[Silence]
[Instrumental, Guitar, Piano, Organ, Synth, Bass, Percussion, Drums]
Title: Approaching the Threshold
[Arrangement: Driving bass line, pulsing synth, tight drums, distorted rhythm guitar, growing tension throughout.]
[Intro]
Something’s changing
(Can you feel it?)
Something’s shifting
(Can you hear it?)
Not all at once
(But little by little)
Until the trickle becomes
(A flood from the middle)
[Instrumental]
[Synth Pulse, Bass Groove, Guitar Swells]
[Verse 1]
The system
(Has its limit)
The balance
(Has a minute)
Push it farther
(Push it more)
Soon you’re knocking
(On another door)
What seems stable
(Can rearrange)
What seems gradual
(Can suddenly change)
[Pre-Chorus]
One more degree
(One more strain)
One more shock
(Through the chain)
[Chorus]
Approaching the threshold
(Better hold on)
Approaching the threshold
(It won’t be long)
Approaching the threshold
(The warning’s strong)
Approaching the threshold
(What’s right goes wrong)
[Refrain]
Closer to the edge
(Out on a ledge)
Push the tipping point
(Till it’s outta joint!)
Closer to the edge
(No safety hedge)
Push the tipping point
(Till it’s outta joint!)
[Verse 2]
A current weakens
(A forest dries)
An ocean warms
(A species dies)
Each by itself
(May seem small)
But linked together
(They can move it all)
The network stretches
(Under load)
The future narrows
(Down the road)
[Arrangement: Add layered harmonies, rising synth arpeggios]
[Pre-Chorus]
A little push
(A little shove)
From below
(And above)
One loose thread
(Starts to pull)
Until the system
(Is no longer full)
[Chorus]
Approaching the threshold
(Better hold on)
Approaching the threshold
(It won’t be long)
Approaching the threshold
(The die is drawn)
Approaching the threshold
(What’s gone is gone)
[Bridge]
The danger isn’t
(Just one event)
It’s what follows
(After the descent)
One reaction
(Can trigger two)
Then two become ten
(Coming after you)
A spark becomes fire
(A fire becomes heat)
The heat changes pathways
(Beneath our feet)
[Instrumental Break]
[Guitar Solo]
[Synth Swells]
[Marching Drums]
[Final Chorus]
Approaching the threshold
(Better hold on)
Approaching the threshold
(It won’t be long)
Approaching the threshold
(The signal’s on)
Approaching the threshold
(From dusk to dawn)
Approaching the threshold
(Can you see?)
Approaching the threshold
(For you and me)
[Final Refrain]
Closer to the edge
(Out on a ledge)
Push the tipping point
(Till it’s outta joint!)
Closer to the edge
(No privilege)
Push the tipping point
(Till it’s outta joint!)
[Outro]
How close are we?
(Closer than before)
Push a little more…
(Closer still)
Approaching the threshold
(Until…)
Approaching the threshold
(We will…)
About the Song
Many subsystems appear to be approaching—or perhaps have already crossed—important thresholds. The interactions among these systems make prediction increasingly difficult, and cascading responses are a legitimate concern. In a highly interconnected system, a seemingly modest perturbation can propagate through multiple pathways and produce consequences far larger than the original disturbance.
This possibility is precisely what makes climate change so dangerous.
From the album “Unwritten“