:
Hold on! (This lift is going up) / (Is that right?) Yup, going up / (Hold tight!) / To the top (might never stop)
The song ends as it began: still climbing, still accelerating. The repetition of “Yup, going up” becomes chilling—a robotic affirmation of our trajectory, devoid of accountability or alarm.
Summary:
“Going Up” is a climate alarm bell in musical form. The imagery of rising temperature milestones—1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5°C—acts as both mile markers and warnings, and the “lift” captures how quickly, and thoughtlessly, we’re rising toward catastrophe. It critiques the faith in endless growth and technological progress while warning that this path leads to collapse below.