Supercalifragicsuperluminalneutrinos!
Words by Prof. Philip Taylor, Case Western Reserve University, March 2012
Tune: "Supercalifragilistic", from "Mary Poppins" by Richard and Robert Sherman
(Click here to stop music playback)

Verse: Super calibration efforts led us to this scene:  
Particles from Switzerland where CERN has a machine 
Sometimes reach Gran Sasso and that's where they have been seen,
Arriving somewhat early, but our data's squeaky clean.

Chorus 1: Super, but not hyper -- superluminal neutrinos,
Einstein said they can't exist, but what the heck does he know?
Time of flight is our delight and that is what we've seen.  Oh,
Super, but not hyper -- superluminal neutrinos!

Um diddle diddle diddle um diddle aye
Um diddle diddle diddle um diddle aye

Chorus 2: Super, but not hyper -- superluminal neutrinos,
They're a better bet for sure than you'd find in casinos.
Every night at bedtime I tell that to my bambinos,
Super, but not hyper -- superluminal neutrinos!

Um diddle diddle diddle um diddle aye
Um diddle diddle diddle um diddle aye

Chorus 3: Super, but not hyper -- superluminal neutrinos,
Sitting here in Italy we drink a lot of vino.
Perhaps it would be better if we stuck to cappuccino,
Super, but not hyper -- superluminal neutrinos!

Um diddle diddle diddle um diddle aye
(Slowing down)
Um diddle diddle diddle um diddle aye

Caveat coda (chorus tune, slower at start, then speeding up)

But.............
Let's not sneer, though it seems queer, this speed that they detected.
In my view it's peer review to which they'll be subjected.
Let's be kind and bear in mind before their work's rejected,
Great new physics always is completely unexpected!

Learn more about some of the topics mentioned:
A brief history of the controversy: can neutrinos really go faster than light?
Home page of the OPERA collaboration, which detected the neutrinos
Latest updates on the superluminal neutrinos

Right-click or command-click to download the midi file of the music (author unknown, edited by WFS) .. PDF of the lyrics

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Background image: a section of the OPERA detector, used to detect the neutrinos