Breakdown

Music: Tom Petty

Lyrics: Steve Hammack and Jay Musen

It’s all right if you chew it;

It’s all right if you don’t.

Your amylase tears up carbohydrates,

Honey, if your dentition won’t.

There is no use in pepsinogen.

Catalysis can’t have its way.

pH inside you, will help it divide to

Pepsin, which now tears away.

Enzymes, breakdown! Go ahead and digest it for me.

Breakdown! Digest it through the night.

Breakdown! Proteins are split to be

Amino acids, all right!

It’s all right.

It’s all right.

Chyme then enters intestine.

Bicarbonate serves as a base.

All this induces the pancreas juices.

Polymers all get unlaced.

There is no use in trypsinogen.

Trypsin though would suffice.

To make the conversion, requires a surgeon’s

Removing a small peptide slice.

Enzymes, breakdown! Go ahead and digest it for me.

Breakdown! Digest it through the night.

Breakdown! Polymers are split to be

Monomers, all right!

It’s all right.

It’s all right.

Lipids still need digesting.

That’s a job for your gall.

Emulsification effects transformation

Of larger fat globules to small.

Lipase enters the picture

And starts attacking the fat.

Lipids you’ve eaten, will soon take a beatin’.

Who can complain about that?

Enzymes, breakdown! Go ahead and digest it for me.

Breakdown! Digest it through the night.

Breakdown! Triglycerides are split to be

Fatty acids, all right!

It’s all right.

It’s all right.

Carbs aren’t finished digesting;

There’s more work to be done.

Pancrease juices now run down their sluices

And amylase rejoins the fun.

Amylase gets down to dicing

Polysacharride chains.

To get my fill I take in through my villi

The broken-down stuff that remains.

Enzymes, breakdown! Go ahead and digest it for me.

Breakdown! Digest it through the night.

Breakdown! Polysaccharides are split to be

Monosaccharides, all right!

It’s all right.

It’s all right.