LYRICS
The air pollution is fogging up the sky
Hard to deny
The ocean’s rising forever nigh
Hard to deny
Perpetuate the lie
Propagate the con
And the band played on
You’re in the middle
With Nero on fiddle
And the band played on
For sure glaciers going bye-bye
Hard to deny
Wildfires burn high, high, high
Hard to deny
Perpetuate the lie
Propagate the con
And the band played on
You’re in the middle
With Nero on fiddle
And the band played on
Our reservoir ran dry
Hard to deny
A flood of mud up to the eye / I
Hard to deny
Perpetuate the lie
Propagate the con
And the band played on
You’re in the middle
With Nero on fiddle
And the band played on
- Hard-to-Deny-Part-I.mp3 (unplugged to conserve energy)
- DR0000_0205-Hard-to-Deny-Part-II.mp3
- DR0000_0206-Hard-to-Deny-Part-II-Instrumental.mp3
Chords: A/7 / D E A / C G / G A; Part II @ 108 BPM
Instrumentation: Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Keyboards (Korg PS60, Casio WK-500, Korg N364, MiniNova, MicroKorg)
The song portrays a poignant commentary on the devastating impacts of climate change with a reference to Nero, the Roman emperor famously associated with fiddling while Rome burned. The lyrics emphasize the visible consequences of environmental degradation, such as air pollution and rising oceans, and draw parallels to historical denial and inaction. The repeated refrain, “And the band played on,” suggests a metaphorical continuation of frivolous activities despite the impending crisis, highlighting the negligence and perpetuation of misinformation. The imagery of glaciers melting, wildfires raging, and reservoirs running dry vividly captures the urgency and severity of the climate crisis, making it “hard to deny.” Overall, the song serves as a powerful call to acknowledge the environmental challenges and take meaningful action.
Climate fools that continue to deny and lie. Humans will have difficulty adapting to climate change. In 2023, I wrote the paper, “Climate Change: How Long Is ‘Ever’?“. When we wrote the referenced Tunnel Under Thesis (1995), we forecast these extreme climate events would not happen for centuries. We underestimated Man’s ignorance and arrogance. Fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions have continued to set record highs. Humans have caused chain-reactions resulting in domino-effects, snowball effects, and feedback loops. Events we thought would not happen in our lifetimes are happening now. The facts are hard to deny.