Invertebrates
Original lyrics penned 1993, © 2004 by James West Nelson
Tune: " Camptown Races "
Invertebrates got no back bones, do they, do they?
They're ectothermic in their homes, oh invertebrates
Some live on the land, and some live in the sea
Some inverts called parasites can live in you and me
Invertebrates can be real small like tiny kri-ill
Some get so big they'd fill the hall, like the giant squid
Bees fly through the air, and worms live in the soil
The praying mantis catches bugs, the clam we like to boil
The phyla of invertebrates are plenty, plenty
From simple sponge to Arthropods, we find variety
Oh, Porifera, on the bottom of the sea
Though really is an animal, looks like a plant to me
Of the worms there are a lot, roundworms, flatworms
And found in every flower pot, keeping soil loose
We find the Annelid, called the night crawler
Dig some up for fishin' bait and make yer mom holler
A phylum of invertebrates, Molluska, a musta
At every seafood chowder-house that serves invertebrates
I'll munch on escargot, and calamari too
I'll slurp all day on clam chowder and tasty oyster stew
Arthropods have jointed legs, insects, crayfish
Their antennae they like to wave, they use their eyes to see
Insects have six legs, Arachnids they have eight
Crustaceans may have ten or more, wouldn't that be great?
Invertebrates got no back bones, do they, do they?
They're ectothermic in their homes, oh invertebrates
Some live on the land, and some live in the sea
Some inverts called parasites can live in you and me