O Chromosomes

by G. Ledyard Stebbins , © date unknown, prior to 1964

(to the tune of "O Tannenbaum")

O chromosomes, my chromosomes, how faithful is thy mission,
O chromosomes, my chromosomes, thou bringest my condition :
Thoumak'st mine eyes look brown or blue,
My blood group too depends on you.
Meiosis brings variety notgained by simple fission..

O chromossomes, my chromosomes,I've learned to know you better:
I've learned the code of DNA, I can translate each letter.
Our thymine mates with adenine, our guanine must have cytosine,
It's messenger, pureRNA, puts our proteins together.

O chromosomes, my chromosomes, how faithful is thy mission.
O chromosomes, my chromosomes, how sad is my condition :
My grandsire's gift for writing well has gone to some lost polar cell,
That's why I write this doggerel, for I can do no better.