Words and Music by Bob Swanson, ©2025 Mortgage Hill Music (BMI)

It’s that sliver of the spectrum called visible light
It surrounds us, all around us and it’s really outta sight
It makes the grass and leaves green when you see them at the park
And when it’s not around at all, it can leave you in the dark
When the colors are mixed up, they look all white
But we can split them and name them with a mnemonic device

ROY-G-BV, ROY-G-BV, ROY-G, ROY-G, ROY-G, ROY-G-BV

Each color has a wavelength and a frequency
They all travel at the speed of light, which is c
Some colors get absorbed, others tend to be reflected
When refracted in a rainbow Snell’s Law is respected
Visible light gets to us through the sky’s transparency
That’s how you see your mom and dad, apparently

ROY-G-BV, ROY-G-BV, ROY-G, ROY-G, ROY-G, ROY-G-BV

RED – In Chutes & Ladders, it’s the color of the chutes
ORANGE – Cheetos, Nemo and my favorite citrus fruit
YELLOW – Bananas and The Beatles’ submarine
GREEN – Kermit says that it’s not always easy being
BLUE – The sea, the sky and the moon once in a while
VIOLET – Royal color when you want to dress in style

ROY-G-BV, ROY-G-BV, ROY-G, ROY-G, ROY-G, ROY-G . . .
ROY-G-BV, ROY-G-BV, ROY-G, ROY-G, ROY-G, ROY-G-BV!