[Verse 1]
I thought the evolution of technology was amazing,
But I can’t bring myself to pay $1,999 for a phone.
For starters, even though it’s called a “phone,”
The actual calling function is just an afterthought.
[Pre-Chorus 1]
At some point, the landline at home turned into a mere ornament.
Something that sits there to receive automated calls.
[Chorus 1]
I never use it at all, yet for some reason, I keep paying the bill.
I don’t drive an electric car – mine has a gas engine.
And I even heat my bathwater using kerosene.
[Verse 2]
There’s no municipal sewer system here, so we use a septic tank.
Neighborhood announcements come via radio broadcasts –
A system where messages are relayed to radios installed in every home.
The city also publishes a monthly newsletter.
[Pre-Chorus 2]
Which has to be delivered to every single household. It’s a lifestyle.
that’s really out of step with the times.
[Chorus 2]
Around here, homes and farm fields are mixed;
When it comes to spreading fertilizer on the fields –
Chemical fertilizers don’t smell like anything.
[Verse 3]
Compost is animal waste – like from cows – and it stinks.
You can’t go near the fields when pesticides are being sprayed,
And insecticides are potent enough to drive away bugs,
so naturally, the smell is awful for humans, too.
[Pre-Chorus 3]
From early in the morning, diesel engines roar.
As they till the fields with rotary cultivators.
[Chorus 3]
Even if you complain, nobody really listens.
At night, for some reason, a terrible stench drifts down.
From the composting center upstream, forcing us to close the windows.
[Bridge]
Isn’t there something we can do?
The real world looks so different.
From what I had imagined or longed for –
That is the reality I see before me.
[Final Chorus]
A morning comes with the sun shining brightly.
Breathing in the fresh air, waking up feels so refreshing –
A moment when I appreciate life here, unlike in the city.
[Outro]