Pete Seeger — Talking Atom

Well, I'm gonna preach you a sermon 'bout Old Man Atom 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 when Einstein's scared, I'm scared Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Alamogordo, Bikini... Here's my moral, plain as day Old Man Atom is here to stay He's gonna hang 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 Hiroshima, Nagasaki -- here's my text Hiroshima, Nagasaki -- Lordy, who'll be next The science guys, from every clime They all pitched in with overtime Before they knew it, the job was done; They'd hitched up the power of the gosh-darn sun They put a harness on Old Sol Splittin' atoms, while the diplomats was splittin' hairs . . Hiroshima, Nagasaki -- what'll we do? Hiroshima, Nagasaki -- they both went up the blue Then the cartel crowd put on a show To turn back the clock on the UNO To get a corner on atoms and maybe extinguish Every darned atom that can't speak English Down with foreign-born atoms! Yes, Sir! Hiroshima, Nagasaki... But the atom's international, in spite of hysteria Flourishes in Utah, also Siberia And 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 the world makes A-bombs, something's bound to bust Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Alamogordo, Bikini... No, the answer to it all isn't milit