Hello there
This is your ancestor speaking
Your predecessor from the 21st century
When you emerged repressing me
Remember? That was us
The Homo Economicus

Don’t walk away please stay
Please listen to what I have to say
I know I’m out of favour out of date
You hate me probably and it’s too late
To change my fate but please two minutes
For your ancestor the one that went before you
I assure you that when you let me explain a little more
Of what we went through what we really meant to do
That the intention wasn’t evil on our side
It might shed a different light
On how you think of us your ancestors
So you may learn from us because
To not get lost in the future
You must know your past right?

So here I am
This is your ancestor speaking
Your predecessor from the 21st century
You’re blaming me for spreading myself
Endlessly around the globe exploiting nature
Leaving no hope for a future driving the Earth
To the verge of exhaustion draining her to the bone

Like a virus in fact doing what it loves the most
To multiply and multiply completely undermining its host
And you’re right in a way looking back I admit that we did
But we weren’t aware thought we were doing good
Economic growth for all of you
Comfort and convenience
Life is so much easier
Than it has ever been before
You have to give me that
Of course I do regret
That we’ve polluted ourselves
Out of existence
Created an unbridgeable distance
From all other forms of life
Until life finally left us
Exit Homo Economicus

You say growth was my Holy Grail
Yes it was and it failed
It couldn’t last I do agree
But in the middle of the hustle
You cannot really see

The point I’m trying to make
We weren’t fully awake
We didn’t know the things you know
It seemed good to stick with growth
Climate change we heard the words
But the words just didn’t hurt
And it may sound absurd to you
But we loved our children too
We were stuck in a system of business
That’s how we survived it gave us our lives
To buy or not to buy was to be or not to be
Buying things determined our identity
And you can laugh about it now
But remember it was how
We managed to get out
Of poverty and wilderness
Don’t call it pure silliness
So we aren’t flawless
Your great-grand parents
But you shouldn’t lay it all on us
The Homo Economicus

You say growth was my Holy Grail
Yes it was and it failed
It couldn’t last I do agree
But in the middle of the hustle
You cannot really see

So here I am
This is your ancestor speaking
Your predecessor from the 21st century
To ask for forgiveness and for some understanding
Please don’t be too demanding

Don’t be too hard on us
We did the best we could
Moving forward like we thought we should
Though we were just a phase
In the existence of the human race
We paved the road for you
In many ways
This is your ancestor speaking
The relatives you know so well
Forgive us I beg you
For sending you to hell

Lyrics & performance Nynke Laverman | Music Sytze Pruiksma | Musical production & recordings Sytze Pruiksma, Lân Studios, Weidum | Mix Harry Zwerver, Studio 12, Franeker | Mastering Darcy Proper, Valhalla Studios, NY