LABLyrical DNA
Water in the Summertime
A summer-memory song that doubles as a walkthrough of water chemistry. The lyrics move from sprinklers and backyard pools to the polar covalent bonds inside a water molecule and the hydrogen bonds between them, then extend those same attractions to protein folding and DNA base pairing. Select any highlighted line to see the biology behind it.
Trouble playing? Watch on YouTube
Interactive lyrics
Lines with a dotted underline and a + marker have an explanation. Select one and the science appears beside the lyrics. Everything else is ordinary lyric text.
Verse 1
Bare feet on the grass, every day felt bigger.
Sun going down, radio turned high,
Trying to stay out past the neighborhood rules.
We did not know the science then,
We just knew the summer would come again.
Pre-Chorus
There was chemistry beneath the light,
Making every memory feel right.
Chorus
We had water in the summertime,
Like the days we thought would last forever.
Water in the summertime,
We did not see it, but it was there,
Polarity was everywhere.
Water in the summertime,
Still takes me back every time.
Verse 2
Windows rolled down, never going far.
Skipped flat stones till the daylight faded,
Watched the circles spread wherever they landed.
We stayed inside till the storm passed by.
Pre-Chorus
So the charge is uneven across the frame.
Chorus
We had water in the summertime,
Like the days we thought would last forever.
Water in the summertime,
We did not see it, but it was there,
Polarity was everywhere.
Water in the summertime,
Still takes me back every time.
Bridge
Opposite regions attract nearby,
And water is only where the story begins,
These attractions keep appearing again.
Small attractions, moment by moment,
Building the structures that keep life connected.
Build
Poolside laughter.
Rain on the street.
Every splash,
Every shoreline,
Water and science
In the same good time.
Final Chorus
We had water in the summertime,
Water in the summertime,
Polarity creates attractions
That help organize the molecules of life.
We did not see it, but it was there,
Hydrogen bonding everywhere.
Water in the summertime,
Still takes me back every time.
Outro
Sprinklers turning.
Sunset fading.
Water in the summertime.
Still takes me back every time.
Concepts covered
High specific heat capacityAdded energy must first disrupt hydrogen bonds before it can speed up water molecules, so water absorbs a large amount of heat for each degree it warms. Pools, lakes, and oceans therefore stay cooler than the air on a hot day, and water running over skin can take up body heat without warming much itself.
High heat of vaporization and evaporative coolingEvaporating water takes a large amount of energy because many hydrogen bonds must break for a molecule to escape as vapor. The escaping molecules carry that energy away, so sweat evaporating from skin removes heat and cools the body.
Cohesion between water moleculesHydrogen bonds create cohesion, the attraction of water molecules to one another. Cohesion helps water form rounded droplets and contributes to surface tension, although individual hydrogen bonds continually break and reform.
Hydrogen bonding between water moleculesA partially positive hydrogen on one water molecule is attracted to the partially negative oxygen on a neighboring molecule. This intermolecular attraction is a hydrogen bond.
Oxygen is more electronegative than hydrogenOxygen attracts the shared electrons in each O-H bond more strongly than hydrogen does. The electrons are shared unequally, making the bonds polar covalent rather than ionic.
Water is a polar moleculeThe polar covalent bonds in water create an uneven distribution of charge. The oxygen region is partially negative, while the hydrogen regions are partially positive, making water polar.
Water cycleWater moves continuously between liquid and vapor as it evaporates from surfaces, condenses in the atmosphere, and returns as precipitation. Hydrogen bonds break when water evaporates and reform when it condenses, so each step of the cycle also moves energy, not just water.
Intramolecular polar covalent bondsThe oxygen and hydrogen atoms inside one water molecule are held together by polar covalent bonds. These strong intramolecular bonds are different from the weaker hydrogen bonds between separate molecules.
Dynamic hydrogen-bond networkLiquid water contains a constantly changing network of hydrogen bonds. Thermal motion breaks individual attractions while new ones form with nearby molecules, allowing water to remain cohesive and fluid.
Hydrogen bonds in protein structureHydrogen bonds help form protein secondary structures such as alpha-helices and beta-pleated sheets. They also contribute to the three-dimensional shape of a protein.
Hydrogen bonds between DNA basesHydrogen bonds connect complementary bases across the DNA double helix: adenine pairs with thymine, and guanine pairs with cytosine. The covalent sugar-phosphate backbones hold each strand together.
Condensation on a cold surfaceThe liquid on the outside of a cold glass usually comes from water vapor in the surrounding air. Cooling near the glass causes vapor to condense into liquid droplets; the water does not pass through the glass.
