The Atom Lyrics - Red Letter Year - Ani Difranco

The glory of the atom 

Begs a reverent word 

The primary design 

Of the whole universe 

Yes, let us sing its praises 

Let us bow our heads in prayer 

At the magnificent consciousness 

Incarnate there 

The smallest unit of matter 

With its orbiting electrons 

Echoing off the solar system 

Like a hawk in the hills at dawn 

The smallest unit of matter 

Uniting bird and rock and tree 

And you and me 

Oh holy is the atom 

The truly intelligent design 

To which all of evolution 

Is graciously aligned 

One single structure 

To which everything distills 

The air 

The wood smoke there 

And the hills 

Leave me here surrounded 

To everything that's real 

Far outside the boundaries 

Of the digitized ordeal 

Leave me here awake 

Leave me here to heal 

Human beings are a cross 

Between monkeys and ants 

You can see us from your spaceship 

Melting the polar ice caps 

With our arrogance 

Summon a congress of angels 

Dressed in riot gear 

We've got ourselves a serious situation 

Down here 

I have this great great uncle 

Who worked on the atomic bomb 

He got a nobel prize in physics 

And a place in song 

And I bet there were no windows 

And no women in the room 

When they applied themselves 

To the pure science of 

Boom 

Yes, messing with the atom 

Is the highest form of blasphemy 

Whether you are making weapons 

Or simple electricity 

Someone fashion me a pulpit 

I have been called to engage 

With the maniacal heretics 

Of the nuclear age! 

Let the religious get religion 

Let consumers get a clue 

Let scientists get perspective 

Let activists get their due 

Let industry get a conscience 

Let the earth inherit the meek 

Let the divinity of nature speak 

The glory of the atom 

Begs a reverent word 

The primary design 

Of the whole universe 

Yes, let us sing its praises 

Let us bow our heads in prayer 

At the magnificent consciousness 

Incarnate there