Song Lyrics
Verse 1:
You call me "Moss Piglet,"
you think I’m cute,
Walking on eight legs in a chubby little suit.
I’ve got claws like a bear,
but I’m smaller than a dot,
Ruling the lichen, yeah, that’s my spot.
But don't let the size fool your simple giant brain,
I’m built for the fire and the frozen plain.
I rule a tiny droplet,
I don't need a lake,
I can handle every pressure that the world can make.
Chorus:
Go ahead and freeze me! (I don't care.)
Go ahead and boil me! (I'm still there.)
I am the Water Bear, the king of the extreme,
Living out a microscopic, indestructible dream.
Space is a vacation, radiation is a breeze,
I bring the toughest danger down to its knees.
Verse 2:
I don’t need a spacesuit, I don’t need a tank,
I shrug off rays that make the sensors go blank.
Blast me into orbit, open up the door,
I’ll float in the vacuum and ask for a little more.
Six times the pressure of the deepest sea?
That’s just a heavy blanket, it feels fine to me.
High heat, deep cold, or a cosmic ray,
I’m the only one standing at the end of the day.
Bridge:
Wait. Water’s gone? I’ll sleep for thirty years until the break of dawn.
I curl into a ball. I’m called a "Tun."
I dry myself out like a raisin in the sun.
My metabolism stops. Zero point zero one.
...Just add water. I’m back.
Chorus:
Go ahead and freeze me! (I don't care.)
Go ahead and boil me! (I'm still there.)
I am the Water Bear, the king of the extreme,
Living out a microscopic, indestructible dream.
Space is a vacation, radiation is a breeze,
I bring the toughest danger down to its knees.
Outro:
In the ice.
In the heat.
I’m the one You can’t beat.
Anywhere. Everywhere.
Water Bear. King of Extreme.
About the song
Meet the tardigrade, the microscopic water bear that survives heat, cold, pressure, radiation, and even space.
Discover how tardigrades enter cryptobiosis and survive conditions that would destroy almost any other animal.
FAQs
What is a tardigrade?
A tardigrade is a tiny animal, often called a water bear, that lives in moist places such as moss, soil, freshwater, and ocean sediment.
How do tardigrades survive extreme conditions?
Many tardigrades enter cryptobiosis, a near-shutdown state where they lose most body water, curl into a tun, and slow their metabolism dramatically.
Can tardigrades really survive space?
Some tardigrades have survived space-like vacuum and radiation in experiments, especially in the tun state. They are tough, but not impossible to kill.
Why are tardigrades useful for science learning?
They help kids explore adaptation, dormancy, dehydration, survival limits, and the difference between active life and stress survival.