"The Body Machine" is a song in Schoolhouse Rock!, which can be seen in Science Rock. The song teaches us how our body digests food.
Lyrics[]
Big Man: When you look down the street, what do you see?
The street is overflowing with a lot of machines.
Now I don't mean the buses, the trucks or cars.
I'm talking about the people, Yeah, you know who they are.
Both Men: I'm a machine, you're a machine,
Everybody that you know,
you know, they are machines.
To keep your engine running you need energy
for your high-powered, revved-up body machine.
Your high-powered, revved-up body machine.
Big Man: Now I'd be a fool if I said that the fuel
that we needed to burn was gasoline,
Because the fuel we use is the stuff called food
and it puts out the power for our machine.
You make a stop at the filling station...
Mustache Man: "Fill 'er up! One chicken sandwich to go!"
Big Man: As you start to chew,
your body does it.
All systems go!
Mustache Man: Now that sandwich contains
some very important kinds of food energy for your body.
The chicken gives you protein; bread, carbohydrates; mayonnaise, fat;
and the lettuce has vitamins, plus cellulose (or roughage).
Together, these things help keep your body machine running smoothly.
Big Man: First the saliva, kind of like a driver...
Mustache Man: "Move to the rear of the mouth!"
Big Man: But what it's doing,
along with teeth chewing,
is taking food and breaking it down.
Down to the stomach, the food is pushed,
the esophagus does its stuff.
And the stomach starts...
Mustache Man: Look at those moving parts!
Big Man: As the body machine churns up.
Mustache Man: Gastric juices operate
on proteins, fats and carbohydrates.
Big Man: In the stomach they do what they do.
They take out nutrition and use it for you.
Mustache Man: And the cellulose in those leaves, you know,
will control the traffic flow.
Big Man: Helps the food to move along
so the good stays in...
Mustache Man: And the bad gets gone!
Both Men: I'm a machine, you're a machine,
Everybody that you know,
you know, they are machines.
To keep your engine running you need energy
for your high-powered, revved-up body machine.
Your high-powered, revved-up body machine.
Big Man: Then the small intestine does most of your digesting,
by sending all the nutrients
in through the villi...
Mustache Man: Which look a little "silli"!
Big Man: But act as little vents.
The bloodstream passes the nutrients it catches
and takes them to the cells you see.
You use what it delivers...
Mustache Man: And it stores some in the liver.
Big Man: For future energy.
Both Men: I'm a machine, you're a machine,
Everybody that you know,
you know, they are machines.
To keep your engine running you need energy
for your high-powered, revved-up body machine.
Your high-powered, revved-up body machine.
Your high-powered, revved-up, complicated tune-up, fascinating body machine.
Mustache Man: Take care of that machine.
You got such a great model there, honey!
Big Man: Give it the right fuel: high protein, low calories.
Mustache Man: Take it out for a spin every day!
Trivia[]
- Bob Dorough and Jack Sheldon are seen in this song as animated men characters.
