Yesterday, I mentioned the rather serious issue of periodic threats, materials security, and dwindling elemental resources. I rather flippantly suggested that someone ought to do a cover version of the classic Tom Lehrer song, The Elements, which is sung to the tune of Gilbert & Sullivan’s I am the very model of a modern Major-General from their operetta The Pirates of Penzance.
So, here are Lehrer’s lyrics redacted to take into account the fact that supplies of some elements are under serious or increasing threat this century because of socioeconomics, political machinations and plain old chemistry. Of those not redacted in the revised lyrics sheet, the majority are radioactive elements and some may be endangered but there is not enough information to say one way or the other.
Anyway, here’s the lyrics sheet, see if you can sing along, might be easier to sing the whole song and use buzzcocks to beep out the endangered chemical species.