Lawrencium, Take the Stand

Lyrics

[Verse 1] The clerk calls the case, the gallery stills A silver name climbs the periodic hills Ninety-three, then ninety-four Each new element opens a door At number one-oh-three, the court takes note Lawrencium enters in a careful coat [Chorus] Lawrencium, take the stand Element one-oh-three, explain your land Made in the lab, too brief to remain A fleeting defendant with a very big name Lawrencium, the record is clear A heavy new member has appeared [Verse 2] At Berkeley they forged you, atom by atom In a world where the smallest clues matter Named for Ernest Lawrence, whose cyclotron spun You came from a study of how nuclei run No ingot, no coin, no specimen to weigh Just traces that vanish away [Chorus] Lawrencium, take the stand Element one-oh-three, explain your land Made in the lab, too brief to remain A fleeting defendant with a very big name Lawrencium, the record is clear A heavy new member has appeared [Bridge] The judge taps once: “Let the evidence speak” A nucleus turns, unstable and brief The experts agree, though the details refine Your place in the actinides holds in the line [Final Chorus] Lawrencium, take the stand Element one-oh-three, explain your land Made in the lab, too brief to remain A fleeting defendant with a very big name Lawrencium, case closed today Your mark on the table of elements will stay [Outro] The court adjourns, the brass rings out One-oh-three is what this case was about