#AGURocks is a series of posts by musicians who create science-inspired music and explain their process and inspiration while also showcasing their pieces. Learn more about contributing. The views and lyrics expressed in this post and song do not reflect those of Sharing Science and AGU. This week, Ben Edwards.

I started playing the acoustic guitar when I was about 10, had a few years of piano and coronet lessons, and sporadic guitar lessons. My dad had an old guitar, and I loved to sing John Denver songs along with a friend (Todd Dereemer). I decided about a decade ago to try and write songs about rocks and minerals mostly. I have about a dozen now, including a diversity of genres (country, pop, rap). From these beginnings, I started using the songs to teach concepts in classes about 3 years ago…

When thinking about my inspiration for these song, usually the lyrics bring to mind something geological – like Toby Keith’s “Red Solo Cup” was a natural for “Red Lava Flow.” I usually do the majority of the song at one sitting but then it takes several weeks of sporadic practice and rewriting to get it to point where I think it mostly sounds complete. I like doing parodies because then I have a cadence etc to try to match (like trying to write a poem with certain iambic pentameter).

Now, imagine each one of these song below, but instead of the original words, sing my lyrics, and enjoy!

“It’s Tricky to melt a rock…” to the tune of RUN DMC lyrics for ‘It’s Tricky’.

This speech is my lecture, it’s has some slight conjecture,

To melt (a rock), that’s not (too hot),

Takes tricky mantle-fracture, here we go…

 

It’s tricky to melt a rock, to melt a rock that’s not too hot

It’s tricky…it’s tricky (sub) tricky (solidus)

It’s tricky to melt a rock, to melt an ultramafic rock

It’s Tricky…Sl-sl-sl-icky (partial melting)

 

[verse 1]

I saw a cold dense slab, it was looking kinda sad,

It saw the trench, smelled blueschist stench, knew it was lookin’ bad,

These plates move really slowly, centimeters right below me,

They are mantle bound, de-hydrate around

The 100 ‘k’ ‘m’ boundary

 

It’s tricky to melt a rock, to melt a rock that’s dry but hot

It’s tricky…it’s tricky (decompression melting)

It’s tricky to melt a rock, to melt an eclogitic rock

It’s Tricky…(decompression partial melting)

 

[verse 2]

In mid-ocean plates be formin’ pillow lava toes,

Ridges spread magnetic bedding and basaltic flows,

And in the ocean plates got motion cause they just can’t hide,

Convection currents and upwelling goin’ on inside.

 

It’s tricky to melt a rock, to melt a rock unless it’s hot

It’s tricky…it’s tricky (plume) tricky (wetspot)

It’s tricky to melt a rock, to melt pyroxenitic rock

It’s Tricky…Sl-sl-sl-icky (mantle plume hotspot)

 

Break

 

In Hawaii and in Iceland lavas flowing fast,

Yellowstone is kinda scary -an explosive past,

Mantle plumes might be suspected but we just don’t know,

 Slabs dropping to the core where buoyant plumes can grow?

 

Dykes are forming and transporting magma all the time,

Peridotite it’s all right, a grey poupon rhyme.

Makin’ magma isn’t easy if you don’t know the style,

Decompression, adding water, up the heat for awhile.

 

It’s tricky to melt a rock, to melt a rock that’s dry and hot

It’s tricky…it’s tricky (hotspot) tricky (magma)

It’s tricky to melt a rock, to melt a rock that’s wet alot

It’s Tricky…Sl-sl-sl-icky (dehydration melting)

 

BREAK

 

Mantling melting (makes basalt) but not (an-de-site)

Ferromags (like cpx) they just can’t sit tight

It’s like that y’all (y’all), but plates don’t quit

They subduct (down) core-bound! Tectonics is it….

 

It’s tricky to melt a rock, to melt a rock that’s dry and hot

It’s tricky…it’s tricky (hotspot) tricky (magma)

It’s tricky to melt a rock, to melt a rock that’s wet alot

It’s Tricky…Sl-sl-sl-icky (dehydration melting)

It’s tricky to melt a rock, to melt a rock in pressure pot

It’s Tricky…Sl-sl-sl-icky (decompression mantle melting) – yeah!!

 

“Red lava flow/dome/cone” to the tune of Toby Keith lyrics for “Red Solo Cup”

Now glowing red lava can be quite a spectacle,

When it flows at night from a volcanic receptacle,

And I don’t know a person that’s even half respectable

who doesn’t ‘oh’ and ‘ah’ at the site.

 

A red lava flow is naturally disposable,

And plants can even make it become decomposable,

And if it’s in the way your house may not be foreclosable,

No matter what Freddie Mac says…

 

Red lava flow, I love how you glow,

Let’s have a party, an ‘a’a party. You’re blocky…

Red lava flow, when you flow on the snow,

You’re kinda steamy, glowing and dreamy…

 

Now red lava domes are like lava haystacks

And when they cool down they’re all covered in cracks

But if they collapse child you better run fast,

Cuz Nuees ardentes are no fun.

 

While I have to admit viscous domes are intriguing

Stability from a distance can be slightly deceiving,

and if you’re at the wrong end of receiving

A block-and-ash flow, you’ll be toast-ed.

 

Oh red lava dome, don’t collapse on my home,

Let’s have a party, a Pelean party. No surging…

Red lava dome, refillin’ the cone,

Evacuation and relocation.

 

Now your cinders are red, or maybe altered to yellow

But red cinder cone I love when you bellow

Cuz your bombs are the fruit in my volcanic jello

Piled up to the angle of repose.

 

Red cinder cone you are more than fantastic

You are perfectly formed from blocks inelastic

And I’m not being the least be sarcastic

When I look up at your crater and say:

 

‘Red cinder cone, you’re more than a very

hot hole in the ground,

You’re a perfect example of how natural

processes can be beautiful

And dangerous at the same time!

Thanks for reminding me of the fragility of my life on a

tiny planet in the habitable zone, because if

it wasn’t for volcanic activity life wouldn’t exist today…

 

Oh, Red cinder cone, glowing on a volcanic throne,

Let’s have a party, a Strombolian party.

scoriaceous…

Red lava dome, making our earthly home,

So life enhancing for bacterial dancing…

 

Oh, Red pillowed flow, with submarine glow,

Let’s have a party, a pillow party. So bubbly…

Submarine black smoker hole, spewing sulfurous blow,

Extremophile living in anaerobic oblivion…

 

Oh Red cinder cone, shooting bombs at my home,

Let’s have a party, a tephra party, agglutionation…

Red lava flow, pahoehoe you know,

Ropy and shelly, and kinda of sulfursmelly…

I love you!