Category: lyrics

Thunder.mp3
Thunder.mp4
Thunder-Best-Of.mp3
Thunder-Best-Of.mp4
Thunder-intro.mp3

[Intro]
Wonder…
… what causes rolling thunder?

[Verse 1]
Superheats the air
(Rapid expansion)
To here from there
(To hear the action)

[Bridge]
Lightning a mile long
(Thunder gods’ song)

[Chorus]
Say hello to echo (echo)
Then say hey to delay (delay)
To hear her rumbling
Is quite humbling

[Verse 2]
Atmospheric layering
(Reaction to refraction)
Seriously sound bending
(And mind melding)

[Bridge]
Lightning a mile long
(Thunder gods’ song)

[Chorus]
Say hello to echo (echo)
Then say hey to delay (delay)
To hear her rumbling
Is quite humbling

[Outro]
Lightning a mile long
(Thunder gods’ song)

A SCIENCE NOTE

The physics of rolling thunder involves the way sound waves generated by lightning travel through the atmosphere. Unlike a single sharp clap of thunder, rolling thunder is a prolonged, rumbling sound that can last several seconds. Here’s how it works:

1. Source: Lightning’s Explosive Expansion

• When lightning strikes, it superheats the air along its path to temperatures around 30,000°C (54,000°F).

• This causes rapid expansion of air, creating a shock wave that we hear as thunder.

2. Thunder is Not a Point Sound

• A lightning bolt can be several miles long, with branches stretching horizontally and vertically.

• Each segment of the bolt generates sound, but because they’re at different distances and angles from the observer, their sound waves arrive at different times.

3. Rolling Thunder: Delay and Echo

• The rumbling effect comes from:

  • Sound arriving at different times from different parts of the bolt.

  • Reflections and scattering off clouds, the ground, hills, and temperature layers.

  • Atmospheric layering, where changes in temperature and humidity bend sound (a phenomenon called refraction).

4. Distance Effect

• The farther you are from the lightning strike, the more rolling the thunder will sound.

  • Close: a sharp “crack” or “clap”.

  • Far: a low-pitched, rolling rumble as sound waves spread and bounce through varying atmospheric conditions.

5. Frequency Filtering

• Higher frequencies are absorbed more by the atmosphere, especially over long distances.

• So distant thunder tends to be lower-pitched, which contributes to the rumbling sensation.

Summary: Rolling thunder is caused by the geometry of lightning, the delays in sound arrival from different parts of the bolt, and the complex way sound waves interact with the atmosphere as they travel to the listener.

From the album “Roll“

Waves.mp3
Waves.mp4
Waves-Unplugged-Underground-XIX.mp3
Waves-Unplugged-Underground-XIX.mp4
Waves-intro.mp3

[Intro]
Begin (the waves roll in)
About (to roll back out)

[Verse 1]
General relativity
Never ceases to amaze me
Gradients pullin’ more than the far side
Watching the rising and falling tide

[Chorus]
Begin (the waves roll in)
About (to roll back out)
The waves roll in (again)
The waves roll out (no doubt)

[Bridge]
The sea is calling
(Rising and falling)
It’s rising high
(Toward the sky)
Then, you know
(Falling low)

[Verse 2]
Ah, the inertial force
Of course
Barycenter front and center
Going to divulge her bulge
High and low… here we go

[Chorus]
Begin (the waves roll in)
About (to roll back out)
The waves roll in (again)
The waves roll out (no doubt)

[Bridge]
The sea is calling
(Rising and falling)
[Instrumental, Organ Solo]
It’s rising high
(Toward the sky)
Then, you know
(Falling low)

[Chorus]
Begin (the waves roll in)
About (to roll back out)
The waves roll in (again)
The waves roll out (no doubt)

[Outro]
The sea is calling
(Rising and falling)

A SCIENCE NOTE

Tides on Earth are the result of gravitational interactions between the Earth, the Moon, the Sun, and the warping of spacetime. Here’s a breakdown of how each plays a role:

1. Moon’s Gravity (Primary Influence)

• The Moon’s gravitational pull creates a bulge in Earth’s oceans on the side facing the Moon.

• At the same time, there’s a second bulge on the opposite side of the Earth due to the inertial force (Earth and Moon orbiting a common center of mass, or barycenter).

• These bulges result in two high tides and two low tides each day as the Earth rotates.

2. Sun’s Gravity (Secondary Influence)

• The Sun is much farther away but much more massive, so its gravity also affects tides.

• When the Sun, Moon, and Earth are aligned (during new moon and full moon), their gravitational forces combine, producing spring tides (higher highs and lower lows).

• When the Sun and Moon are at right angles (during first and third quarters), they partially cancel each other out, leading to neap tides (less extreme).

3. Earth’s Rotation

• As the Earth rotates, different areas pass through the tidal bulges, experiencing rising and falling sea levels about every 12.5 hours.

• Earth’s rotation also causes a slight lag, pulling the bulges ahead of the Moon’s position—this has long-term effects, like slowing Earth’s rotation and pushing the Moon farther away over time.

4. Spacetime and Tidal Forces

• According to Einstein’s General Relativity, massive objects like the Moon and the Sun warp spacetime.

• These warps create gravitational gradients—stronger pull on the side closer to the Moon/Sun than on the far side.

• These gradients are what cause tidal forces: the differential in gravitational pull that stretches the Earth and its oceans.

Summary

From the album “Roll“