The universe
 
            to the tune of "I am so proud" from 
 
           'The Mikado', by Gilbert and Sullivan
   
                 words by Kevin Krisciunas, 1987
 
            a trio for three baritones (A, B, C)
 
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A: The universe for good or worse most every place is empty space.
   10 billion years or more ago, apart it flew in an instant or two.
   The Big Bang's light once lit up the night.
   It now behaves at microwaves, at microwaves.
 
B: A cloud of gas of proper mass, if dense enough, becomes star
     stuff, becomes star stuff.
   The cloud oblates, coagulates.  The knots diffuse. Some gas
     we lose.
   Now every star, both near and far, is born this way the experts say.
 
C: I heard one day a physicist say, as if he cared, E is m c squared.
   The stellar cores perform their chores. And so they gain, they
     gain, a helium strain.
   If this is true, it's jolly for you.
   Hot stars are blue and soon they are through.
 
   (now the round)
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B: And so, although, all stars they must go,
   Yet recollect this death effect we can't correct by intellect.
   Their ends direct we thus detect.
 
A: And so, although, some stars they must blow,
   They greatly pine to brightly shine, 
   And take the line of a hero fine.
   Ere they decline, they're not benign.
 
C: A hot white dwarf, this endomorph, throughout will get degenerate.
   Its course is set, don't you forget.
   I'll make my bet, which I won't regret.
 
   (all 3 from here on out)
 
   I won't regret, I won't regret 
   We thus detect, we thus detect
   They're not benign, they're not benign 
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  Red giants are distended with a hot white core
  Less than Chandrasekhar's limit, which is 1.4.
  A supergiant has a very different goal
  Like a neutron star, OR pulsar, OR a big black hole.
 
  (repeat)
 
  A hot white core,
  Mass 1.4,
  A different goal,
  A big black hole.
 
  Red giants are distended,
  Then there's Chandrasekhar's limit,
  But a supernova soon becomes
  A neutron star or pulsar or a big, black hole.
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