Background
This is one of my sillier songs 😁
I haven't managed to parody a Queen song before this, and "We Are The Champions" is one of the most popular songs ever written, so this song was on my list. The key to this song is the chorus – "We are the champions". I sang it over and over in my head, and I kept coming back to the obvious substitution "We harvest plankton" 😅.
Years ago, I became aware of a company in Victoria, BC called Industrial Plankton. The company builds bioreactors for growing algae, which most people use for feeding other, larger aquaculture organisms. But I also know that some people have been exploring using plankton or algae in human cuisine. And I'm a connoisseur of dystopian sci-fi, and aware of the fact that humans are responsible for the rapid disappearance of most of the planet's animals. So I decided that this song was going to tell a story:
In the not-too-distant future, pollution, climate change, habitat destruction, and over-harvesting have killed off every edible animal and plant – except plankton. Humans have to grow and harvest plankton in order to survive.
It may sound a bit far-fetched, but with the way things are going right now, it might only be a few decades before plankton becomes a significant part of human diets around the world.
On that cheery note, enjoy the song!
Lyrics
Earth isn't blue Grime's in our climes We're all repentant But we ran out of time Our great big lakes All filled with goo Life wiped from sea and land Gone with no trace But we need food If we want to go on and on and on and on We harvest plankton, my friends And we'll keep it thriving or we'll end We harvest plankton We harvest plankton No time for choosers 'Cause we harvest plankton in Dead World There are no more cows Life's come to a halt We've suffered pain, misfortune And maybe the worst part of it: It's all our fault So we can't turn up our noses At this green ooze I know that eating it is a chore But just scrunch up your face And pay your dues If we want to go on and on and on and on We harvest plankton, my friends And we'll keep it thriving or we'll end We harvest plankton We harvest plankton No time for choosers 'Cause we harvest plankton in Dead World We harvest plankton, my friends And we'll keep it thriving or we'll end We harvest plankton We harvest plankton No time for choosers 'Cause we harvest plankton….