[Intro]
Round and round…
(Where are we going?)
Round and round…
(What are we showing?)
Tick-tock…
(Watch the clock)
Tick…
(Tock…)
Wait a minute!
(Wait!)
… weight, weight, weight
[Verse 1]
Feedback doesn’t have a beginning
(No, no beginning)
Doesn’t have an end
(Going round again)
A little change
(And another one follows)
Today sets the stage
(For tomorrow’s sorrows)
From the top of the world
(To the bottom of the sea)
It’s all connected
(To you and me)
[Refrain]
Welcome to the present…
At present,
(… the future may be running a little late.)
At any rate…
(We represent:)
The insanity
(Of humanity)
Throwin’ our weight around
(Wait!)
Slowin’ us (slowin’ us)
Down
(From spinnin’ round)
Down
(From spinnin’ round)
[Verse 2]
We’re moving the mass
(From here to there)
Changing the balance
(Everywhere)
Moment of inertia
(What’s that mean?)
How mass is arranged
(Changin’ the spin of our machine)
[Refrain]
Welcome to the present…
At present,
(… the future may be running a little late.)
At any rate…
(We represent:)
The insanity
(Of humanity)
Throwin’ our weight around
(Wait!)
Slowin’ us (slowin’ us)
Down
(From spinnin’ round)
Down
(From spinnin’ round)
[Bridge]
Hold on…
(What’s that you say?)
We’re changing the length
(Of the day?)
Round and round!
(Round and round!)
Shift that mass!
(Watch it pass!)
Land to sea!
(You and me!)
Spin it slow!
(Like we don’t know!)
Weight!
(Wait!)
What’s that rate?
(At any rate!)
… no time to hesitate…
[Breakdown]
(WAIT!)
Who’s got the weight?
(We got the weight!)
Who’s running late?
(The future’s fate?)
Who’s spinning round?
(We’re slowing down!)
Wait!
(Wait!)
At any rate!
(Slight change of date!)
We’re changing the planet!
(Welcome to the present!)
We’re changing the clock!
(Welcome to the present!)
We’re changing the system!
(Welcome to the present!)
And the future…
(May be running a little late!)
[Final Refrain]
Welcome to the present…
At present,
(… the future may be running a little late.)
At any rate…
(We represent:)
The insanity
(Of humanity)
Throwin’ our weight around
(Wait!)
Slowin’ us (slowin’ us)
Down
(From spinnin’ round)
Down
(From spinnin’ round)
[Outro]
Welcome to the present…
(Where tomorrow’s delayed)
Welcome to the present…
(Where the clock’s being played)
The Earth keeps turning
(We’re learning too late?)
The future is coming…
(But it’s running a little late!)
Round and round…
(Still going round)
Down…
(From spinnin’ round)
Wait…
(Weight!)
At any rate…
(The future may be running late)
Welcome…
(Welcome…)
To the present.
The planet’s still spinning.
Just…
(A little slower.)
And the future?
(Please allow extra time.)
About the Song
Feedback coupling doesn’t really have a beginning—or an end. But some of its largest planetary impacts can be traced all the way down to Middle Earth, where our collective girth is literally helping change the length of the day. Humanity is redistributing mass across the planet and, in doing so, altering Earth’s moment of inertia and subtly influencing its rotation.
The slowing of Earth’s rotation is not an isolated curiosity. It is a measurable consequence of the same climate-driven processes reshaping the planet. Melting ice sheets and glaciers redistribute enormous amounts of mass, shifting water from land into the oceans and changing how that mass is distributed relative to Earth’s rotational axis. Although sea levels may rise by only millimeters in a year, the cumulative redistribution of water involves staggering quantities of mass, with consequences that extend throughout the interconnected ocean-atmosphere system.
Viewed in this broader context, changes in Earth’s rotation provide another physical indicator of planetary-scale transformation. The significance isn’t simply that a day can become slightly longer. It’s that climate change can influence processes extending far beyond surface temperatures, connecting melting ice, rising seas, shifting mass, and Earth’s rotational dynamics.
Welcome to the present. The future may be running a little late.
From the album “Feedback Coupling“