1. In the dusty lab’ratory
‘Mid the coils and wax and twine
There the atoms in their glory
Ionize and recombine.

Chorus: Oh my darlings! Oh my darlings!
Oh my darling ions mind!
You are lost and gone forever
When just once you recombine!

2. In a tube quite electrodeless
They discharge around a line,
And the glow they leave behind them
Is quite corking for a time.

3. And with quite a small expansion,
1.8 or 1.9,
You can get a cloud delightful,
Which explains both snow and rain.

4. In the weird magnetic circuit
See how lovingly they twine,
As each ion describes a spiral
Round its own magnetic line.

5. Ultraviolet radiation
>From the arc of glowing lime
Soon discharges a conductor
If it’s charged with minus sign.

6. Alpha rays from radium bromide
Cause a zinc-blende screen to shine.
Set it glowing, clearly showing
Scintillations all the time.

7. Radium bromide emanation
Rutherford did first devine,
Turns to helium, then Sir William
Got the spectrum — every line.