Drought
Parody of Tears For Fears' "Shout"
Background
It's been a minute! About a year ago, I managed to find gainful employment, and my song completion rate has been down to about one new song every two months. I've been particularly slow since September, having completed only two songs since then. But I still have several WIPs trickling along behind the scenes! I started this particular song in November.
I've previously covered Everybody Wants To Rule The World, so Tears For Fears joins AC/DC as a group that I've covered twice.
The song is quite straightforward – as humans continue to pump greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere, we are seeing increasingly extreme weather, which includes heat waves, droughts, storms, floods, and even cold snaps. I've already written a song about floods, and I've mentioned heat waves and other environmental issues in many of my other songs, but nothing specifically about droughts. Until now.
Song Notes
The first lines I wrote were "Drought/Drought/Where are the trout?" and I thought it was going to be another one of my animal songs. Shortly after that, I had the idea to replace "Come on" with "Moron". When I'm composing these songs, not only do I think about the lyrics, but I also like to imagine what type of visual imagery would go well with the song if there was ever a music video to go with it. The recurring "Moron/I'm talking to you/Moron" offers the perfect opportunity to showcase the visages of many malevolent people. Trump, Musk, other billionaires, CEOs, world leaders, politicians, talking heads, and other nefariously powerful people.
The verse with hoi polloi and Trump convoy is saying that our leaders don't share our beliefs and would rather fight us than help us. Somehow, despite the obviousness of this, ignorant people are being fooled into supporting someone who clearly gives zero fucks about them. It's also a reference to the attempted US insurrection on Jan 6th, 2021, and the Canadian trucker protests in 2022 – the latter of which I wrote a parody song about.
The verse with "Even a king can be thrown about" is a reference to Louis XVI during the French Revolution. In the late 1700s, the French removed their king from power for ignoring their concerns.
The reference to the far right wing: they are trying to intimidate and silence anyone who opposes them, and we can't sit back and let it happen.
"Peddlers of doubt" refers to Merchants of Doubt, which is a book that points out parallels between the "controversy" over global warming and previously manufactured controversies over tobacco and other environmental issues.
"Oligarchic kings" refers to our billionaire overlords. Governments always bail out big businesses like banks, but there is never a bailout for everyday working people. These rich entities take more and more from us, taking an increasing toll on the environment as they do it.
When a song is fading out, I like to add funny things. I also did so on my "Beat It" parody. Maybe it's because I'm a Rush fan – Geddy Lee always likes to stick funny things in at the end of songs, like "evelate" (instead of "elevate") at the end of "Vital Signs" or what he says at the end of "Digital Man". In the case of this song, I'm once again alluding to the length of the song and its impending end, but I also threw in the somewhat positive "Hang on" as the last line.
Lyrics
Drought Drought There is no doubt This is something we should care about Moron I'm talking to you Moron Drought Drought Where are the trout? Fish are some things we can't do without Moron I'm talking to you Moron In modern times There isn't water in our soil A social crime They'd rather waste it all on oil No ties that bind They fight against the hoi polloi We must be blind We shouldn't have a Trump convoy We shouldn't have a Trump convoy Drought Drought Dry it all out Rain is something we can't live without Moron I'm talking to you Moron A paradise And in return we made it hell If you grow rice I hope there's water in your well I hope there's water in your well Drought Drought We can't opt out Time for us to live with the fallout Moron I'm talking to you Moron Drought Drought No more copouts Even a king can be thrown about Moron I'm talking to you Moron [Instrumental] Drought Drought Phase it all out (phase it all out) Gas is something we can do without Moron I'm talking to you Moron And when all of our lands are charred And all those ores are mined The planet will be torn apart The planet will be torn apart Drought Drought No time to pout The far right wing wants to drown us out (The planet will be torn apart) Moron I'm talking to you Moron Drought Drought Peddlers of doubt Oligarchic kings will not bail us out Moron I'm talking to you You moron [Instrumental] Drought Drought Corporate sellouts We will all sing and you'll hear us out Moron I'm talking to you Moron (They'd rather waste it all on oil) Drought Drought Where are the sprouts? (They'd rather waste it all on oil) All living things will soon be wiped out (They'd rather waste it…) Moron I'm talking to you (They'd rather waste it all on oil) Moron Drought Drought Crying it out (The planet will be torn apart) The state of things makes me want to shout (The planet will be torn apart) Moron I'm tired of you You moron Drought Drought Dragging it out Here is something as I'm fading out Hang on