Talking Atom Songtext
von Pete Seeger

I′m goin' to preach you a sermon ′bout old man atom
And I don't mean the Adam in the Bible datum
I don't mean the Adam that Mother Eve mated
I mean that thing that science liberated
Einstein says he′s scared
And if Einstein′s scared, boy I'm scared

Well, if you′re scared of the A-bomb, here's what to do
You got to join with all the people and the world with you
′Cause if we don't get together and do it well
First thing you know we′ll blow this world to...

Well, here's the moral as plain as day
Old man atom is here to stay
He's gonna stick around, it′s plain to see
But ah, my dearly beloved, are we
We hold these truths to be self-evident
All men may be cremated equal


You know, life used to be such a simple joy
The cyclotron was just a super-toy
Folks got born, they′d work and marry
And atom was a word in the dictionary

Then it happened
These science guys from every clime
They all pitched in with overtime
Before you knew it the job was done
They'd hitched up the power of the doggone sun
Put a harness on old Sol
Splittin′ atoms right and left
While the diplomats were splitting hairs

Of course the cartel caught up and put on a show
They're gonna turn back the clock on the U.N.O
Grab a corner on atoms and maybe extinguish
Every dern atom can speak English
Down with foreign-born atoms
America for American atoms
Step right up, folks, and atomize world peace

Ah, but the atoms in the national in spite of hysteria
Flourishes in Utah, also Siberia
Whether you′re white, black, red or brown
The question is this when you boil it down


To be or not to be, that is the question
Atoms to atoms and dust to dust
If you listen to the moneybags something's bound to bust
Yes, it′s up to the people 'cause the atom don't care
You can′t fence him in, he′s just like air
He don't give a dern about any politics
Or who got what into which of a fix
All he wants to do is sit around and have his
Nucleus bombarded by neutrons

Now, the answer to it all ain′t military datum
Like who gets there firstest with the mostest atoms
But the people of the world must decide their fate
We gotta stick together or disintegrate