blahg, blahg, blahg…

(To the tune of “The Ballad of Davy Crockett”, Bruns & Blackburn, 1954.)

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Born in the mountain tops near Hungary,
In a tiny town to a German family.
Raised on a farm learning plants and bees,
‘til he went off to live in an Abbey.
Gregor, Gregor Mendel, Father of Heredity.

He chose certain pea plants from his garden store,
Cross-bred the strains through generations more.
And while he was doing this meticulous chore,
He found that traits of offspring come in certain forms.
Gregor, Gregor Mendel, he studies thirty thousand different peas.

He published his findings in a classic work,
But at the time his peers just smiled at him and smirked,
They paid him no mind, though he was a quirk
Yet over time they came to see the genius of his work.
Thanks to Gregor, Gregor Mendel, today we have genetic therapy!

Besides his work on plants, Gregor also studied bees.
He bred them in hives at St. Thomas’ Abbey.
He also studied stars and astronomy,
Founding the Austrian Meteorological Society.
Gregor, Gregor Mendel, we know much today thanks to thee!

As he grew older, his research slimmed,
Because the role of Abbot was put on him
Administrative duties filled him to the brim
And fightin’ with the government proved kind of grim.
Gregor, Gregor Mendel, leading the people with a hymn.

But his science was big and his science was best,
To teach us a lot of how we come out of the nest.
He was ahead of his time in meeting the test
A legend today in genetics.
Gregor, Gregor Mendel, Father of Heredity.

He’s Gregor, Gregor Mendel, Father of Heredity.