Goldilocks Zone
I used to be home D Bm
In a Goldilocks zone. G7 A7 D (Bm G7 A7)
I used to be home D Bm
In a Goldilocks zone. E7 —A7 —
Not too hot, but not too cold. D7 D7sus4/A D7
We had weather, but it always rolled. G G#°
Now I feel so bad, D7 A
Never knew what I had, Bm A G D/F#
Living in a Goldilocks zone. E7 – A7 – D C7 B7
We were living in a Goldilocks zone. E7 – A7 – D — A–
Ten thousand years D Bm
In a Goldilocks zone. G7 A7 D (Bm G7 A7)
Ten thousand years, D Bm
It was just on loan. E7 —A7 —
Not too wet, but not too dry. D7 D7sus4/A D7
But today, you just can’t deny G G#°
It’s as dry as a bone. D A
If I’d ever known, Bm A G D/F#
Packing up and leaving home. E7 A7 D C7
I’m packing up and leaving home. E7 A7 D
We don’t need to require G
A million years of muck and mire. D
Dig it up to set on fire, E7
Drive the mercury higher. A7
Set new records every year D Dsus4/A D7
Is there anything that you hold dear? G G#°
You’ve got ears, oh, let them hear D— A7 —
INSTRUMENTAL
We don’t need to require G
A million years of muck and mire. D
Dig it up to set on fire, E7
Drive the mercury higher. A7
Won’t be easy, but not too hard. D Dsus4/A D7
Get together and just take charge. G G#°
You’ve got ears, well, let them hear. D B7 (+4)
Let’s go back home Em D/F# G G#° A—-
To the Goldilocks zone. D B7 E7 A7 (repeat, fade)
©Doug Hendren 2025
What’s it about? If you google the term “Goldilocks Zone,” you’ll find discussions of what conditions are considered necessary for a planet to be habitable: orbiting a star at a distance close enough for water to exist as a liquid, but not close enough for it to boil off. In our own solar system, for example, Venus is closer to the sun, with an average temperature of 872ºF. And Mars, a little farther out than Earth, is very cold. The Habitable Zone, where Earth resides, is quite narrow. There are other factors, of course, being studied by astronomers looking for signs of life elsewhere in the universe.
This song is about a different aspect of the “Goldilocks Zone”: The remarkably stable, predictable climate of the Holocene period (about 10,000 BCE to the present), which has supported human civilization as we know it. Predictable growing seasons made agriculture possible, leading to reliable food supplies and permanent settlements. Our success has been so remarkable that we easily forget it all rests snugly within the context of a stable, gentle climate.
The Holocene appears to have come to an abrupt end in our lifetime, just a blink of a eye in geologic time. It has given way to what many have dubbed “The Anthropocene.” Though not officially embraced as a new geologic era, the term emphasizes that human activity is now the dominant influence on Earth’s climate and environment. There are many factors, but the most urgent has been disruption of Earth’s carbon balance, mainly from the combustion of fossil fuels. CO2 and methane pollution, which we cannot see directly, are difficult for mosts of us to really grasp. Here is a short animation that can help you visualize automobile pollution in New York City.
Fossil pollution has given planet Earth a fever, currently nearly 1.5ºC (2.7ºF) above pre-industrial levels. In human terms, that would be like having a 101.3 degree fever – definitely not well! The impacts of climate disruption are already affecting our food and water security, our health and infrastructure.
We are no longer in the Goldilocks Zone of the past 12,000 years. To get back to a stable climate, nothing is more urgent than eliminating fossil fuel combustion. Some skeptics may say it is too costly, but just consider the actual economic costs of losing our coastal cities, or our predictable growing seasons. “Apocalypse isn’t so cheap.” Acting on climate is a heavy lift, but much better than doing nothing. Let’s go back home to the Goldilocks Zone.
