Background
Warning: this song contains one profane word and some toilet humour, but to paraphrase Bonnie Henry "it's mild".
When I first came up with the idea to parody "T.N.T.", it was going to be one of my light-hearted songs. It got off to a good start, but I'm not too well-versed 🤨 on the chosen subject, so I got stuck about 70% of the way through. I'll finish it one day – so I won't reveal that subject just yet – but in the meantime, I came up with a new idea 😁
I've been thinking about methane gas a lot recently for no apparent reason at all. I came up with the idea to pair the subject and "T.N.T." on August 11th, let it bounce around in my head for a few days, and then sat down and wrote the song in two hours on August 14th. It's always nice when a song comes together quickly.
Methane Gas
Methane gas, also known as Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) or Natural Gas, is a greenhouse gas even more potent than carbon dioxide – especially in the short term. Over a 100-year period, methane gas is "only" 28 times more potent than CO2, but over a 20-year period, methane is around 85 times more potent than CO2. Over even shorter timeframes, methane is over 100 times more potent than CO2. If we're trying to cut back on our CO2 production, doesn't it seem like we should be reducing our methane emissions?
Here in BC and Canada, oil/gas companies governments are pushing the idea that methane gas should be a "transitional fuel" between coal/gas and renewables. The BC government is trying to both increase methane gas production and lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which makes no sense. Even if the methane is exported and burnt outside of BC, burning it still releases carbon, and fugitive methane escapes throughout the production process. And global methane emissions from the energy sector are about 70% more than governments report.
Many new homes being built in Canada are still being connected to methane gas. These methane-powered appliances leak methane into the home even when not in use, which, in addition to being indirectly damaging to humans due to the greenhouse effect, is also directly bad for human health, causing increased rates of asthma. Increasingly, cities across BC and Canada are requiring new builds to only use electricity, but it isn't happening fast enough.
That's where this song comes in – we need to stop producing and using methane gas now.
"But wait – there's more!"
Make sure you click on the links I include in the write-ups and the song lyrics! I spend a lot of time on them – sometimes as much time as I do on the song itself – and they will deepen your understanding and/or entertain you greatly. For example, in this post, I've linked to five heat-related news articles, all sorts of stuff about methane gas, another of my parody songs, and a 23-minute smart (and funny) John Oliver segment on carbon offsets – even though I only mentioned carbon offsets tangentially in the song.
Wow! What great value! What might you find in my previous posts? 🤔
😉
Lyrics
Oil! Oil! Oil! Oil! Oil! Oil! Oil! Oil! Oil! Oil! Oil! Oil! Oil! Oil! Oil! It has a lot of us upset And it's time we intervene Forget your carbon offsets And your gasoline Gas wells on the left of us And gas wells on the right Won't be no fun Won't have wildlife Just another plight 'Cause it's LNG, we must unite LNG, and show some foresight LNG, it's methane gas LNG, don't give it a pass! It's dirty, mean, and really not green It's a sleight of hand Over twenty times worse than C-O-2 Understand? So shut off your fireplace Shut off your stove Shut off your furnace Do it, by Jove Unless you are a clown So don't you let us down 'Cause it's LNG, we're none too bright LNG, watch our trees ignite LNG, it's "natural gas" LNG, but not from your ass! [Guitar Solo] LNG (Oil! Oil! Oil!) LNG (Oil! Oil! Oil!) LNG (Oil! Oil! Oil!) LNG (Oil! Oil! Oil!) LNG (Oil! Oil! Oil!) We must unite LNG (Oil! Oil! Oil!) Show some fucking foresight LNG (Oil! Oil! Oil!) It's methane gas LNG, don't give it a pass! [Outro]