The particle physics song, by CERN choir

Via CERNTV.

So far, the CERN choir cannot be found at the top of the hitparades, and when I listen to the performance, it seems likely that they will stay out of these hitparades for some time. But when it comes to the scientific content, they may already be ahead of Britney Spears and many others.




The Particle Physicists’ Song

Some particle physicists were standing one day
At the Hadron Collider in CERN
They gazed at the buttons and the output display
Thought of projects they’d had to adjourn…

They dreamt of new papers, new grants and new chairs
A thirteenth dimension and more –
Those physics professors were no idle guessers
And answers there’d be they were sure…

     Higgs, Higgs, glorious Higgs
     The theory told them these thingumajigs
     Were so fundamental
     And not accidental

     They got sentimental
     When thinking of Higgs.

The key to the origin of mass they supposed
Was the boson they hoped would be found
By hard-working scientists who rarely reposed
And constantly rushed round and round…

Inventing, designing experiments new
To answer deep questions that seek
Where most anti-matter’d gone off to and scattered
And why gravity is so weak.

     Higgs, Higgs, glorious Higgs
     The theory told them these thingumajigs
     Were so fundamental
     And not accidental

     They got sentimental
     When thinking of Higgs.

They all thought of SUSY with love in their eyes
And hoped things would work out this time
Exploring the Big Bang – the ultimate prize
And a mountain of knowledge to climb.

They switched on the LHC, hoped it would start
And the data would help them decide
What actually goes on when hunting a boson
And protons with protons collide.

     Higgs, Higgs, glorious Higgs
     The theory told them these thingumajigs
     Were so fundamental
     And not accidental

     They got sentimental
     When thinking of Higgs.

© Danuta Orlowska, 2009.

• With thanks to Philip Harris of the University of Sussex for his enthusiastic response to the song and for his fine-tuning suggestions; also thanks to Martin Gatehouse and Mary Stuttard of the CERN Choir for their hospitality.