Back in My Day
Tenafly, NJ
2024, Junior, Performing Arts
[Verse]
When sun rose another year passed
Love is in the air, bright hopes in the mood
I’d remember stories of my past
So mymemories could be viewed
Stories of white blankets of snow
No acidity to toxic quantities
Building snowmans and letting love show
Wasn’t it great back then?
Nowadays, a problem of my own appeared
No snow in the middle of December?
All the fun and joy we’ve always known
Can you even remember?
[Pre-chorus]
It’s funny how realities all become fantasies
Factories melted away all the snow
“We are deaf to your pleas,” no, you are just ignoring them
“Sweep it under a rug,” well I hope that’s not the case, cause
[Chorus]
Now amillion thoughts
Are flooding over my head
Now abillion costs
Are lighting up the forest
Of my hopes and dreams of ever seeing horizon’s end,
And I dread the day I’ll say “back in my day”
[Verse 2]
When sun rose another year passed
Peace in ocean’s lines, love in the cool breeze
I’d remember stories of my past
So myworld could hear my pleas
Stories of flurries of leaves
Colorful swirls painting the fall introduction
All I could see were beautiful trees
Trees that sucked up GHGs
Nowadays, a problem of my own appeared
Trash bags for leaves in the middle of the road?
I hoped for trees and their splendid leave
But sadly as it seems, all I saw was a dying junk tree,
[Pre-chorus]
It’s funny how realities all become fantasies,
A dying tree is no more carbon absorbed,
I can’t see the stars no more ‘cause plastic makes more GHGs,
And every time a tree dies the seas rise and so,
[Chorus]
Now amillion thoughts
Are flooding over my head
Now abillion costs
Are lighting up the forest
Of my hopes and dreams of ever seeing horizon’s end,
And I dread the day I’ll say “back in my day”
[Bridge]
There’s still hope in our lives though
Save energy, let’s make it all grow
Fight the monster we have made
“Don’t be afraid,” I am unafraid ‘cause!
[Chorus]
I still hope a million thoughts,
Won’t flood over my heads,
I still hope, we’ll make progress,
And we’ll protect our forest,
Of our hopes and dreams of ever seeing horizon’s end,
And it won’t come to the day I’ll say “back in my day”
Reflection
Reflection
Many around the globe have surely heard stories that reflect on the memories from their predecessors, whether that may be parents, educators, or others. While these fantastical memories are music to our ears, our climate has come to a point that we will never be able to relive those wonders or pass them on to future generations. There is no doubt that the clean environment past generations had been fortunate enough to live through has been stripped away by the vile hands of climate change, and unironically, the vile hands of human impact. Current and future generations have been deprived of experiencing a clean world. My original song “Back in My Day” has taken inspiration from this, noting that even in my community, my life, climate change has made our current environment vastly more toxic than the generations before. The words “dread the day I’ll say ‘back in my day’” refer to this topic. Writing the lyrics and melody of the song only provoked more passion of saving our climate, throwing in lyrical phrases such as “horizon’s end” and “billion costs” to represent the endless crisis of sea levels rising and the cost of a billion innocent lives. I have always been captivated by art’s ability to express one’s thoughts to the world, so I will continue to present my knowledge, passion, and words of encouragement in expos and discussions with my community. I hope my voice will encourage others as well to fight climate change and strive for a healthy world that future generations can enjoy too.