Ball of Wax 53 Songs: Colin Ernst – “I Have a Friend”

The lyrics of Colin Ernst’s “I Have a Friend” aren’t as literally connected to environmental catastrophe as some of the songs here, but in context it all makes sense. The song is a jaunty retelling of the Icarus myth, which is really a perfect metaphor for pretty much all of human activity in the post-industrial age. The “friend” in question has a wonderful plan that will help flout the laws of nature and achieve greatness. It can’t fail! Here we go! We never quite get to the failure part, but the song does slow down and fall apart at the end, and Colin’s repeated refrain of “it’s so hot” says plenty – and feels plenty relevant to our current predicament.