{"id":46228,"date":"2025-08-24T16:16:32","date_gmt":"2025-08-24T16:16:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/idea.membrane.com\/songwriter\/?p=46228"},"modified":"2025-08-24T16:20:44","modified_gmt":"2025-08-24T16:20:44","slug":"from-aardvark-to-zebra","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kingarthur.com\/songwriter\/2025\/08\/24\/from-aardvark-to-zebra\/","title":{"rendered":"From Aardvark to Zebra"},"content":{"rendered":"

From-Aardvark-to-Zebra.mp3<\/a>
\nFrom-Aardvark-to-Zebra.mp4<\/a>
\nFrom-Aardvark-to-Zebra-Unplugged-Underground-XXV.mp3<\/a>
\nFrom-Aardvark-to-Zebra-Unplugged-Underground-XXV.mp4<\/a>
\nFrom-Aardvark-to-Zebra-intro.mp3<\/a><\/p>\n

[Verse 1]
\nPretty hard to find a reason
\n(Why you don’t know why)
\nThis late in the season
\n(And, still a far cry….)<\/p>\n

[Chorus]
\n(Ahh…) from aardvark to zebra (ahh)
\nTop of the world (swirled and twirled)
\nTo the south pole (roll, baby, roll)
\nEveryone (everywhere…) is aware<\/p>\n

[Bridge]
\nWatch you don’t fall off
\n(As we roll)
\n’cause the going got rough
\n(Takin’ a toll)<\/p>\n

[Verse 2]
\nIf there’s blame for shame
\n(They’re one and the same)
\nA bit late for reason
\n(So, all along… we’ll dream on)<\/p>\n

[Chorus]
\n[Bridge]<\/p>\n

[Outro]
\n[Instrumental, Guitar Solo]
\nWatch you don’t fall off
\n(As we roll)
\nSpinning round
\n(Smile or frown)
\nSit or stand
\n(Understand?)
\nSpinning round
\n(Round and round)<\/p>\n

ABOUT THE SONG<\/p>\n

The song uses the metaphor of the entire alphabet of life\u2014\u201cfrom aardvark to zebra\u201d<\/em>\u2014to emphasize that climate change touches every species, everywhere on Earth. No creature is outside its reach, from the most obscure insect to the largest predator, from the equator to the poles.<\/p>\n

In Verse 1<\/strong>, the lyrics \u201cPretty hard to find a reason (Why you don’t know why) \/ This late in the season (And, still a far cry\u2026.)\u201d<\/em> suggest disbelief that, despite decades of evidence and warnings, denial and delay persist. Humanity has had ample time (\u201clate in the season\u201d) to recognize and act, yet meaningful progress remains \u201ca far cry\u201d from what is needed.<\/p>\n

The Chorus<\/strong>\u2014\u201cfrom aardvark to zebra \u2026 top of the world \u2026 to the south pole\u201d<\/em>\u2014creates a global sweep, showing how climate disruption cascades across ecosystems. It highlights interconnectedness: warming oceans, shifting jet streams, melting ice sheets, and collapsing habitats affect all living beings. The line \u201cEveryone (everywhere\u2026) is aware\u201d<\/em> reflects the undeniable visibility of climate impacts now\u2014wildfires, floods, extinctions, record heatwaves\u2014so the ignorance that once provided cover is no longer credible.<\/p>\n

The Bridge<\/strong>\u2014\u201cWatch you don\u2019t fall off (As we roll) \/ \u2019cause the going got rough (Takin\u2019 a toll)\u201d<\/em>\u2014frames Earth as a spinning planet in peril. The warning is that the destabilizing forces of climate change (sea-level rise, stronger storms, collapsing ecosystems) are already \u201ctaking a toll,\u201d threatening to push societies and natural systems past tipping points.<\/p>\n

In Verse 2<\/strong>, \u201cIf there\u2019s blame for shame \/ (They\u2019re one and the same)\u201d<\/em> speaks to accountability. Those responsible for fossil fuel extraction, denial, and delay are the same actors creating conditions of shame for future generations. The line \u201cA bit late for reason (So, all along\u2026 we\u2019ll dream on)\u201d<\/em> reflects the bitter irony that while reason and science have been clear, society has instead clung to comforting illusions\u2014\u201cdreaming on\u201d rather than facing reality.<\/p>\n

Finally, the Outro<\/strong>\u2014\u201cSpinning round (Smile or frown) \/ Sit or stand (Understand?)\u201d<\/em>\u2014invites reflection: whether people choose complacency or action, the Earth will keep spinning, but the livability of our planet is what hangs in the balance. It\u2019s a call to understand<\/em> that denial or passivity will not stop consequences, while awareness and action might still alter the trajectory.<\/p>\n

Tipping points<\/a> and feedback loops<\/a> drive the acceleration of climate change<\/a>. When one tipping point is toppled and triggers others, the cascading collapse is known as the Domino Effect<\/a><\/em>.<\/h3>\n

The Human Induced Climate Change Experiment<\/a><\/h2>\n

From the album “Aardvark<\/a>“<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From-Aardvark-to-Zebra.mp3 From-Aardvark-to-Zebra.mp4 From-Aardvark-to-Zebra-Unplugged-Underground-XXV.mp3 From-Aardvark-to-Zebra-Unplugged-Underground-XXV.mp4 From-Aardvark-to-Zebra-intro.mp3 [Verse 1] Pretty hard to find a reason (Why you don’t know why) This late in the season (And, still a far cry….) [Chorus] (Ahh…) from aardvark to zebra (ahh) Top of the world (swirled and twirled) To the south pole (roll, baby, roll) Everyone (everywhere…) is aware [Bridge] Watch […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9,14],"tags":[4161,163],"class_list":["post-46228","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-daniel","category-lyrics","tag-aardvark","tag-climate-change"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kingarthur.com\/songwriter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46228","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kingarthur.com\/songwriter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kingarthur.com\/songwriter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kingarthur.com\/songwriter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kingarthur.com\/songwriter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46228"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/kingarthur.com\/songwriter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46228\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":46237,"href":"https:\/\/kingarthur.com\/songwriter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46228\/revisions\/46237"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kingarthur.com\/songwriter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46228"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kingarthur.com\/songwriter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46228"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kingarthur.com\/songwriter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46228"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}