Million Mile-an-Hour Machine
People in the showroom said one of a kind. E G#7
Best ride that you’ll ever find. A
It’s a million mile an hour machine. E F#7 B7
Step right up, it’ll blow your mind. E G#7
Best planet, top of the line. A
It’s a million mile an hour machine. E C#7 F#7 B7 E–
It’s all nuclear power, way up there, A Am
Driving this habitat. E
Got a solar transmission, everywhere, F#7
But keep your fingers off the thermostat! B7
I just couldn’t wait to get it out the door.
Had it all, but I had to have more
Of that million mile an hour machine.
Shoulda known better, that’s for sure,
But I put my foot right to the floor
Of that million mile an hour machine.
SOLO
I hear a siren, it’s in the rear view.
Says pull over, or you’re gonna be through with that
Million mile an hour machine.
Here’s your ticket. Take it to the judge.
The laws of chemistry, do not budge
On this million mile an hour machine.
Gotta change my ways, I know they’re wrong.
Quit burning, or I won’t last long
On this million mile-an-hour machine.
Now I’m on probation, got to stay clean.
But what happens, remains to be seen
On this million mile an hour machine.
©Doug Hendren 2025
What’s it about? This was inspired by a quote from Paul Hawken:
The planetary spaceship we are on is ingeniously designed. Passengers don’t realize they are flying a million miles per hour through space without seatbelts, lots of room in coach, and delicious food. The spaceship came with operating instructions and essential guidelines, including everyone is crew, don’t poison the water, soil, or air, and be sure the spaceship doesn’t get too crowded with passengers. And an important rule: don’t touch the thermostat.
Planet earth is a mighty fine vehicle for cruising around our corner of the galaxy. It’s all nuclear powered from the sun’s fusion, 93 million miles away. The solar transmission delivers all the power we need to grow food and produce plenty of mechanical energy. A self-contained life support system! If we take care of our habitat, it will provide for all our needs.
Since the dawn of the industrial revolution, however, our lust for more and more energy has gotten out of hand, even as our population and resource extraction continue to go up every year. When I was born in 1950, Earth’s population was 2.5 billion people. Today it is over 8 billion. We are “driving” our planet like a hot-rodding teenager, with our proverbial foot to the floor. Unfortunately, there are no cosmic police out there to pull us over and get us to mend our ways. We have to learn to do this ourselves. Paying attention to our scientists, and making sustainable laws we can live with, is essential if we expect to survive the next few decades in any kind of style. Here are a few reliable scientific resources to check out.
NASA on Climate Change. Remember, these are the people who put us on the moon.
National Academies. They cover a great deal of territory.
For more from Paul Hawken, check out:
Project Drawdown: The World’s Leading Guide to Science-Based Climate Solutions.
And also: Regeneration.org
