Battle Hymn of Biochemistry

(To the tune of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic”)

By now you know the story of the respiratory stew
Where the fatty acids get chopped up in units two by two
Their electrons pass through coenzymes referred to here as Q
Electrons flow along

Glory to electron transport
Glory to electron transport
Glory to electron transport
Electrons flow along

Eee – lectron transport complexes are working dusk to dawn
Managing electron energy they just keep passing on
And for handling the energy they get to pump protons
As the gradient marches on

Glory to the proton gradient
Make the mitochondry – radiant
Glory to the proton gradient
The gradient marches on

If you need a lot of energy your cells have got a way
To break fatty acids down to yield some acetyl-CoA
Going on inside peroxisomes and mitochondri “ay”
Fatty acids oxidized

Glory, glory oxidation
It’s the heart of respiration
Learn it without consternation
Fatty acids oxidized

HMG-CoA reductase leads to bits of isoprene
That link up together in the cell to synthesize terpenes
Don’t forget before cholesterol you’ve got to make squalene
As the lipids march along

Glory, glory to the lipids
Glory, glory to the lipids
Glory, glory to the lipids
As the lipids march along

If a bee should come and sting you when you’re sitting in a daze
You had better take some aspirin for PGH synthase
Otherwise arachidonate goes to cyclic path-a-ways
And you’ll start to feel the pain

Oh, don’t make the prostaglandins
Causing pain with great abandon
No, don’t make the prostaglandins
You are going to feel the pain