Alkaloid: The Family

Lyrics

[Intro]
Alkaloid. A word from the Arabic for soda ash —
al-qily — plus the Greek for kind.
A class, not a single molecule.
Nitrogen at the center of each,
holding a ring that bends the mind in a specific way.

[Verse 1]
Caffeine is the eldest sibling.
Nicotine is the nervous cousin.
Morphine is the one you whisper about.
Quinine saved empires from malaria.
Theobromine hides in the chocolate you don't share.
Cocaine sent itself to jail.
All of them share the nitrogen ring.
All of them were born in a plant.

[Verse 2]
This building took the whole family's name.
Not a specific molecule —
the category, the set, the chemical aunt.
A loft full of people drinking one alkaloid
and pretending the others are strangers.

[Chorus]
Alkaloid. The family name on the building's door.
The class of mind-shaping compounds.
The quiet science of the nervous system
tilting slightly, then tilting back.

[Outro]
Today is Thursday. The nitrogen is drawing steam.
The siblings are already at work.